Issue 398 of Panini's Doctor Who Magazine was published in the United Kingdom yesterday, and contains several pieces of information of interest concerning the forthcoming special episodes of Doctor Who.

It is confirmed that the title of this year's Christmas episode - which will be 60 minutes long - is not "The Return of the Cybermen", as some have surmised from the teaser trailer at the conclusion of "Journey's End". This was merely a teaser description of the episode. It is also confirmed that actors David Morrissey, Dervla Kirwan and Velile Tshabalalawill be guest- starring in the episode, with Kirwan playing a character named Miss Hartigan. Andy Goddard directs, withSusie Liggat producing.

Of the four further specials which will follow in 2009, it is announced that Russell T Davies will write two of them solo, with the other two to be co-written with Gareth Roberts and Phil Ford respectively. Roberts penned "The Shakespeare Code" and "The Unicorn and the Wasp" for Doctor Who, while Ford wrote "Eye of the Gorgon" and "The Lost Boy" for The Sarah Jane Adventures - the series for which he is now chief writer - and "Something Borrowed" for Torchwood. His work on the special will make him the only writer after Davies to have written for all three shows.

Elsewhere in the magazine, information is given on release dates for the remaining classic series DVD releases of 2008. "The Trial of a Time Lord" comes out on August 18, "Four To Doomsday" on September 15, "The War Machines" on September 29 and finally "Battlefield" on December 29.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine features Davros himself, actor Julian Bleach, talking exclusively about taking on the role of the Daleks' creator.

Is the fact that other actors have played the part in the past a help or a hindrance? "That can make it harder to approach it afresh," considers Julian, "but it's more of a problem if you're trying to find a new interpretation of the character. What I was trying to do with Davros was to recreate, and match as closely as possible, a previously established character." So what’s Julian's take on Davros? Twisted megalomaniac? Mad scientist? Misguided genius? "All of those things, but I'd say the character was very probably originally inspired by Hitler, and I found that to be quite a useful reference point, particularly in some of his more dogmatic speeches!"

It's not just Davros who’s quizzed this issue, DWM features exclusive interviews with David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Eve Myles, Penelope Wilton, Jacqueline King, Bernard Cribbins, Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri, Adjoa Andoh, Elisabeth Sladen, Thomas Knight, John Leeson, Alexander Armstrong, Nicholas Briggs, Julian Bleach and Richard Dawkins. Find out which former companion had to have an injection to stop her vomiting. Discover whose bottom to hold onto in a crisis, and whose gave Catherine Tate a shock. Learn which actress is happy to "mug away in the background." And establish who would win in a Dalek Crucible-based wind-breaking competition!

PLUS!

• The Doctor and Donna’s battle with the Sycorax reaches its explosive climax in the final part of the latest full colour comic strip The Widow’s Curse.
• Showrunner Russell T Davies reveals exclusively what won't be in Series Five.
• The chance to vote for your favourites in DWM’s annual Season Survey
• The latest news on the forthcoming Doctor Who Specials and Series Two of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

AND... all the latest news, exclusive photos, reviews, previews, competitions and a choice of FOUR covers to collect!

In August, American comics publisher IDW will release the first issue of Doctor Who: The Forgotten, a new comic book miniseries starring the Tenth Doctor and Martha, and also containing flashback stories for each of the previous nine Doctors. Thecomic is written by Tony Lee, who previously wrote for the Tenth Doctor and Rose in the Doctor Who Magazine strip "F.A.Q." (DWM 369-371). It is illustrated by Canadian artist Pia Guerra, who is best known for her work on the Vertigo comic Y: The Last Man. Guerra has described herself as an "insane" fan of Doctor Who (see her studio for proof) and is a past winner of the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Art. Covers for the series are provided by Nick Roche, who illustrated IDW's previous Tenth Doctor miniseries. That series, written by Gary Russell, will be available in trade paperback asDoctor Who: Agent Provocateur in August.Comic Book Resources has an interview with Lee, along with sample art from the first issue of The Forgotten.IDW also publishes Doctor Who: Classic Comics, which reprints Fourth Doctor comics from Doctor Who Weekly in full color.

Thanks to Margaret Roberts and Shane Williams.

Posted By John Bowman


Jack's back! And he's taking on the Daleks! In the new edition of Doctor Who Magazine, published in the UK tomorrow, John Barrowman talks exclusively about his return to Doctor Who and on working with Elisabeth Sladen.

Click on the spoiler box for an extract from the interview, although be aware that it contains information about the series finale that you might not want to know before it airs. In addition, the spoiler box has details of a magazine feature that reveals aspects of the finale.

Also in DWM 397:

•  Previews of the final two episodes of Series Four, featuring new and previously unpublished photos.
• An interview with Elisabeth Sladen.
• Steven Moffat, Doctor Who's showrunner-in-waiting, speaks candidly about taking over the series - and how to write a Doctor Who story.
•  Planet Earth has been moved! But how? And by whom? Find out what happened the first time the Earth was stolen, as The Time Team watch the first four parts of the epic 1986 adventure The Trial of a Time Lord.
•  See the Doctor and Donna in dead trouble! The fight against zombies and Sycorax continues in part three of the latest, full-colour, comic-strip adventure The Widow's Curse
•  Could you make it as a DWM journalist? The decisions are all yours as you go behind the scenes and talk to the stars as you investigate the filming of Turn Left.
• DWM talks to Lesley Sharp, aka Sky Silvestry, about what makes a scary story, working with Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant and the fun of going bonkers.
• Before iPlayer, DVDs and videos, the only way to relive an old Doctor Who story was by reading a Target book. DWM takes a nostalgic look back at this fondly remembered series of novels.
• Discover why too much information can be a bad thing - and just what The Doctor's Daughter has to do with 1978'sUnderworld – in You Are Not Alone.
  
  Plus all the latest news, exclusive photos, reviews, previews, competitions and a free, vintage Target Doctor Who book.

ROSE TYLER IS BACK

In this months Doctor Who Magazine actress Billie Piper talks about her imminent return to Doctor Who and how Rose's character has developed. "She's changed. She's hardened. She's been through a lot in her parallel world. I think she's been through emotional turmoil. She's quite sad and lonely, but also really bolshy and, that great quality that Rose has, just so headstrong and single-minded."

Billie promises another healthy quota of tear-jerking, heart-rending moments in this year's finale. Are those sorts of scenes as exhausting to perform as the technically-complex effects sequences? "It's just a different kind of intensity, but equally as intense, because you really have to focus. You're imagining things, seeing things, that aren't there. That takes a lot of concentration. But this series will make you cry. That’s a promise."

ALSO THIS ISSUE:

• DWM talks to The League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton about his role in the much-anticipated Doctor Who story, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead.
• Previews of the forthcoming Series Four episodes – Midnight and Turn Left – featuring new and previously unpublished photos
• Russell T Davies talks candidly to DWM readers about his latest trip to the BAFTA awards and meeting an acting legend in Production Notes.
• Who's best? UNIT or the Sontarans? There was only one way to find out. FIGHT! DWM was there to file an exclusive report on the epic battle.
• Whodunnit? And why – and how? DWM investigates the mysterious happenings at Eddison Hall with a behind-the-scenes look at The Unicorn and the Wasp, featuring excusive interviews with the cast and crew.
• The Doctor and Donna encounter Zombies and Sycorax in Part Two of the latest, full colour, comic strip adventure, The Widow’s Curse.
• Who are the great 'unsung heroes' of Doctor Who? Discover the surprising answers in You Are Not Alone!
• Actor Joe Dempsie, star of The Doctor's Daughter, reveals all on love, war and, er, kissing a Hath.
• It's the end of the series and Davros is back! Find out what happened when the Time Team watched 1985’s Revelation of the Daleks.
• Which story do fans most want out on DVD? Discover the answer, and much more, as the results of the DWM merchandise poll are finally revealed.
• PLUS all the latest news, exclusive photos, reviews, previews, competitions… and a double-sided poster.

IT'S ALL OUT WAR IN DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE 395

David Tennant and the cast of the latest Doctor Who adventure discuss the war-loving, potato-headed, baddies in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

"Sontarans are great," beams David, while sitting on a deck chair, and watching a troop of Sontarans march across the Doctor Who set. "I think that's partly because they come from a very specific world. That back story gives them a great context. Robert Holmes didn’t just create a race, back in the 1970s: he created a world that they came from. Even if you never saw that planet, you understood why they did what they did."

Also this issue:

• An exclusive interview with Georgia Moffett on what it’s like being the Doctor’s Daughter.
• Previews of the next four episodes of Series Four - The Doctor’s Daughter, The Unicorn and the Wasp and Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead – featuring new and previously unpublished photos!
• Russell T Davies reveals all about Partners in Crime’s top secret scene in Production Notes.
• There’s a crisis in the Caribbean as Donna makes her comic strip début in Part One of The Widow’s Curse.
• DWM visits Rome and reveals the true story of how a disaster was created, in an exclusive report on the making of The Fires of Pompeii – featuring interviews with actor Francois Pandolfo and writer James Moran.
• Rose returns? Missing planets?! Vanishing bees?!? What can it all mean? We look at the clues.
• What are Ood, but a reflection of ourselves? Find out as we go behind-the-scenes on the Ood-sphere and talk to the cast and crew of Planet of the Ood, including Keith Temple, Tim McInnerny, Paul Kasey and Adrian Rawlins.
• Actress Louise Jameson tells what it was really like to work with Tom Baker in Doctor Who.
• The Time Team discover if Karfel is really as awful as its reputation, as they watch Timelash.

PLUS all the latest news, exclusive photos, reviews, previews, competitions and even more!

Doctor Who Magazine is out on Thursday 1 May 2008 across the United Kingdom.

There are two issues of Doctor Who Magazine published in April.

Issue 394 is out on the 3rd April 2008. It previews the first set of episodes of the new series including the previously unnamed Episode Five, The Poison Sky. Episode Nine's title is also revealed as River's Run.

A week later the Tenth Doctor Collected Comics is released featuring full-colour comic strip stories written by Rob Davis, Dan McDaid and Jonathan Morris.

This month's Doctor Who Magazine comes with a complete new Doctor Who audio adventure.

Cuddlesome is a brand new adventure for the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, co-starring Roberta Taylor, Timothy West, and David Troughton. "It's about a dastardly plot to infect the world," says Peter, "because someone was nasty to someone when they were young! It's a nice idea, toys are the perfect way to get to the population. Evil!"

Also this issue, DWM counts down the 100 Greatest Doctor Who Death Scenes of All Time! Doctor Who’s current executive producer Russell T Daviesleads the comments on the programme’s most memorably morbid moments. Speaking about the battle between the Raston Warrior Robot and the Cybermen in 1983’s The Five Doctors, Russell enthuses, "Best. Massacre. Ever. Heads go flying! Arms! Guts! On Children in Need night! We should really bring those Rastons back one day, they were brilliant" Terrance Dicks agrees, as the writer of the story, "there’ll be a few quid in it for me!"

Meanwhile, writer Steven Moffat is full of praise for Pete Tyler’s death in 2005’s Father’s Day "just chilling, and tragic and unforgettable" while fellow scribe Paul Cornell raves over Harrison Chase’s grisly demise in 1976’s The Seeds of Doom – "Just gorgeous. Apt and relishable. One of the absolute best Doctor Who deaths."

Also in DWM 393: "30 Reasons to be excited about Series 30" – with new photos from the new series! Martha Jones, alias Freema Agyeman answers questions from the dreaded TARDIS tin" and script-writer Gareth Roberts reveals how the Doctor and Donna are set to meet Agatha Christie, as he discusses his forthcoming adventure, The Unicorn and the Wasp.

The Fact of Fiction uncovers the truth behind 1066 and all that as it examines The Time Meddler while Novice Hame actress Anna Hope speaks about her new Doctor Who audio role. Nightmarish creatures fill the final chilling chapter of full colour comic strip Universal Monsters and Russell T Davies extols the new-found virtues of an oft-neglected Tom Baker tale.

Neil Harris bemoans the ‘worst story ever’ in You Are Not Alone and The Time Team find that it’s grim up north as they watch The Mark of the Rani.

DWM 393 is out in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2008.

The latest Doctor Who Magazine is available across the United Kingdom from Thursday 7 February 2008.

The magazine confirms a couple of previously unreleased episode titles for Series Four.
Episode Two, which was partly filmed in Rome last year, will be The Fires of Pompeii. The previously unplacedMidnight will be Episode Ten. Episode 6, which is still unnamed will be written by Stephen Greenhorn.

The magazine also reveals that the March DVD release of Voyage of the Damned will include both the Children in Need Special Time Crash and the Christmas edition of Doctor Who Confidential.

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine, issue 391, is out now.

Voyage of the Damned's director James Strong, shares extracts from his personal production diary, while DWM eavesdrops at the episode's Tone Meeting:

"It mustn't look like an Earth forklift," points out showrunner Russell T Davies, as the team discusses the climactic sequence where Kylie Minogue herself dispatches villain Max Capricorn. "We'll do a makeover!" suggests production designer Edward Thomas. "Pimp my truck!" laughs Russell.
But when Ed adds that you need a licence to drive said forklift, producer Phil Collinson buries his head in his hands. Yes, he's crying.
"I'm just mesmerised by the the idea of us teaching Kylie Minogue how to drive a forklift truck!" admits executive producer Julie Gardner.
"Can we check to see whether she has a forklift licence already?" requests Russell, optimistically. "Oh this is insane!"

Also in the 12 pages of coverage of Voyage of the Damned, there are interviews with actors Geoffrey Palmer, Russell Tovey, Jimmy Vee, Clive Rowe and Debbie Chazen; dozens of new and unseen photos from the making of the Special; and a detailed set report, including an unexpected visit from Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker.

Meanwhile, there's an extensive tribute to Doctor Who's first producer Verity Lambert; David Tennant answers more readers' questions in part two of an interview; Russell T Davies tells DWM about forthcoming changes to the production team of Doctor Who; the Doctor and Martha encounter gothic horrors in Part One of a new comic strip, Universal Monsters; Planet of the Ood writer Keith Temple discusses Donna's first visit to an alien world; DWM visits the set for Torchwood Series Two and catches up with the programme's stars to ask what next for the Underground Adventurers.

Also in DWM 391, the Time Team witness the Attack of the Cybermen; Neil Harris confesses to a very private hobby in You Are Not Alone; and discover the man behind Mr Copper, in an eye-opening interview with actor Clive Swift!

DWM 391 is on sale from 10 January 2008.