Doctor Who: Rose
After considerable fanfare and build-up, Doctor Who returns to BBC1 with its 699th episode. Rose opens the first season of the revived show and introduced the ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion Rose (Billie Piper), along with a host of supporting characters who reappear throughout the first two seasons. Thanks to a carefully managed publicity campaign, the new Doctor Who is a genuine hit with viewers and discussions of a Christmas special and a second season begin almost immediately at the BBC.
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Paul Hester, Crowded House drummer, dies
Paul Hester, former drummer for Split Enz and Crowded House, is found dead at the age of 46 in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Though police say the death is not “suspicious,” they rule it a suicide. Hester was a mainstay of the Melbourne music scene in the 80s when he auditioned to fill the vacant drum seat in Australian/New Zealand supergroup Split Enz. He joined the group for its 1984 tour, and only recorded one album, 1985’s See Ya Round, in the studio with Split Enz before the band broke up. He joined Neil Finn in a quest to launch a new band which, with the addition of bassist Nick Seymour, was eventually christened Crowded House and scored a #2 on the Billboard charts in early 1987 with “Don’t Dream It’s Over”. He recorded and toured with Crowded House until 1994, when the rigors of touring – and impending fatherhood – convinced him to return to Melbourne with his family.