The first issue of the new partwork magazine, Doctor Who Monster Invasion, is launched today by BBC Magazines.

Based around collectible trading cards, the first issue comes with two packs, the first of a three-part poster, and a "mega Battle Zone play mat". The issue will be available for three weeks (the magazine is fortnightly), with the second and third issues coming with a TARDIS cardholder for the collection.

There is also a subscription offer which can be taken up online via the Monster Invasion website. Subscribers get additional gifts over the course of their subscription, including additional card packs, box file and swaps box, squirty sonic screwdriver and a backpack.

The website also includes further information relating to the magazine, plus exclusive games and features which can be 'unlocked' using codes published in the magazine itself.

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Editor Annabel Gibson has provided more details on what is seen to be the 'first wave' of the collectible trading cards:
Annabel also commented that the 'second wave' is already in preparation:

The magazine is also being promoted through an advertising campaign including television adverts.

The BBC have released two previews for this week's episode, The Curse of the Black Spot, which will be broadcast on BBC1/BBC1HD this coming Saturday at 6:15pm


The BBC have also released an interview with guest star Hugh Bonneville, who plays Captain Avery in the episode:


You can also watch the "Next Time" trailers for the episode via our previous article.

BBC One is to change its Saturday line up from 14th May, switching Doctor Who and So You Think You Can Dance Live meaning episode four of Doctor Who, The Doctor's Wife, is now scheduled for broadcast at 6.30pm.

The change, which will please many fans, is seen as a vote of confidence in the show, which has been the only BBC One programme achieving strong ratings on Saturday evenings.

Doctor Who will follow the live dance show which also sees its results programme being moved to Sunday for this week. The previous Doctor Who lead in, Don't Scare the Hare, which has been getting poor ratings and appalling AI figures, has been moved to before the early evening news. The Eurovision Song Contest Final is at 8pm.

Doctor Who will now face New Animals Do the Funniest Things and Sing if You Can on ITV1. BBC Two will be showing an evening of programmes dedicated to the late comedy writer John Sullivan.

The BBC have confirmed today that there are no plans to make any further episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, which starred the late Elisabeth Sladen. Their statement reads:

The statement comes after an article published by The Sun this morning indicated that the series would be continuing without the actress.

Barb have now issued final ratings for the week ending 24 April making Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut the 6th most watched programme of the week.

The chart is dominated by soaps with Lewis in 19th place and The Reckoning at 20th the only other non soap dramas to make the top 20.

The overnight chart saw the show in 13th place, the rise being due to the large number of people who record Doctor Who for viewing later in the week.

The Impossible Astronaut becomes the 44th episode of Doctor Who to achieve a top ten place. It is a higher chart placing than any other season premier in the show's history, apart from the Eleventh Doctor's first episode, The Eleventh Hour, which was 3rd.

Out of 771 Doctor Who episodes broadcast, only 13 have achieved a higher chart placing.

New Zealand have finally found out when the new series of Doctor Who will arrive!

Broadcaster Prime TV have reported via Twitter that they will premiere The Impossible Astronaut on the channel on Thursday 19th May at 8.30pm.

Prime have a dedicated Doctor Who section on their website.

(with thanks to the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club)

In the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine, acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman exclusively reveals secrets about his script for one of the most eagerly-anticipated Doctor Who adventures ever – The Doctor's Wife! But who on earth is she...?


Also in this issue:

• Pirates and Ood and Living Flesh! Take a sneak-peak at Episodes 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the new series as DWM previews The Curse of the Black Spot, The Doctor's Wife, The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People – featuring never-before-seen photos and exclusive interviews with writers Steve Thompson, Neil Gaiman, and Matthew Graham.
• Ahoy there, Captain! Ha-harr, me hearties! DWM interviews Hugh Bonneville, star of The Curse of the Black Spot, about his role as beardy pirate captain Henry Avery...
• Mr Grumpy Face! Doctor Who’s head writer and showrunner Steven Moffat relates tales of special screenings, slurred speeches and stopping spoilers in his latest Production Notes...
• Astral America! DWM flies off to the USA and goes on the road with the cast and crew of The Impossible Astronaut in a behind-the-scenes report, featuring exclusive chats with stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Alex Kingston, and director Toby Haynes...
• Cybermen, Yeti and Ice Warriors! It’s back to the 60s as Countdown to 50 takes a nostalgic look back at Series Five, the Second Doctor season that saw the show get darker and scarier than ever before...
• Welcome to the Pleasure Dome! Amy’s trapped in a psychedelic nightmare, while the Doctor lies helpless, a victim of the sinister Dark! The latest comic strip adventure, Forever Dreaming by Jonathan Morris with art by Adrian Salmon, reaches it startling conclusion...
• War! What is it good for? The Time Team go back to Number 10 Downing Street to watch the Ninth Doctor and Rose battle the Slitheen. Just what will they make of World War Three?
• Je T'Aime! There’s Kissing, Courtiers and Clockwork People as the Tenth Doctor has a dangerous liaison with Madame de Pompadour – The Fact of Fiction reveals everything you’ll ever need to know about 2006’s The Girl in the Fireplace...
• Time Meddlers? Should Doctor Who feature purely historical stories? Or should the adventures always feature sci-fi elements? There’s only one way to find out… by reading the opinions of Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon as they engage in the latest Battle of Wits...

PLUS! A FREE giant-size, double-sided poster, all the latest official news, previews, reviews, competitions, more madness from the Watcher, another prize-winning crossword, and much, much more!


Doctor Who Magazine is available from all good newsagents and supermarkets from Thursday 5th May.

Doctor Who Magazine has issued a provisional schedule for the remaining stories to be released in the classic Doctor Who DVD range.

There are 24 stories that still exist and have yet to be released on DVD, all of which are expected to be available by the show's 50th anniversary in 2013.

Episode Two of the current series of Doctor Who, Day of the Moon, scored an Appreciation Index figure of 87, once again one of the highest figures of the weekend and putting the programme firmly into the excellent category.

The Appreciation Index, or AI is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the programme. It is a score out of 100 based on responses from a 5,000 strong panel.

On BBC Three an additional 0.54 million viewers caught the Sunday repeat with 0.07 million watching on BBC HD.

Overall, with Sunday's figures now available, Doctor Who currently stands at 37th for the week, a position that should rise substantially when final figures are released next Monday.

Doctor Who broadcasting resource site BroaDWcast has now been updated to include details on broadcasting of the classic series in Canada, recognised as the third country in the world to broadcast the series with the first batch of Hartnell adventures from January 1965.

Other recent additions to the database include Nigeria, Zambia, Japan, Netherlands, and the Philippines.

(with thanks to Jon Preddle)