When & where is Babylon 5 on in the UK? |
I've kept the following as a snapshot of where things were in January 1999. At the moment (May 2007), B5 is not on UK today at present.
The final episodes of season 5 are on a second repeat on Channel 4 at the moment, late in the evening (around 11:30pm) on Sunday evenings. No further transmissions have been announced by C4.
The SciFi Channel in Europe will recommence repeating all of B5 from the weekend of the 9th January 1999 when they'll be having a B5 weekend to celebrate. It looks like their repeats will be on Sunday and Thursday evenings (ie two different episodes per week).
Channel 4 announced its plans to repeat the series and for screening the last 5 episodes on their forum at the beginning of November 1998 (they got part way into season 1 before suspending the repeats during the final five run):
OK, I've only kept you waiting as I wanted clarification from our scheduling department. We are repeating the whole of Babylon 5 (all series) starting on Sunday 15th November at 12.50. Scheduling have confirmed that this will not delay the final five episodes of the last series, and... I've been given special dispensation from scheduling to let you know that the final five episodes should be scheduled for some time around Christmas. I hope this answers some of your questions.
The SciFi Channel in the UK have picked up Babylon 5 in 1998 for repeat showing (uncut) The show was on 5 nights a week at 9pm, all the way from the pilot to the end of season 4 for the first run.
Season 5 was currently suspended on Channel 4 with 5 left to air until the episodes had first aired on TNT in the US. The series was showing at approximately 1:40pm (lunchtime) on Sundays. C4 also braodcast uncut repeats late night on Monday going Tuesday morning (around 1am). The first episode of the fifth season first aired in the UK on C4 on 12th April 1998.
The first of the new TV movies, "In the Beginning", premièred in the UK at the Warner cinema in Leicester Square (London) on 23rd July in support of its video release.
C4 showed the pilot movie (in the original form) again on Sunday 24th August 1997.
Channel 4 have aquired further repeat rights for seasons 1 and 2 (and still have the repeat rights for seasons 3 and 4) - no details as to when they might show such repeats, or if the repeats will be in widescreen..
Season 4 started airing on Channel 4 on 23rd July 1997 and finished on 18th December. In the initial Wednesday slot, the start time varied a lot around 11pm - the late slot allowed the show to be transmitted uneditted. After being moved to Thursdays, the time settled down to 11:05pm. C4's comment on the varying time from Channel 4 Programme Planning on their website:
Channel 4 has a reputation for showing the best of American drama and comedy. However, we are also committed to home grown material, and a schedule which is balanced and varied in terms of genre and audience appeal. Babylon 5 is an excellent series with a devoted following, but it does not have the wide-ranging appeal of,for instance, E.R., and there is a limit to the amount of American material we are prepared to schedule in peak time at the expense of home grown productions. I am sorry that the start time of this series has varied slightly. I'm afraid I cannot guarantee it, but we hope to be able to establish a more regular start time in the not too distant future. C4 Programme Planning
This was Channel 4's announcement for season 4:
The date!!!
posted by C4PUB on 16:Jun:1997:10:15:52.
Right, here it is: subject to final confirmation, we
expect B5 to return on July 23rd. Exact time to be
confirmed later on.
Warning: things can still change, even now. We'll keep you
posted.
C4Pub
Meanwhile, the rights to the 2 TNT films are
"the subject of separate negotiations".
News from Channel 4 on their forum:
Yes - we can confirm that B5 will be going out after 9.00 p.m. as stated below, unfortunately, we cannot confirm that it will be uncut, but being as it is going out later, I would imagine it will be.
Repeats of the remainder of season 1 resumed (after Xmas 95) on Channel 4 on Tuesday 26th November at 6.00 pm (the old timeslot!) with episode 10, "Believers", and finished (yes, sorry - you missed it!) with a late showing for "TKO" at the beginning of February.
After a long wait (the final episode of season 2 ('The Fall of Night') aired way back on Tues 15th August '95!), season 3 of Babylon 5 came to Channel 4 in the UK on Sunday 14th April 1996 at 6:05pm. Differences in scheduling in fact meant that the UK saw the concluding five episodes of season 3 before they're to be aired in the US! (The US series takes a long break over the Summer, resuming in October). The US is again ahead of us, currently seeing season 4.
The final episode of season 3, "Z'Ha'Dum", aired on Sunday 22nd September '96. That's currently it now until Easter next year (1997) at the earliest. Season 4 starts in the US in November, but because of the different airing schemes in the UK & the US, we have to wait for a while before starting otherwise we overtake the US before the series has been completely filmed!
Nicky Wood at Channel 4 passed some
information onto Paul Harper about the season 3 airing.
Channel 4 repeated selected episodes from Season 1 over the 1995 Christmas period. Not all the episodes were shown, and there were cuts. The reason for that time slot is that Channel 4 still think this is a children's programme! This uses up Channel 4's rights to repeat these episodes, though they have first call on a second repeat. C4 will be showing the balance of season 1 from 26th November (1996!)..
The last official info provided by Channel 4 (from Nicky Wood, Film Buyer for C4, through Paul Harper) about the plans for Season 3 (and about the Christmas repeats) was in January. I have a copy you can browse of Paul's posting. JMS also had words of hope back in February.
There was a gap in the UK B5 schedule before the final four episodes of season 2 aired. This was a result of production delays in the US. Babylon5 featured in the UK Channel 4 'Right to Reply' viewer feedback programme on Sat 24th June. The short item focussed especially on why the series was so abruptly interrupted mid-season & on C4's future plans for B5. It featured Paul Harper, a contributor to the umtsb5 newsgroup, who 'confronted' Nicky Wood, programme buyer for C4. Here's Paul's summary of his conversations with her, posted originally to umtsb5.
Viewers in the US have finally now seen the last 4 episodes of Season 2 which have been shown in the UK but which were delayed in the US for scheduling reasons. Season 3 has started in the US. We in the UK will have to wait till the New Year or Spring - the delay is to prevent another mid-season gap. Channel 4 may show season 3 in widescreen. According to Nicky Wood (23 October), no decision has yet been reached about 1996 scheduling, or about widescreen..
Paul's been busy again. Nicky sent him
a note about "Divided Loyalties"
concerning rumoured cuts, and C4's choice of "Legacies" to show during their August Bank
Holiday Sci-Fi Weekend. The page also contains some thoughts on the episode from jms,
the show's creator. (NB: The page contains spoilers!)
If you like B5, then you could in the UK write or e-mail Channel 4 to (politely!) voice your
support for C4 & the programme to:
Channel 4 also have their own
Web site.
Note that if you have a recorder that takes the Videoplus codes, you
can phone Videoplus directly on 0171 316 8899 to get the relevant
codes for B5.
The SciFI Channel in Europe have the continuing repeat rights for B5.
They are available on cable, by satellite, and by digital TV. They
have a European Web site
with contact details and promotions for the show.
Amongst the UK FAQ info, there is a
UK airing order
list.
Please note that any views expressed here are my personal views & do not necessarily reflect
UCL policy. No claim is made, explicit or implied, about the suitability of any data presented here
for any purpose and all rights are reserved by myself or UCL as appropriate.
ie Don't take any data without asking & don't then blame me if it's not what you were after!
Channel Four Television
124 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2TX
Attn: Duty Office,
or Film Buyer - Nicky Wood
or Head of Drama - David Aukin
or Drama Series and Serials - Peter Ansorge
Their net.address is dutyoffice@channel4.co.uk though
snail-mail carries more weight.
Some obligatory links:
"Babylon 5" is copyright the Warner Bros. / Prime Time Entertainment Network.
Jeremy Morley / jmorley@ge.ucl.ac.uk
Dept Geomatic Engineering / University College London
30 April 2007 (and before that, 5 January 1999)