Doctor Who Magazine

Issue 403

2008-12-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

THE NEXT DOCTOR SPEAKS... IN DWM 403!

The Next Doctor himself, actor DAVID MORRISSEY, talks exclusively in Doctor Who Magazine about his role in the forthcoming Christmas Special...

Was David surprised at the reaction to his casting?
“I wasn’t expecting that level of interest, really, but it’s come thick and fast,” Morrissey admits. “I don’t think you can be aware of the world of Doctor Who until you’re in it, really, and I hadn’t been aware of what a huge show it is – not in the sense of people’s interest, how deep that goes. And I was quite surprised by the amounts of texts and emails I got from people asking me if I was the next Doctor...”

Also in DWM 403...

CHRISTMAS EVE!
DWM has an exclusive look at the forthcoming Christmas Special, featuring brand new photos and tasty tidbits from the cast and crew!

CHRISTMAS PRESENT!
... or is it? The Doctor takes Majenta to one of his favourite places in the universe in Part One of a brand new comic strip, THE STOCKBRIDGE CHILD by Dan McDaid with art by Mike Collins.

CHRISTMAS FUTURE!
Doctor Who’s executive producer Russell T Davies counts down to the big day and reveals some surprising secrets about next year’s Specials...

CHRISTMAS PAST!
RUSSELL TOVEY, star of the 2007 Christmas Special, Voyage of Damned, on Kylie, internet forums... and being the next Doctor!

CHRISTMAS FUN
The mysterious WATCHER returns to challenge and perplex with his ever-popular (and utterly fiendish) Christmas Quiz!

CHRISTMAS GAMES!
Neil Harris has a few unconventional suggestions to enhance your season viewing while waiting for The Next Doctor to come on TV in YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

PARTY POOPERS!
The Fact of Fiction looks back to when to the Cybermen first crashed their way into the Tenth Doctor’s world as it examines 2006’s RISE OF THE CYBERMEN/THE AGE OF STEEL!

BOXING DAY HANGOVER!
All the news that isn’t fit to print is in THE SPACE-TIME TELEGRAPH!

ER... A SUMMER HOLIDAY! IN WALES!
The Time Team don their shades and head back to the rock and roll years, as they continue their quest by watching 1987’s DELTA AND THE BANNERMEN!

THE DWM 2008 AWARDS!
At last! Discover the winners of Doctor Who Magazine’s annual season poll. What was the best story? Who were the best guest stars? And just who did you decide made the Greatest Contribution to Doctor Who in 2008? All is finally revealed!

REVIEW OF THE YEAR!
DWM takes a fond look back over the year that was and remembers some of the (frankly bonkers) events that made 2008 a year to remember!

PLUS! All the latest news, reviews, previews competitions and more!

This splendidly festive edition of DWM 403 is out now, price £3.99. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
Out on: 11th December 2008 Priced: £3.99

In Their Own Words 5

2008-11-23T03:46:00.000-08:00

For almost 30 years, Doctor Who Magazine has documented the making of this unique television series, interviewing every major player, be they actors, directors, producers, designers, writers... even monsters! This Special Edition gathers together the best of these interviews, as the cast and crew themselves recall their part in the history of Doctor Who, making for a frank, forthright, and insightful memoir – in turns funny, poignant, and surprising. To illustrate their story, DWM has selected hundreds of amazing pictures – iconic images from the BBC archives, alongside less familiar shots from private collections.
In Their Own Words – Volume 5 covers one of the most creative and innovative periods in the history of the series, beginning with the first appearance of the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. It follows the events of the late 1980s, when the Doctor was redefined as being ‘more than just a Time Lord’ and a Machiavellian figure who was prepared to use his companion, Ace, as a pawn in his fight against evil. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, find out why powers at the BBC decided to end the run of the UK’s longest running science-fiction show – and how a new series of novels, a Children in Need Special, radio adventures and made-for-video productions filled the gap left behind by the TV series. And discover how the series made its comeback with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 TV Movie – as Doctor Who simply refused to die.
Paul Cornell, author of the highly acclaimed Doctor Who stories Father’s Day (2005) and Human Nature/Family of Blood (2007), writes exclusively for the special on how the Sylvester McCoy era inspired him:
“I have a romantic attachment to the experimental nature of this era, to how much Andrew Cartmel [script editor] and his team were trying new ideas. To how young everyone was. I was captivated at the time by the ‘dark Doctor’ stuff, as in love with it as I was with the work of Alan Moore and Frank Miller, the zeitgeist beside which this direction made such sense. I waited urgently to see how the legend developed. I hung on the asides and hints, and filled in the gaps with my imagination. It was only the second time a production team had looked at Doctor Who since it began, and said ‘let’s try it in an entirely different way’.”

Out on: 20th November 2008

Priced: £5.99

Issue 402

2008-11-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Brig is back! Actor Nicholas Courtney, who first appeared in Doctor Who in 1968, is returning as Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in The Sarah Jane Adventures. DWM caught up with Nick and asked him about his latest call to action.

So, how does Lethbridge-Stewart pop up in Sarah Jane's world again? "Well, Sarah Jane needs some help, yes. She comes to see me and when she tells me where she wants to go, my face falls. But we manage!" Nick laughs heartily. "We have a lovely moment. According to the producer, it works very well when Sarah comes into the room, and we're meeting again. Lis has a line, `I'm going to see an old friend about this,` and the next shot is her coming into my house..."

Also in DWM 402...

Major Revelations! Phil Collinson, the man who oversaw the return of Doctor Who as its producer from 2004-2008, talks frankly to DWM in his first major interview since leaving the series.

Commander Kaagh! Kaagh the Sontaran, aka actor Anthony O'Donnell and Mrs Wormwood, aka Samantha Bond, talk exclusively to DWM about the finale of The Sarah Jane Adventures Series Two!

Chief Caretaker! Killer robots, girl gangs, murderous caretakers and cannibalistic old ladies it's all in a day's work for the Time Team! Join them as they "build high for happiness² while watching the 1987 adventure, Paradise Towers.

Corporal Punishment! It's a jailhouse shock as all hell breaks loose in the space gulag! DWM's latest comic strip, Thinktwice, reaches its surprising conclusion...

Private Thoughts! Doctor Who's Commander-in-Chief, Russell T Davies, confides in DWM readers about Red Bull, Primeval fans and competing against Julie Walters in Production Notes.

General Musings! Neil Harris suggests the real reason behind the popularity of Lethbridge-Stewart in You are Not Alone.

Brigadier Bambera! The Fact of Fiction examines 1989's Battlefield and finds out just what happened when Lethbridge-Stewart met his successor, Brigadier Winifred Bambera.

Plus! All the very latest news, reviews, previews and competitions and a FREE 16-page bonus magazine!

Out on: 13th November 2008

Priced: £3.99

Issue 401

2008-10-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Davros, creator of the Daleks is reborn... in Doctor Who Magazine 401!

DWM talks exclusively to the people responsible for Davros’ recent return, including Head Writer Russell T Davies and prosthetics expert Neill Gorton...

Was Russell tempted to use Davros’ revival as a means to finally reinvent and clear up some of his complex backstory, once and for all?
“I never really worried about tying his history together,” Russell admits, “except I was convinced he had to have a metal hand, because it was so clearly blown off in Revelation of the Daleks. So no, I didn’t do any research as such. I didn’t rewatch Genesis, because I wanted to act off my memories. Somehow, that seems a more creative state to be in. I did worry that we never had a proper explanation of his injuries, but then realised that Genesis never did that either, so it was good company to be in! Although I did write a sort of creation story…”
“There was one scene where you were going to see an explosion, and Davros was injured,” recalls Neill. “We weren’t actually going to show his face burnt and disfigured in its full gory glory, because it would have been just a little extreme, so I think you were only going to see glimpses of his head, with smoke rising, and his hair burnt off...”

ALSO THIS ISSUE:

THE FOURTH DOCTOR!
Tom Baker’s Doctor was the first to meet Davros. And Davros and the Doctor would meet again, many, many times... Philip MacDonald traces the life and times of everybody’s favourite megalomaniac and asks just what is it that drives Davros’ insane ambitions?

THE FIFTH DOCTOR!
The Fact of Fiction is whisked down a time corridor to 1984 and takes a close look at Davros’ encounter with Peter Davison’s Doctor in Resurrection of the Daleks.

THE FIRST DOCTOR!
His era introduced the Daleks, the best-known monsters of them all. Neil Harris pays tribute to the man who really created the Doctor’s iconic enemies, writer Terry Nation, in You Are Not Alone.

THE SIXTH DOCTOR!
The children of Davros have returned – and this time it’s personal! DWM exclusively talks to the people behind a brand new audio adventure for Colin Baker’s Doctor, Brotherhood of the Daleks.

THE TENTH DOCTOR!
Can he save Magenta Pryce from the horrors of the Space Gulag? And just who are the monsters lurking in the depths of the jail? Find out in Part Two of the latest, full colour, comic strip adventure – ThinkTwice.

THE EIGHTH DOCTOR!
He’s back – and he’s about to encounter Zygons, Autons, Morbius and more! DWM goes behind the scenes of the latest series of Doctor Who radio adventures, and speaks exclusively to the cast, including Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith, Graeme Garden, Art Malik, Clare Buckfield and James Fleet...

THE SEVENTH DOCTOR!
It’s Time Team and The Rani, as the gang go back to 1987 and get to grips with giant brains and glittery drains in Sylvester McCoy’s frankly unbelievable début adventure...

THE THIRD DOCTOR!
We first met Sarah Jane Smith during Jon Pertwee’s years as the Doctor... and her story continues to this day, in the The Sarah Jane Adventures! Join DWM as we watch the filming of the intrepid journalists’ latest series, and talk to the cast and crew.

ER... THE NINTH DOCTOR!
Okay, we’re getting a bit tenuous now. He’s the one that Russell T Davies introduced us to in 2005. Russell takes us backstage at the TV Quick & TV Choice Awards in Production Notes and reveals what happened when the teams who make Doctor Who, Life on Mars and, um, Loose Women met up!

THE SECOND DOCTOR!
He gets a mention on page 6!

...and THE NEXT DOCTOR! DWM reports the latest news on the forthcoming Christmas Special – and has news on the Specials of 2009!

Plus! Competitions, reviews... and an exclusive chat with the kids from The Sarah Jane Adventures!

Out On: 16th October 2008

Priced: £3.99

Issue 400

2008-09-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

CELEBRATE FOUR CENTURIES OF DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE!

Doctor Who Magazine reaches its 400th issue in style, with EIGHT extra pages and an exclusive photoshoot with the Doctor himself, David Tennant!

“I bought the first issue, in 1979,” David tells DWM. “I just thought, at last! Why’s this not happened before now? I was delighted. I chose it as my order. I used to be allowed one issue a week.”
Could DWM run for another 400 issues?
“Well, that’s a long time. How many years are we talking?”
It’s been 29 years so far...
“Another 400 issues...” he considers. “You know, I’m tempted to say, ‘If the television series continues,’ but Doctor Who Magazine thrived when the series was nowhere to be seen, to be fair, so I can see no reason why it won’t run and run. But hopefully the series will be there with the magazine, side by side, all the way. That’s how it should be. Yeah, with me on the cover! Forever...”

ALSO IN THIS VERY SPECIAL ISSUE:

Executive producer Russell T Davies looks back over the last five years, in his most candid DWM interview ever.
An exclusive competition where YOU can win the chance to become a DWM reporter and go on the set of the TV series!
Sontarans! The Brigadier! And Creepy Clowns! Discover what dangers lie ahead for the Bannerman Road gang as DWM talks to writer Phil Ford and previews the brand new series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
DWM celebrates The Sheer Brilliance of Doctor Who as Gary Gillatt takes an affectionate look at just what makes Doctor Who the best TV show ever.
The Watcher casts a nostalgic eye over the last 400 issues as he charts the surprising, amusing and often bizarre history of Doctor Who Magazine.
“You were expecting someone else?” The Time Team get a shock as the Sixth Doctor himself, Colin Baker, joins them to watch the end of 1986’s epic adventure, The Trial of a Time Lord!
It’s the start of a brand new era for the comic strip as the Doctor discovers a familiar face aboard a prison in space... Part One of Thinktwice is by Dan McDaid with art by Martin Geraghty.
Plus! Never-before-seen photos and behind-the-scenes info... and all you favourite features, including Production Notes, You Are Not Alone, Gallifrey Guardian, Reviews, Previews, Competitions... And a FREE, double-sided poster featuring an exclusive image of David Tennant on one side... and every single cover of DWM on the other!

Out on: 18th September 2008

Price: £3.99

Issue 399

2008-08-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Téte a Tate... in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine!

Catherine Tate, aka the unforgettable Donna Noble, talks exclusively in DWM 399...

“What’s weird is, I was going into an established, loved, successful show, so part of me was thinking, oh God, there’s a responsibility there to that,” Catherine tells DWM. “But you can’t go on set every day and think, I really hope I don’t ruin this for everyone else involved! You just have to realise, yeah, I’ve taken this job, and the people around me wanted me to do it. Once you get down to the nuts and bolts of making the show, it was absolutely – and I can say this for certain – one of the best experiences of my professional life. Absolutely brilliant. There was just no down point.”

ALSO THIS ISSUE:

She was the the original feisty redhead! Bonnie Langford, aka companion Melainie Bush, talks candidly about her turbulant time on Doctor Who in the 1980s
Manga Doctor Who? Miss Saigon? And the Doctor and Donna at extra-fast speed? Find out what it all means as Executive Producer Julie Gardner tells us what happened when she went to the USA with new showrunner Steven Moffat, in Production Notes.
There’s a multitude of adventures for the Doctor and Donna in a very special 10-page comic strip, The Time of My Life, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Rob Davis.
It’s a close shave for Peri, as The Time Team get their minds warped by The Trial of a Time Lord!
Pomp and circumstance... and Cybermen! DWM takes an exclusive look at August’s fantastic Doctor Who Prom and talks to composer Murray Gold and the people who made it happen.
Some of the Doctor’s most fondly remembered companions are back in an all-new series of audio adventures! DWM investigates the range and chats to the Doctor’s very first companion Susan, Carole Ann Ford.
An alien killer on a space bus? Tthe Doctor on a less-than-relaxing holiday? And bees that are far more intelligent than they appear? It can only be Delta and the Bannermen! Fact of Fiction examines one of the Seventh Doctor’s most extraordinary adventures. It’s tattyfilarious, missus!
Neil Harris discovers the possible future of Doctor Who in You Are Not Alone...
Plus all the very latest news, reviews, previews, competitions and much, much more!

Out on: 21st August

Price: £3.99

Series 4 Companion

2008-08-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

At 148 pages, The Doctor Who Companion - Series Four is the biggest DWM special so far, and gives readers a step-by-step guide to the making of all 13 episodes as well as the 2007 Christmas special Voyage of the Damned and the Children In Need scene featuring the Fifth Doctor, Time Crash.

Tom Spilsbury, the editor of Doctor Who Magazine, said: "DWM has been given exclusive access to all the scripts and shooting schedules to tell you what was shot when and where, what was left on the cutting-room floor and why, and even the truth behind a few of those rumours that hit the tabloids!

"Packed with anecdotes and comments from the men and women who make the programme, script extracts, deleted scenes, and a full list of cast, crew, transmission times and ratings, with hundreds of beautiful and previously unseen photographs, this is the ultimate guide to Doctor Who 2008."

Out on: 14th August

Price: £6.99

Issue 398

2008-08-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’... IN DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE 398!

Davros himself, actor Julian Bleach, talks exclusively about taking on the role of the Daleks’ creator in the latest Doctor Who Magazine...

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 has been keeping up with the Joneses (Martha, Francine, Harriet and Ianto), the Smiths (Mickey, Sarah Jane, Luke and Mr Smith, and even the Doctor at one point) and a host of Tylers and Nobles, as well as the odd Mott, Cooper and Harkness. This, then, is one of DWM’s most ambitious projects ever: in issue 398, DWM talks to the entire regular and returning cast of The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End! 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!

DWM 398 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, David Tennant (again!) & Richard Dawkins.

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 fantastic covers to collect!

Out on: 24th July 2008

Price: £3.99