There is a huge appetite among the pre-teen audience for the Doctor Who brand, as demonstrated by the success of our weekly Doctor Who Adventures magazine. Building on the success of Top Gear Turbo Challenge – our first ever partwork – Doctor Who: Monster Invasion gives fans the chance to learn more about the monsters from their favourite show through ‘collectables’, which are hugely popular with this age group.

The great thing about Doctor Who monsters is that they can be scary but a bit funny, too. For example, a really scary face could be balanced out by something quite wacky, like a foot that's joined on backwards, or one arm that's much bigger than the other.

Things that tend to look good on monsters are wrinkles, extra eyes, fewer eyes, long tongues, tentacles, spots, stripes, spikes and funny-looking alien weapons/gadgets. Monsters based on animals are quite popular. For example, you could take the head of a rat and put it on the body of a chimpanzee and add tentacles.

Posture is always something you have to think about, too. If your monster is strong and confident, it should stand straight and tall. If it's a bit more nervous and unsure of itself, it could be hunched over, possibly with slumped shoulders. If it's just a jumbled mass of tentacles with a head, it's a bit trickier to give an idea of the creature's personality.

Your monster has to pose a threat to the Doctor, so will need some special powers or weapons. It could fire energy beams from its fingertips/tentacles, laser beams from its eyes or cannonballs from a hole in its belly - whatever you think is interesting. Weapons could be a giant device which could destroy the planet or a tiny alien flower which looks like a daisy but releases a scent which sends people to sleep.

It's also good to colour your monster nice and brightly so he stands out in a crowd.

"In this digital age it is really heartening to see that our top brands continue to have huge appeal with the pre-teen audience. In particular, I am delighted with the performance of Doctor Who Adventures magazine – up by an impressive 26.8% year on year – demonstrating the continuing strength of the title and the increased interested generated by Matt Smith in his role as the Doctor.

The new North American magazine, Doctor Who Insider, is officially
licensed by BBC Worldwide and will feature 100% original material,
celebrating all eras of Doctor Who. Each issue will explore the fantastic
Doctor Who universe with star interviews, behind-the-scenes features,
character and monster guides, news and pictures from the world of
Doctor Who fandom, and an in-depth look at the latest Doctor Who
releases. Plus, every issue will include a double-sided fold-out poster.

"We are absolutely delighted to be launching
Doctor Who Insider in North America," says Mike Riddell,
Managing Director of Panini UK. "Doctor Who has always
been a strong performer for Panini UK and we are very
excited to be able to collaborate with BBC Worldwide and
BBC AMERICA and build on its increasing popularity in the
United States and Canada."

Panini will launch the first monthly issue of Doctor Who
Insider on April 7 2011. The price will be $6.99. It will
be available alongside the established Doctor Who
Magazine, offering Doctor Who enthusiasts more
than ever before.