“Owing to this morning’s tragic news...”

Where were you and what were you doing when you heard that Princess Diana had died?

If you're a Dr Who fan and over 20, there's a fair chance your answer is the same as mine.

In the 1990s, something amazing happened. Ok, so Dr Who wasn't on TV any more and we were coping with the methodone of BBC Video releases and Virgin New Adventures. But then BSB happened and it was a game-changer.

For the first time, Dr Who repeats were happening all the time, usually at an unearthly time of a Sunday morning. And they began at the beginning and carried on in order. In an era where some of these stories hadn't been seen for at least a decade, this was so important. I remember perusing the personal ads on the notice boards in the shop attached to the Dr Who exhibition at Longleat (I swear this was a thing - mainly people searching for books) and seeing someone trying to attract a friend with the words "I have BSB."

The only problem was that we didn't have a dish. Unlike now, this was seen as a luxury. Oddly, my grandparents did, so if I wanted to see a story, I had to ask them. So I eked it out. Only asking for special stories, generally those I hadn't seen.

By 1997, we had our own dish. I would regularly be up early on Sunday mornings ready to record. On August 31st, I was up and looking forward to The Armageddon Factor, which I'd never seen before.

Then came the announcement: "Owing to this morning's tragic news, there is a change to the scheduled programme."

I swear this is true: I thought Tom Baker had died.

Then Mum changed the channel and we watched open-mouthed as the facts revealed themselves. And all over the country, presumably, Dr Who fans in their pyjamas sat similarly astonished.

The thing is, unlike those Brits who spent the next week hysterical, this meant nothing to me, oh Vienna. I thought it was sad and a shock, sure, but in truth I was more annoyed by the repeat of Planet of the Spiders on UK Gold, which I already had on video. Best not dwell on how I felt when Radio 1 cancelled the Top 40.

I still don't think many monarchists would have even noted links between Mary Tamm's final story and the People's Princess. In fairness, anyone who cared was watching the other channel anyway.

It took me another 6 years to see The Armageddon Factor. Thanks to that scheduling decision, it would become the last complete story I saw (before RTD came along).

Anyway, Happy Diamond Jubilee.