1996

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1996

History of the Doctor Who Universe

Real World

January

February

March

April

May

  • 12 - CITV in Edmonton, Canada, is the first broadcaster to air the DW: Doctor Who TV movie, two days before its "official" premiere in the US.
  • 14DW: Doctor Who is first broadcast on Fox Television in America. Sylvester McCoy regenerates into Paul McGann for McGann's (to date) only on-screen appearance as The Doctor. The film introduces a new theme music arrangement by John Debney (the late Ron Grainer is not credited, however), and reinstates the Jon Pertwee era logo from 1970-1973 which subsequently replaces the 1987 series logo as the franchise branding (it will continue to be used into 2009 to denote "past Doctor"-related products following the 2005 series revival). The ratings prove to be a disappointment and Fox declines to commission a TV series or further movies. Subsequently, issues over rights and licensing prevent the telefilm from being released to home video in North America (a situation which has not yet been rectified), although a UK home video release occurs not long after its broadcast there.
  • 16 - NA: Happy Endings is first published. Promoted as the 50th book in the Virgin New Adventures line, it features cameo appearances by many characters from both the TV series and the NA books, and is notable for "outing" Mike Yates. Benny Summerfield ceases to be a regular companion with this novel, though she will return in later volumes and ultimately take over the New Adventures line after Virgin loses the Doctor Who licence.
  • 17 - Doctor Who - The Script of the Film is first published.
  • 20 - Jon Pertwee dies from a heart attack in Connecticut.
  • 25 - The TV movie is promoted on the cover of the Radio Times.
  • 27 - DW: Doctor Who is first broadcast on BBC1. The UK broadcast includes some minor edits related to violence, and also includes an on-screen dedication in memory of Jon Pertwee. Unlike the US showing, the UK broadcast is considered a ratings winner, but without US support, the telefilm does not result in a series revival.
  • Doctor Who - The Novel of the Film is first published. This is the first novelisation of a televised story to not be published by Target Books or an affiliate. This is the first Doctor Who novel to be published by BBC Books, and would lead to the imprint taking over the Doctor Who fiction licence from Virgin Books (it is not, however, considered part of the later Eighth Doctor Adventures line). It is the last novelisation of a televised Doctor Who story to date, and the last novelisation of any kind until WC: Scream of the Shalka was adapted in 2004.

Spring 1996

  • Around the time the novelisation of the telefilm is published, a major shake-up occurs in the Doctor Who publishing world when it's announced that BBC Books has taken on the licence to publish fiction featuring The Doctor and other BBC-owned characters and concepts from the franchise. Virgin Books, which has been publishing original novels since 1991 and also owns the Target Books line which dates back to 1973, announces its Virgin New Adventures and Virgin Missing Adventures lines will conclude in 1997, after several remaining commissioned novels are published. Virgin, however, also announces it will continue the New Adventures line after that point, focusing on the character of Benny Summerfield.

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unknown


1995 20th century
1990s
1997