Doctor Who Magazine has been named by Guinness World Records as the world's Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series.

It joins Doctor Who, which itself is a record holder, having been named the Worlds Most successful sci-fi series in 2009 as well as being the Longest running sci-fi series.

The magazine was first published on 11th October 1979, and since then has published at least one issue every month, issue 420 being released this week. The award comes as the magazine enjoys one of its most successful periods in its history.

Originally part of Marvel Comics the magazine was first published as Doctor Who Weekly featuring the then current Doctor, Tom Baker, and a Dalek on its first cover. The editor was Dez Skinn who presided over the first 22 issues. In September 1980 the magazine became Doctor Who Monthly before changing to Doctor Who Magazine in February 1984. The title was taken over by the current owners Panini in 1995 when the Italian based publisher purchased the Marvel UK catalogue.

The Magazine has had 11 editors over its long run, the longest serving being Clayton Hickman who edited 74 issues of the magazine between 2002 and 2007. Other long running editors include Gary Gillatt, (69 issues), John Freeman (49 issues), Alan McKenzie (48 issues), Gary Russell (37 issues) and Sheila Cranna (31 issues). Russell is now involved with the production of the current series as Script Editor.

The current editor is Tom Spilsbury who took over the magazine in 2007.

Doctor Who Magazine 420 comes with two different covers featuring new Doctor Matt Smith and new companion Karen Gillan who reveal all about playing the Doctor and Amy Pond.

In the magazine, Smith talks about how the Doctor’s costume may evolve, the nicknames that he and Gillan have for each other and playing football with James Corden for a scene in Episode 11.

Gillan, meanwhile, tells of Amy’s complicated relationship with the Doctor and Amy’s boyfriend Rory, what she thinks about wearing surprisingly short skirts, and her approach to playing the role of the Doctor’s new best friend:

Also in the magazine:

• What have you got for me this time?
The first five episodes of the new series – The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone – with never-before-seen photos and revelations from head writer Steven Moffat!
• I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!
Steven Moffat talks candidly about the perils of being recognised in public as Doctor Who’s head writer – and finds time to answer your questions about the new series – in Production Notes.
• And it’s goodnight from me
Neil Harris looks back fondly at 47 years of farewells in Doctor Who – and discovers how the series has always had its softer side – in You Are Not Alone.
• McNeice to see you, to see you, McNeice!
Churchill himself, actor IAN McNEICE, talks to DWM about his role in the forthcoming story Victory of the Daleks – and reveals what it’s like to encounter the metal meanies in real life.
• Give her a big hand!
It’s the final end! The Doctor and Majenta engage in the ultimate battle with the Crimson Hand in the very last comic strip to feature the Time Lord’s Tenth incarnation. Will anyone survive the apocalypse? Don’t miss the conclusion to The Crimson Hand, written by Dan McDaid, with art by Martin Geraghty
• Is it cos I’s blue?
It’s the most remarkable machine in the universe – and yet it looks like a blue twentieth-century police box! The Watcher uncovers the many and varied secrets of the Doctor’s time and space machine, the TARDIS!
• You’re hired!
On the planet Vulcan, the colonists decide to employ the services of creatures that they have discovered buried in a mercury swap – the Daleks! Can a newly-regenerated Doctor, armed only with his recorder and a rather natty bow tie, save the day? Find out, as The Fact of Fiction digs up some details about the classic Second Doctor story from 1966 The Power of the Daleks!

Plus! All the latest official news, reviews, previews and competitions – including the chance to win an 32” HD-ready widescreen TV. The magazine is out in the UK on 1st April.

This months Doctor Who Magazine interviews Beth Willis and Piers Wenger, who, along with head writer Steven Moffat, are the new executive producers of Doctor Who. “We wanted to give the look of the series a slightly more storybook, fairy-tale feel,” reveals Piers. “It wasn’t about suddenly becoming Tim Burton, but it was a pinch of that, a pinch of Twilight, a pinch of Harry Potter – but it’s still absolutely, slapbang, mainstream Doctor Who…”

Also in the magazine a brand new audio adventure to download, featuring the Fifth Doctor, Turlough and Tegan – FREAKSHOW by Mark Morris. Mark Strickson and Toby Longworth star in this full-length story in which the TARDIS crew encounter a caged menagerie of the most unusual aliens. There is the penultimate instalment of the latest comic strip The Crimson Hand, written by Dan McDaid with art by Martin Geraghty. And DWM goes behind the scenes of the brand new K9 series with exclusive interviews with the cast & crew and new pics.

Both Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures not surprisingly feature next Sunday's special, The Waters of Mars, in issues published today.

Doctor Who Magazine 415 talks to Lindsay Duncan, who plays Captain Adelaide Brooke of Bowie Base One, who reveals in an interview what was it like working with David Tennant? “His energy levels are so high. You think, oh God! In terms of my character, but also in terms of myself, the actor, I desperately wanted to keep up with him, but I have to admit it – I can’t run as fast as him! But I gave it a good shot. I didn’t want Adelaide to drop the ball. I didn’t want her to show any kind of weakness...”

Also in the magazine Russell T Davies pays his own personal tribute to former Doctor Who producer, director and writer Barry Letts in Production Notes. The magazine reveals the the long-awaited results of the competition to ‘Be a Doctor Who Magazine reporter’, and follows the winner as she gets to go behind the scenes of the series – and chat to David Tennant and Russell T Davies! In the latest comic strip the Doctor and Majenta uncover the terrifying secret behind the apparitions in the London Underground and in Without You Neil Harris asks how different would things be if the TARDIS hadn’t taken the Doctor on some of his adventures?

The magazine takes a look at stories that nearly made it onto TV that are now being made at last. Scripts featuring Sil, the Ice Warriors, the Celestial Toymaker and many more are now being realised on audio. The Watcher continues his essential guide to the Time Lord’s many incarnations and uncovers everything you ever needed to know about the northern Ninth Doctor and the Fact of Fiction looks at Douglas Adams’ memorable Fourth Doctor story from 1978 – The Pirate Planet.

The magazine for younger readers Doctor Who Adventures 141, also takes a sneak peak at Sunday's special with pictures of some of the scariest monsters ever and their own interview with actress Lindsay Duncan who tells the magazine all about Adelaide and why she’s different from previous people who’ve teamed up with the Doctor.

Also this week a preview of the next episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, three posters and a free Doctor Who notebook and pen.

Not to be outdone, Radio Times has launched a new gallery of pictures from Sundays special.

This month's DWM features an exclusive behind-the-scenes report on The Sarah Jane Adventures, and talks to the cast and crew of The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, which guest stars David Tennant as the Doctor. Elisabeth Sladen says "Some of it's quite sad. I can't read these scripts too often because they absolutely make me cry. If I do that too much, there won't be any emotion left for on set. Gareth Roberts has written something beautiful"

Also in the issue:

• Previews of the forthcoming animated adventure, Dreamland, and interviews with the cast, including David Tennant, Georgia Moffett and David Warner
• She's travelled in the TARDIS for nearly ten years with both the Eighth and Sixth Doctors. And she was the first of the Doctor’s companions to fall in love with the Time Lord! Charley Pollard, aka actress India Fisher, talks DWM about her adventures.
• The Eighth Doctor is famous for snogging Doctor Grace Holloway in the 1996 TV Movie. But what else should we remember him for? Find out as the Watcher presents the latest guide to the Doctor
• Doctor Who's executive producer Russell T Davies shares reminiscences of being a fan in his youth and discovers that, for some, the memory cheats
• Neil Harris looks at the stories that made up the bottom 10 places of DWM's Mighty 200 poll and discovers that, despite popular opinion, there's a great deal to enjoy in these adventures
• DWM talks to Sarah Jane's husband-to-be, played by actor Nigel Havers, just before the wedding, with a few interruptions from David Tennant!
• The Time Team gather together to watch Survival, the last full adventure for the Seventh Doctor.
• The Fact of Fiction travels back to the earliest days of Doctor Who and finds the four time travellers trapped aboard the TARDIS and fighting among themselves. Could they be on the edge of destruction as they hurtle beyond the sun? Find out as Inside the Spaceship is put under the microscope
• The Doctor and Majenta discover that the London Underground holds a terrible secret. A new comic strip begins, Ghosts of the Northern Line, written by Dan McDaid with art by Paul Grist.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine features the results of their poll to discover which story, in the programme's 46-year history, is the most popular. The magazine is available with four different covers, featuring the Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors each in one of their highest-rated stories. The poll also details the most popular series, the highest-rated story for each Doctor and asks which Dalek story is the most admired.

Also in the issue:

• Russell T Davies describes the incredible reception David Tennant received when he took to the stage in the USA
• There’s a new comic strip adventure, Onomatopoeia, by Dan McDaid with art by Mike Collins.
• Find out how to avoid spoilers in You Are Not Alone!
• The Watcher asks was the Seventh Doctor as dark and mysterious as his reputation suggests?
• Thomas Sangster, star of Human Nature/The Family of Blood talks about his role as Tim Latimer, his Doctor Who audio story and tells of playing Paul McCartney.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine confirms the title of David Tennant's swansong to be The End of Time. The final episode will be 75 minutes long, with the penultimate episode running to 60 minutes. Former James Bond, Timothy Dalton will play The Narrator in these final episodes where he is joined by Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, June Whitfield playing Minnie Hooper, Catherine Tate returning as Donna Noble and John Simm as the Master.

The magazine once more features the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, on the cover, the first time since issue 258 that Baker has featured on the cover two months running. Inside can be found the second part of DWM's interview with the longest running Doctor, in advance of his return to the role, with the release of Hornets' Nest next month. The magazine was present at the recording and gives a full report on proceedings, including interviews with the cast and crew.

Also in the magazine

• Sixth Doctor companion actress, Nicola Bryant takes her turn to delve into the TARDIS tin!
• The Doctor turns sleuth as he races to save New Old Detroit from the ominously-named World Bomb in the complete new comic-strip adventure, The Deep Hereafter with words by Dan McDaid and art by Rob Davis.
• Everything you need to know about the Doctor’s Sixth and most colourful incarnation in one easy package, thanks to The Watcher and his continuing guide to the lives of our favourite Time Lord.
• Step back in time to 1974 with The Fact of Fiction and take a look at the Fourth Doctor’s first adventure, Robot.
• The Time Team’s Richard, Peter, Jac and Clay turn their square eyes to The Curse of Fenric and share their thoughts on this terrifying tale of World War II espionage, vampires and chess games.
• Mary Tamm, who was the first incarnation of the Fourth Doctor’s companion, Romana talks to DWM about writing her autobiography and being a grandmother.
• Outgoing Doctor Who supremo, Russell T Davies reflects on life in America, (including the revelation of chicken sausages) and his thoughts on the Eleventh Doctor’s costume.
• There’s a photo special in this month’s Gallifrey Guardian rounding up all the pictures and coverage for the first day of filming for next year’s Series One, starring Matt Smith.
• Neil Harris celebrates the unseen heroes of Doctor Who, including Leonardo Da Vinci who has the honour of not appearing in the series on two separate occasions!

Issue 411 of Doctor Who Magazine reveals that K9 veteran, John Leeson, will once more voice the robot dog in the upcoming series of adventures produced in Australia. Not only will Leeson voice the original character in the opening episode, he will also voice the redesigned model throughout the 26-episode series. The programme is due for transmission in Australia in the spring of 2010.

The magazine features more details of the return of Tom Baker to the role of the Doctor, as the veteran actor gives a rare interview explaining his decision to return to the character after nearly thirty years. Baker has recorded a series of five audio plays, under the banner Hornets' Nest, for BBC Audio. He plays the Fourth Doctor, alongside Richard Franklin who returns to the character of Captain Mike Yates, a character he first played in the television series in the early '70s. The first story will be available as a CD or download from 3rd September.

DWM is out now across the United Kingdom.

In this month's issue of Doctor Who Magazine, David Tennant, talks about presenting this year's Comic Relief. "I'm co-presenting this year's TV extravaganza, on BBC One on Friday the 13th, which won't be unlucky this year, I promise. Live telly is always exhilarating, but I'm sure this will be even more so, because I'm expected to be fronting it, well, the first hour or so, which does give me some more responsibility."

Also in issue 406:

The Daleks' Master Plan.
Back in the 1960s, while the First and Second Doctors were on TV, the Daleks came very close to starring in their own big-budget, full colour film series, made for the USA. For the first time, DWM researcher Andrew Pixley reveals the full story behind the Doctor Who spin-off that never was.

The Nightmare Begins.
A brand new comic strip adventure starts for the Tenth Doctor and Majenta, Mortal Beloved by Dan McDaid, with art by Sean Longcroft. Arriving at a bizarre party, terrible secrets from Majenta's past begin to catch up with her.

The Death of Doctor Who.
It the end, but the moment has been prepared for. The Fact of Fiction takes an in-depth look at the very last adventure to star Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, a story that redefined the concept of Time Lord regeneration, 1981's Logopolis.

Daleks in Manhattan.
Well the Sixth Doctor is. Colin Baker chats to DWM from the Big Apple.

The Planet of Decision.
Head writer and executive producer Russell T Davies muses over whether Planet of the Dead will really be the 200th TV Doctor Who story, in Production Notes.

Devil’s Planet.
Why on Earth does Neil Harris argue that the Fifth Doctor's last adventure, 1984's The Caves of Androzani, is the one Doctor Who story that should never have been told? Find out the surprising answer in You Are Not Alone.

Day of Reckoning.
The Time Team cast their critical eyes upon the Seventh Doctor's only TV encounter with the armoured mutants from the planet Skaro. Join them and discover what they think about the nostalgic 1988 adventure, Remembrance of the Daleks.

The Dead Planet.
DWM speaks to acclaimed scriptwriter Gareth Roberts about his work on Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures and the forthcoming Doctor Who Easter Special, Planet of the Dead.

The Daleks
Nicholas Pegg pays tribute to the greatest Dalek operator of them all, actor John Scott Martin.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine reveals that the upcoming Doctor Who specials will be shot in High Definition, a first for the series. Previously the production team has resisted the move to HD, because of the higher costs involved particularly with effects shots. Executive Producer Julie Gardner said the team has been planning the move to HD for many months. James Strong, who is directing Planet of the Dead, has considerable experience working in HD on programmes such as Hustle. The change means the programme will be shown on the BBC High Definition channel as well as on BBC One. BBC HD is available subscription free in Europe on Freesat. The channel is also part of the Sky HDservice and the Virgin Media HD service.

In other news the magazine also reveals that K-9 is due to play a large part in Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures. He is likely to appear in around 6 episodes of the 12 part series.

The magazine, out on Thursday, contains the first magazine interview with Matt Smith, recently revealed as the Eleventh Doctor. It asks how he plans to go about playing a 950-year-old Time Lord?

"The script is where it starts, it's always about the words, and luckily we're in the hands of Steven Moffat, who has this show ingrained in his soul and searing through his blood. It’s really born into his whole fabric, and that's the job for me over the next few months, to make this show part of my fibre. I think Steven is going to be the main creative source for me, and we're going to discover it together, who the Doctor is in Steven's mind and words, coupled with pockets of my personality, my history, my life, and the man and the human being that I am. I've got a meeting with Piers (Wenger, executive producer) next week to discuss that, but I think we'll start rehearsing and, you know, just sit around Piers' or Steven's kitchen table, read the scripts together, talk about the part. We’ll talk about my intentions, their intentions, how we feel it can fly, and sing, and be as brilliant and as Doctor-y and as excellent as it can be."

When asked what he might wear as the Doctor? "I’m a big fan of long coats and rather dashing scarves in everyday life, so who knows? For the audition, I rocked up in whatever, so I think they’re having to tone down what I wear in real life for the Doctor! I am a rather elaborate dresser. That's what's lovely, there are all these exciting things – what’s he going to wear, what’s he going to do in his first scene with his companion, which monsters will he meet, will he meet the Daleks? This show is so alive, it really is. I can't ever quite forget that I'm the Doctor – which is weird, because it’s still so far away. But it’s always there in my subconscious, because it's the Doctor! It’s like, there’s Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Doctor Who. It has resonance in our cultural fabric."

Also in the magazine:

• Showrunner-in-waiting Steven Moffat shares with DWM readers just what it's like to cast a new Doctor Who in Production Notes.
• Remember the Zygon gambit? The Yeti in the Underground? Or that, frankly, unmissable invasion by thousands of Daleks after Earth was transported billions of miles across space? DWM investigates why so many people in the Doctor Who universe, apparently, don't!
• Susie Liggat talks to DWM about her experiences as the producer of the UK's best-loved drama series.
• The Fact of Fiction revals some surprising secrets about 1975's Planet of Evil.
• Can the Doctor and Majenta prevent the Day of the Lokhus? And what will become of Maxwell Edison? Find out in the final part of DWM's latest comic strip, The Stockbridge Child by Dan McDaid, with art by Martin Geraghty.
• Neil Harris writes an open letter to Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, full of helpful advice, in You Are Not Alone.
• DWM turns the tables on the BBC's "Doctor Who correspondent" and asks Who on Earth Is Lizo Mzimba?