As we approach the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who, revisit the story of Doctor Who, the occasional series written for the 50th Anniversary, explaining the origins of the programme.

Episode 8 - An Unearthly Series: The Origins of a TV Legend: First published 26 Mar 2013

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 589Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 29 March 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 589 (Credit: Panini)

In the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine the programme's directors discuss the new TARDIS

The latest Doctor Who Magazine includes an exclusive interview with all three directors of the forthcoming 60th anniversary specials – Chanya Button, Tom Kingsley and Rachel Talalay. In this revealing feature, they discuss the new TARDIS set…

Chanya Button:

Oh my gosh, it’s enormous. I mean, it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s sort of church-like in scale, and yet it’s also this intimate space that takes you from one place to another – to even larger, wider worlds.

Tom Kingsley

So much detail and love and thought has gone into it. You can point the camera anywhere at it and it looks amazing.

Rachel Talalay

I was around for the four months watching it being built. My DP [director of photography] and I were having all these conversations about how to light the wall roundels, and things like that, but I just kept thinking, ‘It will never be ready in time…’ So the fact that, in the last couple of days of my contract, we finally got on there, was amazing.

Other highlights of the new issue include:

  • The DWM 60th Anniversary Poll – the analysis of the results begins, with this issue looking at the rankings of every story from the 1960s.

  • Liberation of the Daleks Part Six – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor continue in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.

  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies on writing the next series, exciting nights out and the hunt for silver glitter body spray.

  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report on the forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.

  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including new cast announcements and executive producer Phil Collinson on Doctor Who’s involvement with Comic Relief 2023.

  • How Cleo Carried On – Cleo Sylvestre recalls the early years of her career, when she appeared in the 1965 story The Crusade.

  • Best Life – Moses Ogundeji reveals what it’s like to work as ‘best boy’ on the new series of Doctor Who.

  • Tea Time Terror – a look back at The Amazing World of Doctor Who, the 1976 book that’s about to gain a surprising new lease of life.

  • 60 Objects, 60 Years – from The Key to Time in 1978 to a Neo-Cyberman in 1982, the latest installment of this series tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.

  • The Fact of Fiction uncovers the secrets of the acclaimed Twelfth Doctor adventure Flatline.

  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

  • Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 589 is on sale Thursday 30 March from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.





FILTER: - DWM

Doctor Who Magazine Special 63: ShowrunnersBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 15 March 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine Special 63 (Credit: Panini)

The latest special from Doctor Who Magazine, looks at the men and women who have steered Doctor Who through its sixty-year history. 

Doctor Who’s journey was launched by producer Verity Lambert; the series, in turn, served as the springboard for her own remarkable career.

Since then many have accepted the unique challenge of steering one of the most demanding programmes on television.

The Special Edition of the magazine examines what each of these people brought to the role and gains exclusive new insights from their colleagues.

Highlights include exclusive interviews with Sheena Bucktowonsing, Shirley Cooklin, Janet Fielding, Julie Gardner, Frazer Hines, Waris Hussein, Matthew Jacobs, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Katy Manning and Marcus Wilson.

DWM Special Edition 63: Showrunners is on sale from Thursday 16 March at WH Smith, selected supermarkets and online from panini.co.uk priced £8.99.

A digital edition is also available, priced £7.99 from pocketmags.com





FILTER: - DWM

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 588Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 2 March 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 588 (Credit: Panini)

Issue 588 of Doctor Who Magazine takes us back to Bannerman Road and The Sarah Jane Adventures. 

The latest Magazine features a 28-page retrospective of every story in the much-loved spin-off from Doctor Who that ran from 2007-11 and starred Elisabeth Sladen.

Included are new interviews with stars Daniel Anthony, Tommy Knight and Anjli Mohindra, plus lead writer Phil Ford.

Other highlights of the new issue include:

 

  • Liberation of the Daleks Part Five – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor continue in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.
  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies on the return of The Sarah Jane Adventures to iPlayer, and the changes that had to be made.
  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report on the forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including exclusives from Russell T Davies, executive producer Phil Collinson and two of Doctor Who’s new directors.
  • Visual Thinking – an interview with Siân Reynish, Doctor Who’s new VFX co-ordinator.
  • 60 Objects, 60 Years – from a giant maggot in 1973 to K9 in 1977, the latest instalment of this series tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.
  • The Fact of Fiction takes to the high seas as it looks back at the Eleventh Doctor adventure The Curse of the Black Spot.
  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

·         Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.

 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 588 is on sale Thursday 2 March from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.





FILTER: - DWM - The Sarah Jane Adventures

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 587Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 1 February 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 587 (Credit: Panini)

Issue 587 of Doctor Who Magazine contains an exclusive interview with new executive producer Joel Collins

In the magazine, Collins reveals how his association with the series began in the1970s, through knowing acclaimed director Douglas Camfield and seeing the series being made

Douglas was, and still is, one of the biggest inspirations to me. There was something so brilliant about him. I can absolutely see now why I’m in this business. As a kid, you’re watching this show avidly on TV, and then suddenly you’re on set – touching everything, fiddling with everything, and going: ‘Oh my God, look at these miniatures and creatures and all this craziness…’ I was completely inspired by that.

 

Other highlights of the new issue include:

  • Liberation of the Daleks Part Four – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor continue in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.
  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies on what you might have missed in the recent trailer for the 2023 Doctor Who Specials.
  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report on the forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including exclusives from producer Phil Collinson, guest star Jemma Redgrave and casting director Andy Pryor.
  • Close to the Edit – an interview with Rasheed Bello, Doctor Who’s new assistant script editor.
  • Tesh and Blood – a tribute to the late Chris Boucher, including contributions from producer Philip Hinchcliffe and actress Louise Jameson, who played Leela.
  • Sympathy for the Sea Devil – behind the scenes of Defenders of Earth, the trailer for the new Season 9 Blu-ray box set, with cast and crew including star Katy Manning.
  • 60 Objects, 60 Years – from the UNIT beret in 1968 to the Third Doctor’s sonic screwdriver in 1972, the latest installment of this series tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.
  • The Fact of Fiction – inside one of the Fourth Doctor’s greatest adventures, Chris Boucher’s The Robots of Death.
  • The Watchers: Sea Base 4B – fans recall studio visits to see Warriors of the Deep being recorded in 1983.
  • Coming Soon – an exclusive preview of the Season 9 Blu-ray box set, including a disc-by-disc breakdown of the contents.
  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe
  •  Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, and more.

 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 587 is on sale Thursday 2 February from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.





FILTER: - DWM

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 586Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 4 January 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine:  Issue 586 (Credit: Panini)

In the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine Millie Gibson talks about playing new companion Ruby Sunday.

In an exclusive interview, she talks about what it’s like acting alongside Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, and how she discovered she’d secured the role:

I went to get a spray tan for the NTAs [National Television Awards], and I was in the room waiting to dry off when I got this WhatsApp call, asking me to join the call with all my agents. I picked up the phone and they were like, ‘Are you good at keeping secrets?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ They said, ‘Are you really good at keeping secrets? Cos you’ve got it.

Other highlights of the new issue include:

 

  • From Cardiff with Love – in an another world exclusive, Doctor Who executive producers Phil Collinson, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter are interviewed together for the first time and discuss the future of the series.
  • Liberation of the Daleks Part Three – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor continue in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.
  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies reveals how and why he returned to Doctor Who.
  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report on the making of forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including an exclusive update from Phil Collinson.
  • 60 Objects, 60 Years – from Flambeaux in 1963 to Cybermats in 1967, the first part of this ongoing series tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.
  • No Time to Die – sets from The Daleks’ Master Plan are recreated in CGI, providing new insights into this mostly missing story.
  • The Fact of Fiction – travel back to a chilly London in the year 1814 and uncover secrets of the Twelfth Doctor story Thin Ice.
  • The Watchers ­– fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1980s recall the thrill of watching stories such as Frontios, The Happiness Patrol and Ghost Light being made.
  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.
  •  
  •  
  • Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Public Image and more.

 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 586 is on sale Thursday 5 January from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.





FILTER: - DWM - Fifteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 585Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 8 December 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 585 (Credit: Panini)

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is now available.

The adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor, as played by David Tennant on TV, continue in Doctor Who Magazine issue 585. Part Two of the epic new comic-strip adventure Liberation of the Daleks, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, sees the Doctor’s greatest enemies invade the pitch during the 1966 World Cup Final…

Other highlights of the new issue include:

  • A giant double-sided poster!

  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies presents his Christmas Countdown, packed full of teasers for the stories to come.

  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.

  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news, including an exclusive chat with Millie Gibson about her casting as companion Ruby Sunday.

  • Meet the New Team – Doctor Who crew members tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.

  • All I Want For Christmas is Who – seasonal highlights from the past are recalled, including festive memories from Nadia Albina, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Briggs, Nicola Bryant, Peter Davison, Barnaby Edwards, Philip Hinchcliffe, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Katy Manning, Peter Purves, Dan Starkey, Mark Strickson and Matthew Waterhouse.

  • Talk of the Town – in his first-ever interview for DWM, actor Cy Town talks candidly about being a Dalek operator and shares previously unpublished pictures from his photo albums.

  • Brushed by Greatness – acclaimed artists Colin Howard and Andrew Skilleter, and Kit Bevan (brother of the late Phil Bevan), discuss new books showcasing some of best Doctor Who illustrations from the pre-digital era.

  • The Watchers – fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1970s and early 80s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.

  • Christmas in Another Dimension – what if Doctor Who had enjoyed Christmas Specials during its first 26 years? DWM imagines what could have been…

  • The DWM Christmas Quiz – the traditional seasonal challenge! 

  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.

  • Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Public Image and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 585 is on sale Thursday 8 December from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM - Fourteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Magazine Special 62: The 2023 YearbookBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 30 November 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine Special 62:  The 2023 Yearbook (Credit: Panini)

This special issue of DWM celebrates the Thirteenth Doctor’s entire journey and looks back on an extraordinary 12 months.

The Thirteenth Doctor’s final adventures were among the most spectacular in the series’ history. This was a time of transformation in more ways than one – the return of some familiar faces and the announcement of Doctors Fourteen and Fifteen were just a few of the highlights.

And then, as outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall handed over to Russell T Davies, production began on the episodes that will take the series into its 60th anniversary. 

Highlights include:

  • Exclusive interviews with Sophie Aldred (Ace), John Bishop (Dan), Sacha Dhawan (the Master), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Jodie Whittaker (the Doctor) on the making of the Centenary Special, The Power of the Doctor.
  • Ray Holman reveals the secrets of his costume designs for the returning Doctors and companions in The Power of the Doctor.
  • Analyses of every single Thirteenth Doctor story, from The Woman Who Fell to Earth to The Power of the Doctor.
  • A diary of the most significant events of 2022, both on screen and off.
  • Tributes to the Doctor Who luminaries who died during 2022.

DWM Special Edition 62: The 2023 Yearbook is on sale from Thursday 1 December at WH Smith, selected supermarkets and online from panini.co.uk priced £7.99.

A digital edition is also available, priced £6.99 from pocketmags.com

 




FILTER: - DWM - Thirteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 584Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 9 November 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine  Issue 584 (Credit: Panini)

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine begins the story of the Fourteenth Doctor, David Tennant.

Although it will be a year until we see his TV adventures, the story continues in Doctor Who Magazine issue 584

A new comic-strip adventure, written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan, picks up directly where The Power of the Doctor left off.

Editor Marcus Hearn says

Russell T Davies, our new showrunner, has long admired the DWM strip. And that’s why he’s granted us the honour of telling the Fourteenth Doctor’s first story in an adventure that dovetails with the most recent episode. For the first time in our 43-year history, the strip is now in lockstep with the television series continuity.”

Russell T Davies says

From day one, I wanted to increase ties between the show and the magazine. I love it when we’re in sync! A lot of people will be thinking, David’s not the real Doctor, he’s a trick, an illusion, a flashback. But no. He’s real. And DWM can help us underline that.”

Other highlights of the new issue include:

  • Meet the New Team – the producers, directors and other crew members of Doctor Who tell us what they’re looking forward to in the 2023 Specials and beyond.
  • Letter from the Showrunner – in the first of his new regular columns, Russell T Davies reveals what brought him back to Doctor Who.
  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock provides exclusive updates about forthcoming episodes, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
  • Reach up for the Sunrise – David Tennant, Russell T Davies, former showrunner Chris Chibnall, directors Rachel Talalay and Jamie Magnus Stone, and CG artist Ben Pickles describe shooting The Power of the Doctor’s regeneration sequence.
  • The Strip of a Lifetime – Russell T Davies, Scott Handcock, Alan Barnes and Lee Sullivan on creating the Fourteenth Doctor’s first adventure.
  • The Watchers ­– fans who were lucky enough to be granted studio visits in the 1960s and early 70s recall the thrill of watching Doctor Who being made.
  • Hack to the Future – an interview with artist Robert Hack about the new illustrated version of David Whitaker’s seminal novel Doctor Who and the Daleks.
  • Collectivity: The TARDIS – meet the fans for whom collecting police-box merchandise has been a lifelong passion
  • Factory Records – the sets of 1966’s The Power of the Daleks are recreated, providing new insights into this mostly missing story.
  • The Fact of Fiction encounters Cybermen and Daleks as it looks back at 2006’s Army of Ghosts.
  • Other Worlds – an essential guide to forthcoming stories in the expanded Doctor Who universe.

·       Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Sufficient Data and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 584 is on sale Thursday 10 November from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.





FILTER: - DWM - Fourteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 583Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 12 October 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 583 (Credit: Panini)

Issue 583 of Doctor Who Magazine contains an exclusive preview of the final story for the thirteenth Doctor, The Power of the Doctor

 

Highlights of the new issue include:

  • Jodie Whittaker (the Doctor), Mandip Gill (Yaz), John Bishop (Dan) and writer Chris Chibnall talk exclusively to DWM about The Power of the Doctor in the 19-page preview. 

  • Chris Chibnall signs off as showrunner in his final Production Notes.

  • More from Chris, as he braves questions randomly selected from the TARDIS tin.

  • A full preview and contents list of the forthcoming Blu-ray box set Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 2.

  • A previously unpublished interview with the late Colin Lavers reveals the stories behind the costumes he designed for 1983’s The King’s Demons and The Five Doctors.

  • The sets of 1965’s Galaxy 4 are recreated, providing new insights into this mostly missing story.

  • The Fact of Fiction travels deep inside the most incredible machine in the universe as it looks back at 2013’s Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.

  • The final part of The Everlasting Summer, a new comic-strip adventure for the Doctor, Yaz and Dan.

  • Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Sufficient Data and more.

PLUS!

  • Doctor Who: A BBC Production, a 28-page supplement tracing the behind-the-scenes history of the show and highlighting the BBC executives who have steered its course.

  • A diorama of the First Doctor’s TARDIS control room.

  • A huge double-sided poster with images from The Power of the Doctor.

  • A download code for a complete, 60-minute Doctor Who audio drama.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 583 is on sale Thursday 20 October from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £10.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £9.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM - THirteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 581Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 18 August 2022 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Magazine: Issue 581 (Credit: Panini)

 

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine pays tribute to actor Bernard Cribbins with a special feature written by showrunner Russell T Davies. 

 

Highlights of the issue include:

  • Returning showrunner Russell T Davies writes about the late Bernard Cribbins, the much-loved actor who played Wilfred Mott in Doctor Who. Plus, tributes from John Barrowman, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner, Jacqueline King, Matt Lucas, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon and James Strong.

  • An exclusive preview of the new animated version of 1967’s The Abominable Snowmen, will full details of the DVD/Blu-ray special features.

  • The life and career of the enigmatic Donald Cotton, the writer of The Myth Makers (1965) and The Gunfighters (1966), as remembered by his family and friends. Plus, previously unpublished extracts from Cotton’s handwritten notes reveal the earliest versions of his two Doctor Who adventures.

  • CG recreations of the sets from The Abominable Snowmen, revealing how Lime Grove Studio D was transformed into a Himalayan monastery.

  • Collectivity meets fans with a passion for collecting original scripts.

  • Gallifrey is invaded as The Fact of Fiction begins its in-depth exploration of 1977’s The Invasion of Time.

  • The results of the 2022 DWM survey are announced – what were your favourite Doctor Who episodes and merchandise?

  • Part Two of The Everlasting Summer, a brand-new comic-strip adventure for the Doctor, Yaz and Dan.

  • Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser, Sufficient Data and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 581 is on sale Thursday 18 August from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £6.99 (UK).

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.

 




FILTER: - DWM