BBC Prime
This station was launched in 1987 as BBC TV Europe. It changed its identity to BBC World Service Television from 11 March 1991, then to BBC Prime from 26 January 1995. BBC Prime was replaced by BBC Entertainment from 11 November 2009.
The station transmitted via the IntelSat satellite, broadcasting on frequency 601 27.5º west, at 10,995 and 11,155 gigahertz.
It was the BBC's first entertainment channel available via satellite and cable across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, broadcasting 24 hours a day.
BBC Prime aired a selection of BBC as well as ITV programming.
TRANSMISSION
We are not sure when Doctor Who started on this station. For a time episodes aired twice on Saturdays, with the following episode later the same day – e.g. an episode would air at 1.05am, then repeated at 10.00am, with the next episode on at 5.30pm the same day. Sometimes, the early morning episodes were not available in Africa.
- According to a TV listing from a Spanish newspaper for Sunday, 4 April 1993 (see illustration), the Colin Baker era was airing at that time.
- The week the station was re-branded as BBC Prime, the Jon Pertwee stories (the standard mixed format package of all 24 serials) commenced, weekly on Saturdays from 7:30pm: Spearhead from Space aired from 28 January 1995.
- The Ambassadors of Death part one in colour and the re-colourised episode five aired in colour for the first time on BBC Prime.
- The Tom Baker stories screened from June 1997.
- On 3 and 7 May 1999, the "30 Years in the TARDIS" special aired.
- During the run of The Creature from the Pit, the 1996 TV Movie aired on 30 December 1999, the actual date on which the movie was set.
- Peter Davison stories played from September 2000.
- The Sylvester McCoy stories concluded with Survival in August 2002.
- The McCoy era was followed by The Five Doctors, which lead into a further run of repeats.
It's unclear exactly when it was that the Doctor Who run ended on BBC Prime.
BBC Prime was available in the following countries, some of which also had previously aired Doctor Who on their own domestic stations:
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Israel (from June 2000)
- Italy
- South Korea
- Malta
- Monaco?
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Switzerland?
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Sweden
- Serbia
(and no doubt many others….)
- IDENTS: BBC PRIME IDENTS
