Doctor Who makes the front cover of the Radio Times once again as the magazine celebrates this year's BAFTA Nominations. As mentioned yesterday, the Radio Times Audience Award is open to the public vote over which of Doctor Who (The Day of the Doctor), Broadchurch, Educating Yorkshire, Gogglebox, Breaking Bad, and The Great British Bakeoff is the best British drama over the last year.

As well as the latest Matt Smith/Jenna Coleman cover joining a Doctor Who collection way exceeding 50 in recent years, actor David Tennant has adorned over 20 himself, this time alongside Olivia Colman to represent writer Chris Chibnall's crime drama Broadchurch!


Readers can vote for -D-o-c-t-o-r- -W-h-o- their favourite drama via the Radio Times website.

The latest in our ongoing feature centring on significant Doctor Who occasions sees the show accorded a very special publishing honour - but just like the programme itself, it wasn't without wrangles before and after . . .

In the run-up to Doctor Who starting, hopes had been high that the first episode would be given a prestigious publicity boost by the BBC's much-respected listings magazine Radio Times in the form of a cover feature. This was, after all, a show like no other: it was innovative and ground-breaking, with skills, experimentation and imagination pushed further than ever.

However, it was not to be. After initial interest, the magazine had a change of heart at the last minute, falsely believing that the corporation itself didn't have much faith in the programme, and despite protestations by head of serials Donald Wilson editor Douglas Williams ditched the idea, although the show was granted a mention on the relevant cover and an article was included that gave a taster of what adventures might lie ahead - with one of them being the possibility of a journey "to far Cathay in the caravan of Marco Polo."

And it would be that very journey that would see Radio Times finally give in and award the much-coveted prime spot on its cover to Doctor Who - in all probability helped by the fact that with the arrival of the Daleks a few weeks previously, the show had rapidly seared itself into the national consciousness.

With The Roof of the World going out on 22nd February 1964, the cover of the corresponding week's Radio Times - number 2102, volume 162 - depicted lead actor William Hartnell with guest stars Mark Eden as Marco Polo and Derren Nesbitt as Tegana. It was accompanied by an unbylined feature on page 7 that set the historical scene after a brief recap of the previous two adventures. (It should be noted that back then Radio Times also printed its publication date at the top of the pages, hence the references to "February 20, 1964".)

Although the feature's picture included all the companions, the fact that the three actors hadn't appeared on the cover with Hartnell caused some upset. The day after the broadcast of The Roof of the World, William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton, contacted his agent, T Plunkett Green, with a number of concerns relating to the programme as a whole, one of them being the fact that the co-stars had been bumped in favour of the guest stars on the cover of the listings magazine. This grievance would be relayed to Wilson, who subsequently apologised to the agent, saying it had been "confidently expected" by the production team that one of the photos including all the regulars taken at the photocall would be used as a cover image. Wilson assured Plunkett Green that he would complain about it to the magazine.

From a somewhat hesitant start, Doctor Who and Radio Times would, over the years, continue to have something of a love-hate relationship, ranging from the highs of the stunning artwork by Frank Bellamy gracing its pages during the early-to-mid-1970s, as well as special editions, to the lows of the Tom Baker era when it would merit few articles and no covers at all, back to the embarrassment of riches we have in terms of coverage in the 21st century. Today, though, on the 50th anniversary of the broadcast of the opening episode of the seven-part epic - ironically, the earliest Doctor Who story to be missing from the archives - we mark an auspicious event in that relationship between programme and publisher with Doctor Who's first Radio Times cover . . .

Interviews:

Also on the Radio:

Also on Television:

• The Day of The Doctor, available until 29 Dec 2013 at ~8:20pm
• Doctor Who at The Proms, available until 1 Jan 2014 at ~4:15pm
• An Adventure in Space and Time, available until 1 Jan 2014 at ~5:45pm
• The Infinite Quest, available until 2 Jan 2014 at ~9:00am
• 12 Again - Doctor Who Special, available until 2 Jan 1013 at ~9:35am
• Dreamland, available until 2 Jan 2014 at ~10:20am
• The Time of The Doctor, available until 2 Jan 2014 at ~8:00pm
• Blue Peter Christmas Special, available until 31 Dec 2013 at ~10:20am
• The Ultimate Guide, available after broadcast tonight until 5th January at ~9:00pm

You can find out about further broadcasts, etc. via This Week in Doctor Who.

Just two weeks after the twelve cover issue of Radio Times celebrating fifty years of Doctor Who, the Time Lord once more graces the front of the magazine, this time promoting the Christmas Episode, The Time of the Doctor, and the end of Matt Smith's tenure as the Doctor.

The magazine is on sale from today, Saturday 30 November 2013.

The Radio Times cover from April 2005 featuring a Dalek crossing Westminster Bridge has won the Professional Publishers Association's Cover of the Century Award. The win for "Vote Dalek!" was announced at the Association's centenary celebration event which took place in London yesterday evening. The cover was one of ten that were shortlisted as those British magazine covers that were the most memorable in the last hundred years.


Inspired by iconic image of the Daleks crossing Westminster Bridge from Doctor Who’s 1964 story, The Dalek Invasion of Earth (and seen re-enacted in last night's An Adventure in Space and Time), it was created by Radio Times Art Editor Paul Smith. He said:
Radio Times editor Ben Preston added:

Vote Dalek! received 38.5% of overall vote by over 36,000 participants; Barry McIlheney, CEO, PPA, said:

The cover previously won the PPA's Best Magazine Cover Of All Time poll back in 2008.


You can read more about the making of the cover on the Radio Times website.

Australian broadcaster ABC have announced a special "pop-up" radio channel dedicated to Doctor Who for its 50th Anniversary celebration, which will run throughout the day on Sunday 24th November 2013.

Radio Times is celebrating Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary with an interactive special edition and a choice of 12 collectable covers - one for each of the Doctors who've appeared over the last 50 years.

The special issue is the 50th Radio Times Doctor Who cover since the iconic time traveller first graced the front page in 1964 and the magazine features archive interviews with each of the actors to have played the Doctor.


To access the interactive content, readers simply have to download the free Blippar app (iOS/Android) to their smartphone or tablet, then open the app and hold over the cover of the Radio Times to reveal an exclusive video message from the current Doctor, Matt Smith, and the opportunity to create and star in their own Radio Times Doctor Who cover to share on social media.

There's also further Doctor Who content to be unlocked inside where readers see the Blippar logo including:

• A comprehensive episode-by-episode guide for each Doctor
• Animated and video Doctor Who content
• Over 100 pictures from the Radio Times Doctor Who archive
• Gallery of all Radio Times Doctor Who covers
• Exclusive 3D content

Inside the issue there are 26 pages of Doctor Who features, including interviews with Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt, as well as authored pieces by showrunner Steven Moffat and BBC Director General Tony Hall, a guide to all the Doctors, a gallery of all 50 Radio Times Doctor Who covers, celebrity fans on what makes the iconic programme so special to them, and a chance to win Matt Smith's bow-tie.

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TV Times

The rival listing magazine TV Times also features Doctor Who in a series of four souvenir covers.

All eleven Doctors are featured, where they are joined by several companions and monsters from throughout the last fifty years.

Both magazines are now available in shops.

As the week heads inexorably toward the 50th Anniversary broadcast there is plenty of media coverage relating to Doctor Who; what follows is a summary of where to the related links so far.

(note: the BBC radio broadcasts are available worldwide, but video broadcasts may be unavailable outside the United Kingdom.)

Television

Doctor Who featured on BBC's Breakfast this morning, with an item by entertainment correspondent Liza Mzimba on filming The Day of the Doctor, including interviews with Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt and Jenna Coleman. The article is available to watch via the BBC iPlayer.

The local news programme South Today reported on the filming of The Sea Devils in Portsmouth, including behind-the-scenes footage. The programme is available via the BBC iPlayer (from 20:35) until tomorrow around 6:30pm.

Buckingham Palace played host to cast and crew from the series in order to celebrate the 50th Anniversary; this was covered by BBC News with photos from the event available via the BBC's Doctor Who website. It was briefly mentioned as part of a longer report on Doctor Who on the BBC's Six O'Clock news, which is available to watch via the BBC News website.

Programming today in the UK included the premiere of Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide on BBC3, and the continuing broadcast of The Night of the Doctor on the BBC Red Button; in the USA and Canada the premiere of Tales from the TARDIS was broadcast on BBC America and SPACE respectively. BBC America also showed Professor Brian Cox's The Science of Doctor Who which had been shown in the UK last Thursday, and have uploaded videos on YouTube including: Arthur Darvill, Karen Gillan, Alex Kingston wishing a happy 50th Anniversary, an interview with Matt Smith, David Tennant and Steven Moffat, and Sir Ian McKellen professing his love for Matt Smith.

You can also catch up with the latest field report from Strax, this time on Queen Elizabeth ...

Radio

BBC Radio 4's Today programme featured an interview with (birthday boy) Steven Moffat recorded back during filming of The Day of the Doctor, with him discussing what he wanted to achieve from the story, and looking back over the rich history of the series. It can be heard via the BBC iPlayer (from 2:20:15), and also as a clip from the BBC News site.

BBC Radio Solent are running a regular item on Doctor Who in the Solent area during the Alex Dyke show around 11:30am. This morning's show looked into filming of The Sea Devils in Portsmouth (tying into the television item above), and also Jon Pertwee's connection with the area. (BBC iPlayer - from 1:38:10).

BBC Radio Norfolk are also running a regular item about Doctor Who's association with Norfolk on Chris Goreham at Breakfast; this morning included an interview with Brian Hodgson. (full programme on BBC iPlayer)

BBC Radio 1's Gemma Cairney spoke to Claudia Grant and Jemma Powell about the 50th Anniversary drama An Adventure in Space and Time. (BBC iPlayer - from 01:39:43)

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Naked Scientist looked into how technology has helped restore old Doctor Who episodes, with producer Paul Vanezis and restoration expert Peter Crocker discussing working on the recent recoveries including The Web of Fear. (BBC iPlayer - from 24:50)

BBC Scotland's Get It On With Bryan Burnett marked 50 years of Doctor Who with songs and artists referencing doctors, from Dr Hook to Dr Beat". (BBC iPlayer)

In Australia, ABC National Radio broadcasted an item looking at the role of female companions of Doctor Who; the item can be heard via ABC's website.

Misc Media Items

A selection of 50th Anniversary related items in the media.

• Take a tour of the TARDIS, courtesy of the BBC News site! Also available is an interview with designer of the latest TARDIS look, Michael Pickwoad, plus a recap of all of the Doctor's regenerations.
• The Mirror presents what they consider to be the top 10 funniest Doctor Who moments and the top ten most terrifying moments.
• More 50th Anniversary celebration from the Mirror, including comments from Russell T Davies.
• The Telegraph presents numbers 20-11 in former Mastermind winner Gavin Fuller's list of 50 best stories.
• Another Telegraph item, on the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker.
• CBBC's Newsround invites younger viewers to send in their Doctor Who tributes.
• The West Sussex County Times has a video of Horsham Museum's 2D Adventures in Time and Space exhibition.
• ABC Adelaide tie in the 50th Anniversary with local actor Edmund Pegge.
• BBC News present 50 years of memories.
• The Independent report on the top ten ways of defeating the Daleks.
• The Express features several cast and crew thoughts on Doctor Who.
• The Express also chats to Peter Davison and Tom Baker on the joys of time travel.
• The "TARDIS" is popping up all over Wales to promote the anniversary, with appearances in places like Holyhead, Llandudno, Wrexham and Aberystwyth, reported by papers such as the Daily Post.

Today BBC Radio Four Extra begins a week of celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who with a reading of the very first Doctor Who novelisation.

Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks was first published in 1964, adapted by the series' script editor David Whitaker from the first Dalek story written by Terry Nation. The story was republished by Target Books in 1973, kicking off the range which would introduce a generation of fans born in the sixties and seventies to the eras of the first and second Doctors.

The story, intended to work as a standalone, is told from the viewpoint of Ian Chesterton and has a very different meeting between the Doctor and his future companions than that of the television series.

The Audiogo recording is read by William Russell, who played Ian in the TV series. The broadcast begins at 1800 GMT on Saturday with the first two episodes. The full adaptation is broadcast between 0000 GMT and 0430 GMT on Sunday.

The broadcast kicks off a week of Doctor Who programming on the station. Radio Four Extra can be heard worldwide via the BBC Website.

• Sunday - Protect and Survive - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
In this drama the Seventh Doctor (played by Sylvester McCoy) and his young companions Hex and Ace are plunged into the late '80s, where history has gone terrifyingly wrong, with the world trembling on the brink of a final terrible war.
• Monday - Fanfare for the Common Men - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
A four-part drama featuring the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison). The Doctor's young companion Nyssa is unfamiliar with the Earth's musical heritage, but in a trip back to the '60s the Beatles are nowhere to be seen and their role has been taken by the Common Men.
• Tuesday - A Thousand Tiny Wings - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
A full-cast audio drama in which the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) arrives in a remote homestead during the period of Kenyan independence in December 1963 and is reunited with an old acquaintance – an ex-Nazi called Klein.
• Wednesday - Farewell Great Macedon - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
Based on an unproduced television script and brought to life through a combination of performance and narration. The original team of the First Doctor and companions Ian, Barbara and Susan step out from the TARDIS into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and meet Alexander the Great.
• Thursday - Human Resources - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
A full-cast drama featuring the Eighth Doctor (played by Paul McGann). The two-part story explains the on-going mystery of Lucie Miller (Sheridan Smith), paired off with the Doctor in a witness protection programme.
• Friday - The Dalek Invasion of Earth - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
A reading by William Russell (Ian Chesterton in the original TV serial on which the story is based). This is one of the classic Doctor Who stories featuring the First Doctor and set in an occupied Britain.
• Saturday - Doctor Who special – Who Made Who - 0900 GMT & 1600 GMT
Tracy-Ann Oberman is the guide on a journey back to a time before Time Lords. Interviewees include Doctor Who writers Charlie Higson and Al Hennen and William Hartnell's grand-daughter Jessica Carney. Featured programmes include The Reunion, which gathers the original 1963 cast, and Whatever Happened to . . . Susan Foreman? which tries to solve the mystery of the Doctor's original travelling companion, his grand-daughter.
• Sunday - Lucie Miller - 0000 GMT
An Eighth Doctor adventure starring Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith and Graeme Garden.
• Monday - To the Death - 0000 GMT
The Time Lord calls on friends, family and the Monk to help overthrow the Dalek occupation of Earth. This Eighth Doctor adventure stars Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith and Graeme Garden.

The Radio Times has revealed that David Tennant received more votes than any other Doctor combined, achieving a 56% share in their 50th Anniversary poll. The current incumbent of the TARDIS, Matt Smith came in second with 16%, whilst perennial classic favourite Tom Baker took the bronze with 10% of the votes.

Meanwhile, the poll for the Doctor's favourite sidekick revealed that the Tenth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, as played by Billie Piper, also came out on top with a quarter of voters considering her the best. A much closer competition to those of the Doctor, his (first) best friend Sarah Jane Smith (aka Elisabeth Sladen) achieved 15% of the share to take second place, with bronze this time going to another 21st Century TARDIS occupant, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who received 12% of the votes.

Tim Glanfield, Editor for RadioTimes.com Editor, said:


The complete results are below:

Best Doctor		Best Companion
56.1%	David Tennant	25.09%	Rose Tyler (Billie Piper)
15.93%	Matt Smith	15.42%	Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen)
10.05%	Tom Baker	12.32%	Donna Noble (Catherine Tate)
6.59%	Christopher Eccleston	9.09%	River Song (Alex Kingston)
2.86%	Patrick Troughton	4.79%	Amy Pond (Karen Gillan)
2.38%	Jon Pertwee	4.1%	Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)
1.59%	Peter Davison	3.49%	Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman)
1.36%	Sylvester McCoy	3.09%	Ace (Sophie Aldred)
1.35%	Paul McGann	2.65%	Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman)
0.9%	William Hartnell	2.54%	Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman)
0.88%	Colin Baker	2.39%	Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)
		15.03%	(Others)

There were a total of 21,384 valid votes cast in the two polls on the Radio Times website during October and November 2013.

Radio Times DiscoverTV

Radio Times DiscoverTV is a new app designed to provide recommendations to daily television and radio, enabling users to discover new favourite programmes be they on TV, catch-up, or on-demand. The app is free to download and provides a 14 days customisable schedule for TV and radio listings, by provider and location, with basic programme information. A premium service with enhanced features is also available, with a 30 day free trial included.

As part of the launch, the app will be used to promote the twelve collectible Doctor Who Radio Times covers out next Tuesday to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. Three of the covers will be revealed within the app on Saturday, Sunday and Monday leading to all twelve being made available this coming Tuesday - the publication day of the print magazine itself.

The app is currently only available to iPad users (optimised for iOS7), with the intention to roll out to other platforms in due course.