Doctor Who joins the Beano

Both Doctor Who and the Daleks are set to encounter the troublesome Bash Street Kids within the comic strip pages of the new BeanoMAX comic, which goes on sale in the UK on February 15. Issues will be themed around major events, with the launch issue supporting Comic Relief.

In the Doctor Who-related strip, the Bash Street gang need help with their homework but the Daleks tell them they must "study, or you'll all be exterminated".

The publishers say that BeanoMAX, which will be published monthly, is aimed at readers aged nine to thirteen, an older audience than the Beano traditionally enjoys. The Beano, which will continue to be published weekly in tandem with the new publication, will celebrate its 70th anniversary next year.

The Beano Annual has traditionally been the top-selling children's book at Christmas since the 1940's, but was beaten on Christmas 2006 by the Doctor Who Annual.

Other well-known names "appearing" in the strips of this Comic Relief issue include Jamie Oliver, who takes over the school canteen, and Jonathan Ross, Rowan Atkinson (who was one of the star names to play the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief TV spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, written by Steven Moffat) and boy band McFly who all drop in on Dennis the Menace. Plus footballers Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will be appearing in the Ball Boy strip.

Update: Pictures from the comic can be viewed on the BBC Newsround site.