South Africa - Revision history

Jon Preddle at 21:54, 15 August 2025

2025-08-15T21:54:10Z

Jon Preddle at 23:19, 14 July 2025

2025-07-14T23:19:32Z

Jon Preddle at 22:50, 14 July 2025

2025-07-14T22:50:25Z

Jon Preddle at 20:51, 2 November 2024

2024-11-02T20:51:26Z

Jon Preddle at 19:35, 2 November 2024

2024-11-02T19:35:35Z

Jon Preddle at 22:01, 28 October 2024

2024-10-28T22:01:07Z

Jon Preddle at 21:49, 28 October 2024

2024-10-28T21:49:37Z

Jon Preddle at 20:18, 28 October 2024

2024-10-28T20:18:41Z

Jon Preddle at 20:56, 25 August 2024

2024-08-25T20:56:51Z

Jon Preddle at 20:41, 25 August 2024

2024-08-25T20:41:07Z

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 =='''[[Paul McGann stories|PAUL McGANN]]'''==
 [[File:TVM South Africa.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Cover and spine of the  South African VHS tape]]
-It was reported on ITV's Teletex service in mid-1996 that South Africa "was interested" in purchasing the [[TV Movie]]. However, as far as we can tell, no local TV station acquired the film for broadcast.
+It was reported on ITV's Teletext service in mid-1996 that South Africa "was interested" in purchasing the [[TV Movie]]. However, as far as we can tell, no local TV station acquired the film for broadcast.
 But later that same year, the [[TV Movie]] was issued on PAL VHS video tape by '''CIC Video (Pty) Ltd''', a South African distributor based in Sandton near Johannesburg. This was licensed for both retail and rental. It had an '''"A"''' classification rating.

@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 It was reported on ITV's Teletex service in mid-1996 that South Africa "was interested" in purchasing the [[TV Movie]]. However, as far as we can tell, no local TV station acquired the film for broadcast.
-The [[TV Movie]] was issued on VHS video tape by '''CIC Video (Pty) Ltd''', a South African distributor based in Sandton near Johannesburg. This was licensed for both retail and rental.
+But later that same year, the [[TV Movie]] was issued on PAL VHS video tape by '''CIC Video (Pty) Ltd''', a South African distributor based in Sandton near Johannesburg. This was licensed for both retail and rental. It had an '''"A"''' classification rating.
 The copyright disclaimer on the back of this - and other CIC Video (Pty) Ltd releases - states that '''"This tape is manufactured for sale and rental use only in South Africa, [[Namibia]], [[Lesotho]], [[Botswana]], Venda, Transkei, Ciskei, [[Swaziland]], [[Zimbabwe]], and Bophuthatswana and may not be exported or transported to areas outside these territories"'''.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{TOC right}}
-'''[[wikipedia:South Africa|SOUTH AFRICA]]''' lies at the southern tip of the [[:Category:Africa|African continent]].
+'''[[wikipedia:South Africa|SOUTH AFRICA]]''' lies at the southern tip of the [[:Category:Africa|African continent]]. It borders [[Zimbabwe]], [[Swaziland]] (Eswatini), [[Botswana]], [[Namibia]], [[Mozambique]] and [[Lesotho]].
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 There have been claims that British television programmes - including '''Doctor Who''' - may have been "smuggled" into the country from other African nations and shown illegally in order to circumvent the Equity boycott, but there are '''NO''' TV billings for '''Dr Who / Doctor Who''' in the ''Die Transvaler'' so that as a possibility is extremely unlikely.
-Aside from the movie listings, the only other OCR returns we got for "Dr Who" were a report on William Hartnell's death in April 1975, and a generic report about the BBC in 1977. Searches for other well-known BBC series of that period also drew nil returns. But it should be noted that the text in ''Die Transvaler'' is in Afrikaans, and as such some series titles - like the afore-mentioned '''Space 1999''' - may have been different.
+Aside from the movie listings, the only other OCR returns we got for "Dr Who" were a report on William Hartnell's death in April 1975, and a generic report about the BBC in 1977. Searches for other well-known BBC series of that period also drew nil returns. But it should be noted that the text in ''Die Transvaler'' is in Afrikaans, and as such some series titles - like the afore-mentioned '''Alpha 1999''' - may have been different.
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
-===[[Paul McGann stories|PAUL McGANN]]===
+=='''[[Paul McGann stories|PAUL McGANN]]'''==
-It was reported on ITV's Teletex service in mid-1996 that South Africa "was interested" in purchasing the [[TV Movie]]. However, as far as we can tell, no local TV station acquired the film for broadcast.
+The [[TV Movie]] was issued on VHS video tape by '''CIC Video (Pty) Ltd''', a South African distributor based in Sandton near Johannesburg. This was licensed for both retail and rental.
-The film was released on DVD in '''2001''': this was the UK release imported and distributed by '''GTV''' - see below.
+The Film was later released on DVD in '''2001''': this appears to be an import of the 2001 single-disk UK release - see below.
 The [[TV Movie]] aired several times in '''2002 ''' and '''2003''' on the [[Sci-Fi Channel]]'s branch in '''[[Sci-Fi Channel Southern Africa|Southern Africa]]'''; while this arm of the satellite station had much of the same material as its UK counterpart, it was a separate feed and had its own scheduled programming.
@@ Line 68: / Line 74: @@
 The '''1972''' Pan Books Ltd / Piccolo edition of '''The Making of Doctor Who''' has a South African price of '''60c''' printed on the back cover.
-While this would otherwise be an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - it was quite common for a book publisher to sell TV tie-ins in countries where the shows didn't air. Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers''', while World Distributors produced novels based on US series, such as '''Land of the Giants''', none of which were seen on TV in South Africa at the time, and yet these books are pre-printed with prices for the South African market.
+While this would otherwise be an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - it was quite common for a book publisher to sell TV tie-ins in countries where the shows didn't air.
 No pre-printed price for South Africa appears on the back covers, but on the final page of some of the Target paperbacks published in '''1974, 1975, 1976''' and '''1977''' was a list of addresses to which readers could write for a catalogue and to go into the draw to win a set of books and receive a free Target badge; this included an address in South Africa:

@@ Line 68: / Line 68: @@
 The '''1972''' Pan Books Ltd / Piccolo edition of '''The Making of Doctor Who''' has a South African price of '''60c''' printed on the back cover.
-While this would otherwise be an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - it was quite common for book publisher to sell TV tie-ins in countries where shows didn't air. Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers''', while World Distributors produced novels based on US series, such as '''Land of the Giants''', none of which were seen on TV in South Africa at the time, and yet the books are pre-printed with prices for the South African market.
+While this would otherwise be an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - it was quite common for a book publisher to sell TV tie-ins in countries where the shows didn't air. Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers''', while World Distributors produced novels based on US series, such as '''Land of the Giants''', none of which were seen on TV in South Africa at the time, and yet these books are pre-printed with prices for the South African market.
 No pre-printed price for South Africa appears on the back covers, but on the final page of some of the Target paperbacks published in '''1974, 1975, 1976''' and '''1977''' was a list of addresses to which readers could write for a catalogue and to go into the draw to win a set of books and receive a free Target badge; this included an address in South Africa:
@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 ==DVDs==
-Four stories were released on DVD in '''2001'''; these appear to be disks imported from the UK by '''GTV''', a video distributor based in Gauteng, rather than being locally-produced editions.
+Four stories were released on DVD in '''2001'''; these appear to be disks imported from the UK by '''GTV''', a video distributor based in Gauteng, rather than being locally-produced editions (South Africa is also Region 2).
 The following classifications were allocated by the South African Film and Publications Board (FPB):
 *[[The Five Doctors]] (A)
 *[[Spearhead from Space]] (PG)
 *[[TV Movie|The TV Movie]] (PGV)
@@ Line 108: / Line 108: @@
 *[https://apps.fpb.org.za/erms/fpbquerytitle.aspx?filmtitle=doctor%20who&Submit1=Search DVD Classification data HERE]

@@ Line 68: / Line 68: @@
 The '''1972''' Pan Books Ltd / Piccolo edition of '''The Making of Doctor Who''' has a South African price of '''60c''' printed on the back cover.
-While this is an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers'''; these were also not shown on TV there and yet the books are priced for the South African market.
+While this would otherwise be an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - it was quite common for book publisher to sell TV tie-ins in countries where shows didn't air. Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers''', while World Distributors produced novels based on US series, such as '''Land of the Giants''', none of which were seen on TV in South Africa at the time, and yet the books are pre-printed with prices for the South African market.
 No pre-printed price for South Africa appears on the back covers, but on the final page of some of the Target paperbacks published in '''1974, 1975, 1976''' and '''1977''' was a list of addresses to which readers could write for a catalogue and to go into the draw to win a set of books and receive a free Target badge; this included an address in South Africa:

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 *[[TV Movie|The TV Movie]] (PGV)
-'''Nu Metro Home Entertainment''' released several [[New Series]] DVDs and Blu-rays in the mid-'''2000s''' and '''2010s'''. In '''2014''', Nu Metro issued [[The Web of Fear]] (PG).
+GTV was acquired by '''Nu Metro Home Entertainment''' in the early 2000s. Nu Metro released several [[New Series]] DVDs and Blu-rays in the mid-'''2000s''' and '''2010s'''. In '''2014''', they issued [[The Web of Fear]] (PG). Again, these would have been imports rather than South African pressings.
 *[https://apps.fpb.org.za/erms/fpbquerytitle.aspx?filmtitle=doctor%20who&Submit1=Search DVD Classification data HERE]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 The first of the two [[Peter Cushing]] Dalek movies was shown in cinemas throughout South Africa.
-Listings have been found for the Transvaal province in the north-east. It was shown in that region at various cinemas in various cities for short runs during '''1966''', '''1967''' and '''1969''', initially on its own, then later as a double-bill; the first listing appearing in the online archive of ''[https://gpa.eastview.com/dtsa/?a=q&r=1&results=1&sf=byDA&e=-------en-25--1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-daleks--------- Die Transvaler]'' was on '''8 March 1966''' in Germiston, with the last on '''17 December 1969''' in Brakpan. (There were no listings for the film in 1968.)
+Listings have been found for the Transvaal province in the north-east. It was shown in that region at various cinemas in various cities for short runs during '''1966''', '''1967''' and '''1969''', initially on its own, then later as a double-bill; the first listing appearing in the online archive of ''[https://gpa.eastview.com/dtsa/?a=q&r=1&results=1&sf=byDA&e=-------en-25--1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-daleks--------- Die Transvaler]'' was on '''8 March 1966''' in Germiston, with the last on '''17 December 1969''' in Brakpan. (There were no newspaper listings for the film at all in 1968.)
 The film was billed under its original title '''"Dr Who and the Daleks"'''.
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 It was reported on ITV's Teletex service in mid-1996 that South Africa "was interested" in purchasing the [[TV Movie]]. However, as far as we can tell, no local TV station acquired the film for broadcast.
-But the [[TV Movie]] did subsequently air many years later on the [[Sci-Fi Channel]]'s branch in '''[[Sci-Fi Channel Southern Africa|Southern Africa]]'''; while this arm of the satellite station had much of the same material as its UK counterpart, it was a separate feed and had its own scheduled programming.
+The film was released on DVD in '''2001''': this was the UK release imported and distributed by '''GTV''' - see below.
 See that [[Sci-Fi Channel Southern Africa|PROFILE]] for further detail.
@@ Line 66: / Line 68: @@
 The '''1972''' Pan Books Ltd / Piccolo edition of '''The Making of Doctor Who''' has a South African price of '''60c''' printed on the back cover.
-While this is an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers'''; these shows were also not shown on TV there but the books are priced for the South African market.
+While this is an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-ins based on popular 1970s ITV series, such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers'''; these were also not shown on TV there and yet the books are priced for the South African market.
 No pre-printed price for South Africa appears on the back covers, but on the final page of some of the Target paperbacks published in '''1974, 1975, 1976''' and '''1977''' was a list of addresses to which readers could write for a catalogue and to go into the draw to win a set of books and receive a free Target badge; this included an address in South Africa:
@@ Line 91: / Line 93: @@
 In recent years, Penguin Random House publishers, who own the "BBC Books" catalogue, sell the '''Doctor Who''' novels, Target book reprints and audiobooks through its South African branch.
 *[https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/search/books?query=doctor+who Random House South Africa catalogue]

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 [[BBC Prime]] was available from 1999, but it appears that the schedule broadcast in South Africa was different to that seen in Europe and elsewhere, and did not include '''Doctor Who'''.
-So although it never made it to TV in South Africa, '''Doctor Who''' was available in other ways.
+So although the series never made it to TV in South Africa, '''Doctor Who''' was available in other ways.
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ==[[Peter Cushing|Peter Cushing and the Daleks]]==
-[[File:DWATD SouthA 8-3-66.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Die Transvaler, 8 March 1966]]
+[[File:DWATD SouthA 8-3-66.JPG|thumb|right|250px|First film in Germiston, Transvaal Province; Die Transvaler, 8 March 1966]]
-[[File:DIOE SouthA 29-1-82.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Die Transvaler, 29 Jan 1982]]
+[[File:DIOE SouthA 29-1-82.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Second film on TV; Die Transvaler, 29 Jan 1982]]
 The first of the two [[Peter Cushing]] Dalek movies was shown in cinemas throughout South Africa.
-The only listings we can find are for the Transvaal province in the north-east. It was shown in that region at various cinemas for short runs during '''1966''', '''1967''' and '''1969''', initially on its own, then later as a double-bill; the first listing appearing in the online archive of ''[https://gpa.eastview.com/dtsa/?a=q&r=1&results=1&sf=byDA&e=-------en-25--1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-daleks--------- Die Transvaler]'' was on '''8 March 1966''', with the last on '''17 December 1969'''. (There were no listings for 1968.)
+Listings have been found for the Transvaal province in the north-east. It was shown in that region at various cinemas in various cities for short runs during '''1966''', '''1967''' and '''1969''', initially on its own, then later as a double-bill; the first listing appearing in the online archive of ''[https://gpa.eastview.com/dtsa/?a=q&r=1&results=1&sf=byDA&e=-------en-25--1-byDA.rev-img-txIN-daleks--------- Die Transvaler]'' was on '''8 March 1966''' in Germiston, with the last on '''17 December 1969''' in Brakpan. (There were no listings for the film in 1968.)
 The film was billed under its original title '''"Dr Who and the Daleks"'''.
-The sequel does not appear to have been shown in cinemas. But it did air on '''SABC TV''' on Friday, '''29 January 1982''' from 10.44pm to 12.05am. It was billed as '''"Daleks Verower die Aarde"'''. (It may have aired with Afrikaans sub-titles.)
+The sequel does not appear to have been shown in cinemas. But it did air on '''SABC TV''' on Friday, '''29 January 1982''' from 10.44pm to 12.05am. It was billed as '''"Daleks Verower die Aarde"'''. (It may have aired with Afrikaans sub-titles rather than being dubbed.)
-(The ''Die Transvaler'' online archive only goes up to 1989, so any subsequent screenings of either film at cinemas or on TV are not recorded.)
+(The ''Die Transvaler'' online archive only goes up to 1987, so any subsequent screenings of either film at cinemas or on TV are not recorded.)
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 A PAL colour system television service was launched by the '''[[wikipedia:South African Broadcasting Corporation|South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)]]''' (aka '''Suid Afrikaanse Uitsaaikorporasieon (SAUK)''') on  5 May 1975 in some areas, with nationwide coverage from '''5 January 1976'''; half the broadcasts were in English, half in Afrikaans.
-Of note, the majority of English content was mainly American product, as due to its opposition to Apartheid, UK Equity refused to allow sales of British drama programmes to the country. '''Doctor Who''' was therefore never shown.
+Of note, the majority of English content was American product, as due to its opposition to Apartheid, UK Equity refused to allow sales of British drama programmes to the country. '''Doctor Who''' was therefore never shown.
 However, some ITV programmes were certainly broadcast in South Africa - for instance, '''Space 1999''' series 1 (billed as '''"Alpha 1999"''') aired in '''1977 and 1978''', and film cans for other series bearing '''ITC Entertainment''' and '''SABC / SAUK''' stickers have turned up on eBay.
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 There have been claims that British television programmes - including '''Doctor Who''' - may have been "smuggled" into the country from other African nations and shown illegally in order to circumvent the Equity boycott, but there are '''NO''' TV billings for '''Dr Who / Doctor Who''' in the ''Die Transvaler'' so that as a possibility is extremely unlikely.
-The only clear returns we got from an OCR search were for William Hartnell's death in April 1975, and a generic report about the BBC in 1977. Searches for other well-known BBC series of that period also drew nil returns. But it should be noted that the text in ''Die Transvaler'' is in Afrikaans, and as such some series titles - such as the afore-mentioned '''Space 1999''' - may be different.
+Aside from the movie listings, the only other OCR returns we got for "Dr Who" were a report on William Hartnell's death in April 1975, and a generic report about the BBC in 1977. Searches for other well-known BBC series of that period also drew nil returns. But it should be noted that the text in ''Die Transvaler'' is in Afrikaans, and as such some series titles - like the afore-mentioned '''Space 1999''' - may have been different.
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 Although the '''Doctor Who''' series did not screen on TV, books about the series were available in the early to mid-1970s and the late 1980s.
-The '''1972''' Pan Books Ltd / Piccolo edition of '''The Making of Doctor Who''' has a South African price of '''60c''' printed on the back cover. This is an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service, and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was!
+The '''1972''' Pan Books Ltd / Piccolo edition of '''The Making of Doctor Who''' has a South African price of '''60c''' printed on the back cover.
-(Pan and Piccolo also published in the 1970s a number of tie-in books based on other popular ITV series - such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers''' - all of which are also priced for the South African market.)
+While this may seem an unusual item to be on sale in a country that didn't have a television service - and for whom the target readership wouldn't have known what '''Doctor Who''' was! - Pan and Piccolo also published a number of tie-in books based on popular 1970s ITV series - such as '''Timeslip, UFO, Follyfoot, The Persuaders, Here Come the Double Deckers''' and '''Freewheelers''' - all of which are also priced for the South African market.
 No pre-printed price for South Africa appears on the back covers, but on the final page of some of the Target paperbacks published in '''1974, 1975, 1976''' and '''1977''' was a list of addresses to which readers could write for a catalogue and to go into the draw to win a set of books and receive a free Target badge; this included an address in South Africa: