Hold on to your sonic screwdriver. A new incarnation of Doctor Who
premieres on Sci Fi Channel.

Sci Fi Channel’s all-new version of
Doctor Who is ready to launch. One of the BBC’s most famous exports and
perennial favorites among science fiction enthusiasts was built to stand the
test of time and an ever changing cast of actors who portray the good Doctor.

Premiering Friday at 9:00 p.m. in the two-hour episode “Rose &
The End of the World,” the new Doctor Who, portrayed by actor Christopher
Eccleston, is funny, daring and sage. Charged to protect time and its relative
dimensions, he’s an excellent tactician and technician, but the good Doctor’s
diplomatic skills are somewhat lacking. Taking on a shop-girl named Rose (Billie
Piper) as his personal assistant, Who sets out in the Tardis for fantastic
adventures throughout the cosmos.

A significant part of Britain’s pop
culture, the original Doctor Who debuted on the BBC in 1963. Numerous
actors have filled the role — explained away by a regeneration process that
alters not only the Doctor’s appearance but personality — with some of the most
famous incarnations being played by Tom Baker, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee,
as well as Peter Cushing, who starred in two mid-’60s movies. The series ran
until 1989, and was revived by the BBC in 2005. Over the years, Doctor
Who has been awarded numerous honors, including “Most Popular
Drama,” “Most Popular Actor” for Eccleston and “Most
Popular Actress” for Piper, from Britain’s National Television Awards.
Diehard followers of the franchise call themselves “Whovians,” as
serious, fervent and loyal a group as Star Trek‘s
“Trekkies.”

BBC Worldwide America offers a wide selection of
novels starring Doctor Who, including the Doctor Who: Island of Death,
The Infinity Race and Atom Bomb Blues Mass Market Paperbacks. Other volumes
include the Doctor Who: Only Human HC and Doctor Who: The Legend Continues TP. A
new series of novels, based on the SCI FI program (currently in its second
season in the U.K), will be on the way shortly including the Doctor Who: The
Stone Rose HC the Feast of the Drowned HC and the I am a Dalek TP.

The
return of Doctor Who to American television is already generating buzz
among fans. If you are a longtime devotee or a new recruit, now is the time to
enjoy this series to the fullest.