‘Doctor Who’ Lands in India on Fox’s Star Network

Doctor Who Landing on Indian TV — Doctor Who Still - H 2014
Adrian Rogers, BBC/BBC Worldwide

Doctor Who is set to land in India following a major deal between the BBC and Star India’s FX Channel.

The agreement, announced on Wednesday, April 29, will see Star India take all eight seasons of the rebooted Doctor Who series, as well as the upcoming ninth season of the show, which is currently filming. The English-language FX channel reaches around 1 million Indian homes. It’s parent company, Star India, is controlled by 21st Century Fox. FX will begin airing the series in India on May 15.

For many Indian viewers, it will be their first introduction to the iconic sci-fi series. The BBC Entertainment channel in India used to air Doctor Who but the channel has been discontinued.

“This partnership marks a milestone for us,” said BBC Worldwide India senior vp and general manager Myleeta Aga, adding, “It will be the first time Whovians in India will be able to participate in the global Doctor Who phenomenon. And it is also the first time we’ve concluded a major deal with Star India.”

Doctor Who executive producer Brian Minchin pointed out that 51 years ago, the very first episode of the series was “directed by Waris Hussein, born in Lucknow (in central India). I like to think we’ve finally come full circle with the new modern series launching in India on FX.”