BBC AMERICA ANNOUNCES SPECIAL PROGRAMMING AND NATIONWIDE THEATRICAL EVENTS TO LAUNCH "DOCTOR WHO'S" FIRST SEASON STARRING PETER CAPALDI

Season Launches with Live Pre-Show and Post-Show Hosted by Chris Hardwick on BBC AMERICA on August 23

12 Midnight Theatrical Events in 12 Cities on August 23

Theatrical Events in Over 550 Theaters Across the U.S. on August 25

New York - July 31, 2014 - It's a new beginning for the iconic series that explores all of space and time, as award-winning actor Peter Capaldi takes on the role of the mysterious time traveler, the Doctor. BBC AMERICA will launch Peter Capaldi's first season of Doctor Who with special programming on the channel and theatrical events across the country with Fathom Events. The new season of Doctor Who premieres Saturday, August 23, 8:00pm ET on BBC AMERICA. (Trailer, Photos)

Announced today, comedian and Doctor Who superfan Chris Hardwick will host Doctor Who: Live Pre-Show at 7:30pm ET and Doctor Who: After Who Live at 11:00pm ET following the premiere of Intruders on August 23. The pre-show and post-show will feature an array of guests in the studio including writer and actor Mark Gatiss along with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

Doctor Who's feature-length season premiere episode, Deep Breath, is a pulse-racing adventure through Victorian London. Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Steven Moffat, the episode stars Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, Jenna Coleman as his companion Clara Oswald, Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny Flint and Dan Starkey as Strax.

In the lead up to Doctor Who's new season, BBC AMERICA will premiere a series of specials including Doctor Who: The Ultimate Companion on Saturday, August 16, 9:00pm ET followed by The Real History of Science Fiction: Time at 10:00pm ET and Doctor Who: The Ultimate Time Lord on Monday, August 18, 10:00pm ET. The Doctor Who Takeover Week marathon will kick off Monday, August 18, 8:00am ET. Starting August 6, BBCAmerica.com will give fans a chance to vote for their favorite Doctor Who episodes - the top selections of this "Make Your Own Sunday" poll will run in a BBC AMERICA marathon on Sunday, August 24.

Theatrical Events Across the U.S. - August 23 and August 25

Announced today, BBC AMERICA and Fathom Events are teaming up again for two days of theatrical screening events of Doctor Who Season Premiere: Deep Breath in the U.S. This electrifying episode will be shown in select cinemas across the U.S. and will also include 15 minutes of cinema exclusive bonus content.

On Saturday, August 23 at midnight, there will be 12 theatrical events in 12 cities at 12am/midnight to celebrate the launch of the new season. More information will be announced on August 5 at www.FathomEvents.com.

On Monday, August 25, the celebration goes nationwide with two showings at 7:00pm and 9:30pm (local time). The event will be presented in more than 550 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network. Tickets are now available for Doctor Who Season Premiere: Deep Breath at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.

For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

About Doctor Who:

Ahead of the new season premiere, Doctor Who: The World Tour will see the stars visiting seven cities across five continents in 12 days to publicize the upcoming season. Details about the New York visit on August 14 will be announced in the coming days. More information on the itinerary for Cardiff (UK), London (UK), Seoul (South Korea), Sydney (Australia), Mexico City (Mexico) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is available on www.doctorwho.tv/worldtour.

Doctor Who is BBC AMERICA's highest-rated series, has set social media records and received numerous awards including last year's Institutional Peabody Award. The series has enjoyed success off-air with more than 10 million DVDs and 8 million action figures sold globally and is the BBC's top series on iTunes in the U.S. and UK. Doctor Who is a BBC Wales production for BBC One and distributed by BBC Worldwide.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including two Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.BBCAmerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

Fathom Events is owned by a newly formed entity called AC JV, LLC. Fathom is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment's biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Additionally, Fathom events take audiences behind-the-scenes and offer unique extras - creating the ultimate entertainment experience for fans of all ages. Co-owned by the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom's live digital broadcast network ("DBN") is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 750 locations in 171 Designated Market Areas(R) (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC's brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally. In 2013/14, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of �157.4m and headline sales of �1,042.3m and returned �173.8m to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview