BBC scraps 'Doctor Who' for 'Eurovision'

The BBC has postponed an episode of Doctor Who on Saturday, May 12, citing that night’s Eurovision Song Contest as the reason. However, it is believed that talent show Any Dream Will Do has escaped the cut and will still be shown.

Coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to begin at 8pm, meaning that the BBC would have to screen its regular Saturday night line-up much earlier to accommodate the annual event. In the end, the corporation opted to postpone Doctor Who rather than show it in a much earlier time slot as has been the case recently.

The Doctor Who episode, entitled ‘42’ and guest-starring Michelle Collins, will now be shown the following week on Saturday, May 19 at an unspecified time.

The BBC has faced much criticism from fans of Doctor Who for its erratic scheduling of the third season. Closely linked to a fixed 7pm Saturday evening time slot during the previous two years, the family drama has been bounced around the schedules in the last month, often being screened earlier and confounding many viewers in the process.

To read Cult Spy’s look at the recent scheduling of Doctor Who click here