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 season was still in production.
Philip Segal, en Britisk udstationeret som arbejdede for Columbia Pictures TV-arm i De Forenede Stater, havde tilnærmet sig BBC om sådan et foretagende så tidligt som Juli 1989, mens den 26. sæson stadig var i produktion.