Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 487

Panini have issued the cover and details of this month's edition of Doctor Who magazine:

The latest edition of Doctor Who magazine is on general release today, and looks at the entire history of Earth, from its birth to its destruction:

Planet Earth! It's been attacked, invaded - even moved across the galaxy! But thanks to the Doctor, our world endures. Doctor Who magazine tells the remarkable story of our planet and the many challenges it has faced...

Also inside this issue:

An Interview with John Nathan-Turner

A revealing and previously unpublished interview with 1980s producer John-Nathan Turner, conducted during 1989 - the last year of Doctor Who's original run.

Who on Video

DWM reveals the history of how Doctor Who was brought to DVD, and talks to the people responsible for the landmark 1993 documentary 30 Years in the TARDIS. Plus, an exclusive look at some of the VHS covers that never were...

The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Discover fascinating new facts about the classic 1964 First Doctor adventure The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

Verity Lambert's Scrapbooks 

DWM chats to Carole Ann Ford, who played the Doctor's very first companion, Susan, as she continues her look through the scrapbooks of Doctor Who's original producer, Verity Lambert.

Blood and Ice!

Clara and the Doctor uncover a sinister secret below Antarctica as Blood and Ice - the brand new comic strip written by Jacqueline Rayner and illustrated by Martin Geraghty - continues...

Steven Moffat Answers Your Questions!

Showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers’ questions, and explains just why the Doctor can never seem to remember what happens when he meets himself...

Plus!

Reviews and previews; Relative Dimensions; Wotcha!; The DWM crossword, prize-winning competitions, official news and much more!

Issue 487 of Doctor Who magazine is on sale from today until 24th June priced £4.99.

Comic Con - Doctor Who Cast to Attend

BBC Worldwide have confirmed that Peter Capladi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez and head writer Steven Moffat will attend this year's Doctor Who panel at the San Diego Comic Con, read on for further details:

Doctor Who returns to San Diego Comic-Con for a Hall H panel on Thursday, 9th July. 
Following his record-breaking first season as the Doctor, Peter Capaldi will make his first ever appearance at Comic-Con with stars Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald), Michelle Gomez (Missy), lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and executive producer Brian Minchin. Doctor Who follows the adventures of the Doctor, the time traveller, who will continue to journey through all of space and time in epic adventures in the new season premiering later this year.

Capaldi’s first season delivered BBC America its highest rated season ever and is available now on all digital platforms in the U.S.

Peter Capaldi on making his first Comic-Con appearance: "Tales of San Diego Comic-Con are told in awe on every set around the known fantasy/sci-fi production world. It’s become a fabled kingdom. One I am thrilled to find myself heading for. And to appear in the legendary Hall H, is a further twist to the cosplay and comic madness I may never recover from."

The new season premieres with a two-part episode, The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar, written by Steven Moffat, produced by Peter Bennett and directed by Hettie Macdonald (Blink, the Hugo Award-winning Doctor Who episode).

San Diego Comic Con takes place this July. Doctor Who returns this Autumn to BBC One and BBC One HD.

Doctor Who - 10 Years On Trailer

To celebrate ten years since the relaunch of Doctor Who and to mark its introduction to Indian TV and Disney XD, the BBC have produced a new compilation trailer for the show's first eight series, you can watch it above. Doctor Who will return with its ninth series this Autumn to BBC One and BBC One HD.

Doctor Who Adventures - Issue 2

Panini have issued the cover and details of the next edition of Doctor Who Adventures magazine:

The second issue of Panini’s regenerated Doctor Who Adventures hits the newsstands on 21st May, and promises more thrills, more adventures and more excitement than ever! The issue comes with a free Mega Monster set! 

Opening proceedings, the Doctor and Clara find themselves rocking out at the end of the universe as they face the deadly hunger of the ‘Devourer of the Cosmos’ in this issue’s strip story The Big Hush, drawn by Russ Leach, written by Jason Quinn and coloured by John Burns.

KNOW YOUR ENEMIES
Next up, readers get to access the TARDIS Data Core to find out about some of the Doctor’s strangest and deadly enemies, including the Whisper Men, the Boneless, Prisoner Zero, the Vashta Nerada and the Smilers.

CLARA’S CRAFT STUDIO
Then we join Clara as she shows you how to make your own Foretold Desk Guard. With this on your desk, nobody will ever dare pinch your pens without permission!

UNIT ALIEN ARCHIVES
Of course, if you’re going to make the Foretold Desk Guard, then you’d do well to know more about the Foretold himself by checking out the UNIT Alien Archive on the monstrous Mummy of the Orient Express.

STRAX’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Strax will then show us the delights of Skaro, the Asylum, San Helios and the Library. If you’re planning a trip across the cosmos then check out your destination with Strax before you book your tickets!

THE PATERNOSTER GANG INVESTIGATES
Strax and Jenny go undercover as a variety act as the Paternoster Gang investigate ghostly goings on at The Palace of Wonder music hall in The Phantom of the Music Hall, a brand new three page text story.

With prizes, activities, posters and much more on offer, Doctor Who Adventures is the hottest spot in the galaxy for all Doctor Who fans aged 5-500!

Issue 2 of the Doctor Who Adventures magazine is on sale from 21st May until 17th June priced £3.99.

Series 9 - Osgood & Zygons to Return!

The BBC have confirmed that UNIT officer Osgood and the Zygons will return in the next series of Doctor Who, read on for further details:

Cruel, heartless and shocking? Having being killed by Missy (Michelle Gomez) in the show’s Series 8 finale Death in Heaven, the Doctor’s biggest fan and UNIT scientist Osgood, played by Ingrid Oliver, has been brought back by Steven Moffat for Doctor Who series nine.

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, said, "Osgood is back, fresh from her recent murder at the end of last series. We recently confirmed that Osgood was definitely dead and not returning - but in a show about time travel, anything can happen. The brilliant Ingrid Oliver is back in action. This time though, can the Doctor trust his number one fan?"

The last time we saw Osgood as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s assistant was with the Twelfth Doctor during an invasion of Earth by an army of Cybermen led by a new, female incarnation of the Master. This time she’s back in action and comes face-to-face with the shape-shifting extra-terrestrial Zygons, as they also return for the new series. They last appeared in The Day of the Doctor for the show’s 50th anniversary episode.

Speaking on set, Ingrid Oliver commented on her reappearance, "As every actor who’s worked on Doctor Who will tell you, there’s always the secret hope you'll get the call asking you to come back. To actually receive that call is both unexpected and brilliant. The word ‘honour’ gets banded about a lot, but it really is, it’s an honour. Especially because I was so sure Osgood was a gonner after the last series!"

The two-part episode is currently being filmed in Cardiff and is written by Peter Harness (Doctor Who - Kill the Moon, Wallander, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell), produced by Peter Bennett and directed by Daniel Nettheim (Line of Duty, Glue).

Also joining Peter Capaldi (the Doctor) and Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) and confirmed for guest roles in the double episode is Jemma Redgrave, Jaye Griffiths, Cleopatra Dickens, Sasha Dickens, Abhishek Singh, Todd Kramer, Jill Winternitz, Nicholas Asbury, Jack Parker and Aidan Cook.

Doctor Who returns this Autumn to BBC One and BBC One HD.

Torchwood - New Audio Plays from Big Finish

Big Finish - known for producing a number of Doctor Who audio plays - are set to produce a new series of audio plays based on the spin off show Torchwood, read on for further details:

Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) returns in Torchwood, all new audio adventures based on the popular Doctor Who spin off series.

Torchwood - a clandestine organisation outside the government, beyond the police. An elite team of operatives defending Cardiff and the world from alien menaces and terrible forces, keeping the city safe from the interdimensional rift that runs through it.

Led by the irrespressible Captain Jack Harkness, former Time Agent and companion to the Doctor, this new series of stories find the Torchwood team caught up in a dangerous event which will impact their lives forever.

The series begins with The Conspiracy, released in September 2015 - and the story will continue in five further releases beginning Janurary 2016. Torchwood, the intrepid team of alien investigators, returns in a series of six audio productions, as part of a licensing deal with BBC Worldwide.

Once again, the Torchwood team will be led by the irrepressible Captain Jack, as played by John Barrowman - who broke the news of the series return on his radio show on Sunday evening.

Conceived as a spin-off from Doctor Who, Torchwood was created by Russell T Davies (Doctor Who, Cucumber, Banana, Queer as Folk) and made its debut on television in 2006. The top secret organisation Torchwood saved Cardiff (and often the world) from alien menaces and terrifying forces, trying to keep the city safe from the inter-dimensional rift that ran through it. In charge of Torchwood was Captain Jack, a man who has been called: "A companion to the Doctor, a rogue Time Agent, an immortal, a dangerous con-man, and very good at parties." Captain Jack can’t be exterminated or trusted, and there’s just no stopping him.

The new series of audio dramas will each focus on different members of the Torchwood team, exploring the impact that a mysterious event has on them. Starting off the range will be John Barrowman, who stars in The Conspiracy, a deadly thriller by David Llewellyn, which is released September 2015.

Torchwood creator Russell T Davies says: "Torchwood has been to the Moon, and America, and the Himalayas, but now I think it’s finally coming home, to the brilliance of Big Finish."

"What’s great about Torchwood is that it is as unstoppable as Captain Jack and just as persuasive," says producer James Goss. "Torchwood has been a ratings success on nearly every BBC channel, and it’s one of the few UK series to translate to America. It’s already been a series of iPlayer-topping audio plays, and we are thrilled to continue it. It’s just so exciting to be starting off the range with a drama starring John Barrowman - he leapt at the chance to display a whole new side to Captain Jack."

Executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery says: "It’s fantastic that we will be bringing Captain Jack back to life (for perhaps the thousandth time!) with Big Finish. There are many new Torchwood tales to be told and I can’t wait for Jack and his team to defend the Earth once again. I am very grateful for the continuing faith that both the BBC and Russell T Davies have shown in us and very excited to enter into a new world for Big Finish."

Executive producer Nicholas Briggs says: "Torchwood is something we’ve wanted to do for ages. It has great characters and there are many stories to be told. Our mission is to bring a whole new series of dramatic adventures to life. We’re starting off with these more intimate, focused releases and will then move on to bigger casts and even wider scope. We’re very much looking forward to working with all the cast and it’s been such a pleasure liaising with Russell T Davies about this. He couldn’t have been more supportive and helpful. Our Torchwood producer, James Goss, has really hit the ground running and his tangible enthusiasm is already proving rather an inspiration to us."

THE CONSPIRACY - written by David Llewellyn, directed by Scott Handcock
Captain Jack ———– has always had his suspicions about ———–. And now ———– is also ———– about ———–. Apparently the world really is under the control of ———–. That’s what ———– says. ———– have died, disasters have been ———–, the ———– have disappeared.

It’s outrageous. Only ———– knows that ———– is right. ———– has arrived.

Torchwood: The Conspiracy will be released this September, with the remaining five instalments to follow, further details are to be confirmed.