While in-house production had ceased, the BBC hoped to find an independent production company to relaunch the show. Philip Segal, a British expatriate who worked for Columbia Pictures' television arm in the United States, had approached the BBC about such a venture as early as July 1989, while the 26th series was still in production. Segal's negotiations eventually led to a Doctor Who television film, broadcast on the Fox Network in 1996 as a co-production between Fox, Universal Pictures, the BBC and BBC Worldwide. Although the film was successful in the UK (with 9.1 million viewers), it was less so in the United States and did not lead to a series.
What was the BBC hoping that an independent production firm would do for Doctor Who? Who approached the BBC in 1989 about relaunching the show? What network showed a Doctor Who film? How many UK viewers watched the Doctor Who film? In what country was the Doctor Who film not successful enough to spawn a series?