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The final journey of David Tennant's "Doctor Who" will not get first air on SciFi Channel in the United States as it has in the past. Instead, the series of specials that made up the show's 2009 schedule will appear where one network executive said is its rightful home: BBC America.

"If I'd been here [during the previous four seasons], we wouldn't have sold it, to be quite honest," BBCA president Garth Ancier told Variety.

Although "Doctor Who" is aired in the United Kingdom on BBC, the American cable channel's parent, BBCA has to bid for all shows coming across the pond with everyone else. In past years, that bidding war has gone by way of SciFi Channel, which has already aired the first four seasons. This time, BBCA was in the driver's seat, and is expected to air the most recent Christmas special, "The Next Doctor," June 27 at 9 p.m. ET, with the Easter special, "Planet of the Dead," planned for July.

BBCA has been first to pick up one of the "Doctor Who" popular spinoffs "Torchwood," especially since its adult language content is more in-line with that network than SciFi. That won't change with this new deal, as the five-episode shortened third season of "Torchwood" is slated to launch in July, likely after "Planet of the Dead."

Three more specials are planned for "Doctor Who" in the United Kingdom, with one premiering in November, and a two-parter for Christmas. It's likely those episodes will air on BBCA sometime in early 2010, possibly as a way to kick off the fifth season of "Doctor Who" with new showrunner Steven Moffat on board as well as new series star Matt Smith.