Doctor Who Christmas special to be screened first in north of England
The BBC is to give viewers in the north of England early access to its Christmas Day schedule, including Peter Capaldi’s final outing as Doctor Who.
The Doctor Who Christmas special, usually a closely guarded secret until transmission, will be shown on big screens at venues in Hartlepool, York, Hull, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Salford, Durham and Bradford between December 14 and December 22.
Children in Newcastle and Hull will also be able to see The Highway Rat, BBC One’s adaptation of the Julia Donaldson book, which will be shown on Christmas Day afternoon.
York and Hull will also be given a preview of The League of Gentleman, the BBC Two comedy series returning with new episodes after a 15-year hiatus.
Tickets will be allocated via ballot, with 45 per cent going to local postcodes, 45 per cent to the surrounding county and 10 per cent to the rest of the UK.
Demand for the Doctor Who episodes is likely to be high, although the screening will not include the last few moments in which Capaldi regenerates and Jodie Whittaker makes her first appearances. That will be kept as a surprise for the BBC One broadcast on Christmas Day.
Viewers elsewhere in the country might feel put out, but a BBC spokesman explained: “We work hard to serve audiences across the UK and have a long-term commitment to doing more in northern England.
“People in the region are being given the chance to see some key content before its broadcast this Christmas.”
According to the BBC, a quarter of all licence fee payers live in the north of England, and the director-general, Lord Hall, is at pains to make the corporation feel less London-centric.
Venues for the screenings are Hartlepool Town Hall, The Guild Hall in York, Jubilee Church in Hull, St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle, The Middlesbrough Empire, MediaCityUK in Salford, Durham School and the old Odeon in Bradford.
Adrian Mills, general manager of BBC North, said: “We can’t wait to bring this wonderful seasonal programming direct to our audiences in the North and we’re sure they’ll enjoy this exclusive BBC content.”
Entry to the ballot is via the link below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/bbc_north_preview_screening_tour