Doctor Who Magazine issue 425 sees the return of the Seventh Doctor to the cover as Sylvester McCoy gives his most candid interview to date, lavishly illustrated with never-before-seen photos. McCoy talks at length about his long career, on being the Seventh Doctor – and what he thinks about Doctor Who today

Also this issue:

• A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIMEY-WIMEY
  Time travel – what are the rules? And can those rules be broken? In an in-depth feature, DWM examines the knotty problems of paradoxes and time loops, and explores the incredible phenomenon of timey-wimeyness throughout the history of Doctor Who.
• A NIGHT AT THE PROMS
  It’s the music event of the year! DWM dons its dinner jacket and journeys to the Royal Albert Hall to talk exclusively to the people responsible for the Doctor Who Prom, including composer Murray Gold, conductor Ben Foster and executive producer Steven Moffat. Packed with behind-the-scenes photos from the Prom.
• THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION
  The Doctor and Amy take a trip to Tokyo and discover that too much TV can be really, really bad for kids, in the first episode of a brand new comic strip adventure by Jonathan Morris and Martin Geraghty
• ART TREASURES OF HISTORY
  What have a Roman mosaic, a painting by Toulouse Lautrec and a long, floppy scarf got in common? They all feature in the brand new audio series starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Demon Quest! DWM catches up with the legendary fourth Doctor, co-stars Richard Franklin and Susan Jameson, writer Paul Magrs and many more in a report from the recording of the adventures.
• THE WORLD’S GREATEST PLAYWRIGHT
  William Shakespeare – the most talented dramatist in history or a letch with bad breath? Find out the truth (according to Doctor Who!) behind the man and his works, as The Fact of Fiction extracts every nuance of meaning from the literary triumph that is the 2007 Tenth Doctor adventure, The Shakespeare Code
• THE WRITER’S TALE
  Doctor Who’s head writer, Steven Moffat, reveals all about being shy, being recognised, and the Eleventh Doctor’s most recent adventure – defusing a bomb at the Proms! – in Production Notes.
• THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH!
  DWM catches up with Hex, the hunky nurse who accompanies the Seventh Doctor and Ace on their audio adventures, aka actor Philip Oliver, who reveals his experiences of attending conventions, being recognised in the street and what he really thinks about Doctor Who fans.

Plus! All the latest official news, Previews, Reviews, Competitions and much, much more, out in the UK on Thursday 19 August.

Figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations show Doctor Who Adventures Magazine had an average circulation figure of 53,559 for the 25 issues published between 1st January and 30th June 2010. The figure is up compared to the last six months of 2009 but down on the first six months of 2009. 8,034 subscriptions were in force during the period. The weekly magazine has been published by BBC Worldwide since the spring of 2006. The circulation peaked in 2007 when it had an average circulation of around 155,000.

Figures are also available for the first time for Doctor Who Magazine, which had an average circulation figure of 35,374 for the 7 issues published in the first half of the year. 73% of the readers were in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. 4,476 subscriptions are in force for the magazine with 27 interested parties receiving free copies. The magazine is currently selling more issues than at any time since the mid eighties. Before the return of the series in 2005 the average circulation was 12,000. Doctor Who Magazine is published by Panini UK and was named in April by Guinness World Records as the world's Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series.

Radio Times had a circulation of 947,131,

The certificate awarded by Guinness World Records confirming Doctor Who Magazine as the Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series has been presented to the magazine's editorial team.

The award was accepted by the original editor Dez Skinn and the current editor Tom Spilsbury at the magazine's headquarters in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

The citation on the award reads:

The award was first announced in April.

Doctor Who Magazine issue 424 is published this week and thee magazine talks to Arthur Darvill, aka Rory Williams, about what the future might hold for the new Mr Pond. How does Arthur feel about potentially becoming a regular next series?

Also in the magazine Toby Haynes, director of The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang, takes readers on a journey through the making of the epic season finale, with exclusive photos revealing how he brought the script to life. There is also a candid chat with the Doctor himself, actor Matt Smith, about his hopes for the next season, the forthcoming Christmas Special and Jo Grant’s mini-skirts and Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s head writer and executive producer, names names and lets slip a secret or two about the next series, as he takes a rollercoaster ride in the latest Production Notes!

Also in his most candid interview ever, Matthew Waterhouse talks about what it was really like being Adric in Doctor Who in the 1980s – and the many challenges he faced both in front of and behind the camera. The Doctor and Amy find themselves slave to the rhythm in Planet Bollywood, a brand new comic strip by Jonathan Morris, with art by Roger Langridge.

The Fact of Fiction takes a trip back to the swinging sixties, and discovers that there’s more than just megalomaniac computers and massive metal monsters in the groundbreaking First Doctor adventure, The War Machines. And what were the very best Doctor Who DVD, audio and book releases of 2009? And which story has been voted the favourite Tenth Doctor Specials? Discover all the winners as the magazine announces the results of the DWM Awards.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine prepares for The Big Bang on Saturday as the magazine goes on set, braves the darkness of the Underhenge and talks to the people behind the finale of Doctor Who, including stars Matt Smith, and Karen Gillan, head writer Steven Moffat, director Toby Hayes and monster maker Neill Gorton.

Also in DWM 423

• It's Payback Time
  We know what Steven Moffat thinks of the stars of Doctor Who – but what do they think of him? Executive Producer Piers Wenger asks Matt Smith and Karen Gillan what they really make of "the Mofferator" in a very different production notes.
• Neighbours from Hell
  It was the unlikeliest flat share story ever, but The Lodger could have been even stranger? The magazine catches up with writer Gareth Roberts, who tells how he came up with his latest script, and what ideas didn’t make it onto TV. Plus, the stars of the show, Matt Smith and James Corden.
• It's only Natural
  It’s all change for the TARDIS team as the Doctor and Amy uncover the dark secret deep within an alien jungle – but at what price? And will the Time Lord and Pond ever be the same again? Find out in Supernature Part 3, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Mike Collins.
• Living in the Plastic Age
  They could be plastic, anything plastic – or they could look just like you. Join the Watcher as he reveals everything you need to know about the sinister Autons in the latest of his in-depth guides.
• Turn to Stone
  Dalek operator Barnaby Edwards talks about his years of experience in operating the various designs of the universe’s most malevolent monsters.
• Every Vote Counts
  Let everyone know what you thought of the latest season, as the magazine gives you the opportunity to rate the episodes in its annual season poll.
• Reasons to be Cheerful
  The Happiness Patrol is put under the spotlight in The Fact of Fiction.

PLUS! All the latest official news, previews and reviews of all the latest DVDs and audio releases, prize-winning competitions for the cream of Doctor Who merchandise.

This issue comes with a giant-sized, double-sided poster, depicting the Daleks on one side, and the Doctor and Amy on the other.

In the latest issue of DWM the remaining episodes of Matt Smith's premier series are previewed. Readers can meet Van Gogh in Vincent and the Doctor; go house hunting as we speak to writer Gareth Roberts about The Lodger, which guest stars James Corden; then visit Stonehenge in Roman times as head writer Steven Moffat reveals what’s coming up in the season’s finale – The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang…

Talking about his forthcoming episode Vincent and the Doctor, writer Richard Curtis says:

Also in the magazine:

• Steven Moffat reveals what happened when he joined Matt Smith and Karen Gillan to promote the new series in the Big Apple – and what ‘whisking’, giraffes and babies have to do with the world of Doctor Who – in the latest Production Notes!
• DWM catches up with Chris Chibnall, writer of the latest thrilling adventure, The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, and finds out how and why the Silurians were revived for the twenty-first century. Plus, Meera Syal, who stars as Nasreen Chaudry, tells us about her experience of working on the show – and how her expectations were more than met…
• The Doctor and Amy realise that a change isn’t always as good as a rest in Part Two of the latest full-colour comic strip, Supernature, by Jonathan Morris with art by Mike Collins. As Amy continues to mutate, the Doctor goes exploring, in search of a cure…
• DWM visits Croatia and goes behind the scenes of The Vampires of Venice, with exclusive interviews with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill (Rory) and Helen McCrory (Rosanna), executive producer Beth Willis and producer Tracie Simpson!
• Toby Jones, the Dream Lord himself, talks candidly to DWM about his bizarre role in Amy’s Choice – and on whether his character could return to haunt the Doctor in the future…
• It’s all aboard, as DWM joins the Wengerbus! Follow Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as Matt revisits his old school in Northampton as part of the Doctor Who tour, and discover what life is really like on the road…
• Enter a world of Cave-Monsters, Sea Devils and savage dinosaurs as the Watcher tells you everything you need to know (and discovers quite a few surprises!) about homo reptilia – the Silurians!
• Deborah Watling, who played companion Victoria Waterfield in the 1960s, tells us what she thinks about the current series, the pressures of writing her autobiography and meeting her fans in Who on Earth is…

Out now!

There are Vampires, Silurians and life-changing choices to be made, in this month's Doctor Who Magazine.

Four forthcoming episodes are previewed, The Vampires of Venice, Amy’s Choice, The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood and there are interviews with writers Toby Whithouse, Simon Nye, Chris Chibnall and Steven Moffat, and never-before-seen photos!

Talking about the new-look reptile people of The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, Chris Chibnall reveals,
Also in the magazine

• Head writer Steven Moffat gets his head flushed down the loo and tells what else happened when Matt Smith and Karen Gillan went back to school with the Doctor Who team, in Production Notes!
• It’s the most incredible ship in the entire universe – the Doctor’s trusty TARDIS! Join the Watcher as he leads you through his indispensible in-depth guide to the Time Lord’s astonishing time and space machine.
• They’re bigger than before. And they’ve had a paint job! Writer Mark Gatiss, actors Nick Briggs and Barnaby Edwards and designer Ed Thomas explain just how and why the brand new Daleks have come about.
• The Eleventh Doctor and Amy visit a jungle planet that’s full of scary surprises, as they make their DWM comic strip debut in Supernature, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Mike Collins.
• Just who is the smart, sexy and teasingly enigmatic River Song? DWM catches up with the actress who plays her, Alex Kingston, and finds out exactly what she knows about the secrets of her elusive character.
• DWM meets the Terrence Hardiman, who chats candidly about his sinister role in The Beast Below – and what it’s like to be best known for terrifying children!
• Just how is a Doctor Who script translated from script to screen? DWM finds out just how it done as it talks to Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Caitlin Blackwood and Steven Moffat about bringing The Eleventh Hour to life.

Out now.

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.