Doctor Who Adventures is a fortnightly magazine based on the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It is published by BBC Magazines and aimed at 6-12 year-olds, a different demographic to the Doctor Who Magazine audience.
| Editor | Moray Laing |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science fiction television |
| Frequency | Fortnightly, released on Thursdays |
| First issue | 5 April, 2006 |
| Company | BBC Magazines |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Website | BBC Magazines- Doctor Who Adventures |
| ISSN | 1750-1717 |
History
The first edition of Doctor Who Adventures was published in April 2006. The success of the 2005 series of Doctor Who with young viewers in the UK prompted the BBC to publish a magazine aimed at them. It includes original comic strips featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones, interviews, competitions, puzzles and behind-the-scenes photos. Each issue also comes with a unique free gift on the cover. Each issue costs £1.99 (except issue 19 & 28 which were £2.50)up to issue 34 and after that will be £2.10, and is available for retail purchase within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
It is sold in high volumes for a United Kingdom only children's magazine, average 77,852, but due to it being targeted at a younger market, each issue becomes highly sought after by collectors within days of issue and depending on the free gift with the magazine, issues change hands for many times the cover price very shortly after issue.
Regular features
Who's News/The Vortex
A two-page guide to the next two new Doctor Who episodes or upcoming Who event. After issue 8, it was renamed to 'The Vortex'. It currently features information on upcoming Doctor Who merchandise releases, Mini Mottos, a partial contents list, a competition to find somebody 'hiding' in the magazine, pictures of people acting out Doctor Who scenes, their collections and Who things they've made, plus facts (including hints about upcoming Doctor Who episodes).
Guide 2007
A Doctor Who episode guide which readers can vote for their favourite episode by texting. The texting votes go from The Runaway Bride to Last of the Time Lords and readers can also rate the episode inside the guide. These were printed in issues 33 and 34.
Fact File
Information on a character or thing, i.e. The Doctor or Torchwood
Monster A-Z
An A-Z of Monsters, covering a different letter every issue from Issue 9.
Issue:
9 - A - Abzorbaloff
10 - A - Autons
11 - B - Beast
12 - C - Cybermen
13 - D - Daleks
14 - E - Empty Child
15 - F - Face of Boe
16 - G - Graske
17 - H - Hand of Fear
18 - I - Ice Warrior
19 - J - Jagaroth
20 - K - Krillitane
21 - L - None
22 - M - Moxx of Balhoon
23 - N - Nestene
24 - O - Ood
Interview
An interview with a Doctor Who cast character or staff member. (Not in every issue)
Comic
A Doctor Who comic, usually 6 pages long, appears in each issue. Despite her departure from the show following issue 7, comics featuring Rose Tyler continued to appear, placing most of the comics between the events of New Earth and Doomsday. Complete descriptions of the comics can be found here, at the Doctor Who Reference Guide. However in issue 20 after the broadcast of The Runaway Bride the Doctor is travelling alone. And then ever since Martha Jones joined the Doctor, he has been travelling with her.
The basic layout of the comic would be an adventure containing the Doctor and a companion (Rose Tyler, other companions after Runaway Bride, Martha) and they would come into a violent situation. The story would come to a pause and continue, either later on in the magazine or (in later issues) in the next magazine. The story would conclude with the Doctor/Companion saving the day and finding out what the problem was.
The Doctor Who - Battles in Time comic, however, take a different turn. The stories are usually expanded through several issues and they are connected with the TV storyline. For Example, Cyber Clones was connected with the Cybermen storyline and in the first DW - BIT comic, two characters from End of the World were featured. Also, the artwork is more mature, following on from Doctor Who Magazine.
Who Wins
Two pages,later one page, containing various competitions (not always for Doctor Who items), with various other competitions spread across the issue
Adventures
Double-page spread about a Doctor Who episode involving the Ninth or the Tenth Doctor.
Doctor Who Confidential Extra
Information on how the episode covered in Adventures was made - facts on scenes removed from the final version, how certain costumes were made, and pictures of production.
This was first a double-page spread and later on from the actual adventure itself, but in later issues, it became a one-paged section straight after the adventure.
Things To Do With A Defeated Enemy
Half-page feature suggesting what you could do with a defeated enemy. This has various styles, including Time Warped, Insane Invasions and more recently, Doctor, Doctor.
TARDIS Teasers/Time Teasers
Puzzle page, usually with a Spot the Difference, along with Mazes, Odd One Out and others. Each issue includes a competition wordsearch based on a certain theme (usually an episode of Doctor Who) with one word missing. To win the competition you have to send them the missing word
Tales from the TARDIS
Chosen moments from the series such 'Cybermen Moments' "Top 5 exterminates" or 'The Doctor's regeneration'.
Doctor's Data
Cut-out information page on a Doctor Who monster or thing such as:
- Daleks - Cybermen - Cassandra - CyberController - TARDIS - Sycorax - Reapers - Dalek Sec - Robot Santas - K-9 - Forest of Cheem - Clockwork Robot - The Werewolf - Living Plastic - Floor 500 - Gelth - Krillitanes - Sisters of Plenitude - Moxx of Balhoon - Slitheen - Ood - Space Pig - Adherents Of The Repeated Meme - Abzorbaloff - Plasmavores - Dalek Sec Hybrid - The Lazarus Monster - The Scarecrows - The Sun-Possessed - Sally Sparrow - Sarah Jane Smith - William Shakespeare - The Beast - Dalek Emperor - The Macra - Lucy Saxon - The Weeping Angels
Make It
A cut-out "make", usually a mask or gadget. (e.g vortex minipulator)
Quiz
A quiz where you answer questions and see which letter you got the most, a flowchart, or how many questions you got right. There have been four so far, including 'Which monster are you?' and 'How well do you know the Daleks?'.
Game
A board game - so far there have been two.
TARDIS Inbox
Letters and pictures page that readers can write to.
Other
There are also standard features like a subscriptions page and sometimes surveys. Also advertising from Doctor Who stockists, such as Sci-Fi Collector and The Who Shop appear in this magazine, along with a list of products. There have also been 'one-off' features, including what the show would be like in a parallel world.
Free gifts
Every issue comes with a free gift; sometimes there is more than one.
- 1 = Doctor who tin pencil case, rubber, sharpener, pencil, ruler and pen.
- 2 = Shiny Stickers + Slitheen whoopee cushion
- 3 = Tardis Alarm Clock (Radio in Tesco)
- 4 = Radio (Alarm Clock in Tesco)
- 5 = Tardis log book
- 6 = Fantastic Sticker Set
- 7 = Squirty Sonic and Doctor Who Stickers (Sticker collection)
- 8 = Quiz Book
- 9 = Alien 4-in-a-row
- 10 = Inflatable Dalek
- 11 = Holographic stickers and 2 huge posters
- 12 = Pencil and rubber pack
- 13 = Cassandra notebook
- 14 = Chunky who pen and sticky notes
- 15 = Monster Claws and slimy eyes
- 16 = Tardis door hanger and stickers
- 17 = Disappearing tardis note book and stickers or activity book
- 18 = Doctor Who 2007 calender
- 19 = Dalek trainer bag and badges
- 20 = Dalek stationary set
- 21 = Doctor Who Playing cards
- 22 = 109 free stickers
- 23 = Daleks vs cybermen checkers
- 24 = Doctor who mouse mat, sharpener and pencil (two sets to choose from)
- 25 = Doctor Who Camera (two sets to choose from)
- 26 = Sketch pad and 5 pens and a folder
- 27 = Monster stationary set (two sets to choose from)
- 28 = Stencil notebook and pencil, part 1 of huuuge poster and sticker book and stickers (two sets to choose from)
- 29 = Part 2 of huuuuge poster and 2 inflatable monsters (two sets to choose from)
- 30 = Part 3 of huuuuge poster and stickers, a mask, and badges (two sets to choose from)
- 31 = 4 sheets of stickers
- 32 = Doctor's squirty glasses and cyber stickers
- 33 = Who message pad, tardis pen and pencil
- 34 = Scary Flying Spinners (two sets to choose from)
- 35 = Bouncing Monsters and Holographic Stickers (two sets to choose from)
- 36 = Sonic Pen and Stickers (according to www.bbcmagazines.co.uk/dwa)
- 37 = Dalek Sec/Hybrid 3D Notepad and Dalek Pen - in other places: Doctor Who Quiz Book 2
- 38 = Stickers, 3D Stickers and Puffy Stickers
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- 39 = TARDIS notebook (With Opening Door), TARDIS pencil, TARDIS ruler and stickers
- 40 = Dalek Slime and Yucky Mutant BRAIN!!! Grossest Gift Ever!!
- 41 = Scarecrow Mask and 10 Fingers
- 42 = Scarecrow Stationary Set and Part One of huge poster
- 43 = 3 sheets of stickers
- 44 = Maze game, holographic stickers and two holographic badges
Who Knows?
Readers are asked to give questions about Doctor Who. Three are selected and answered.
Trivia
- The first issue features the words "Fantastic first issue" on the cover. The same words appeared on the front cover of the first issue of Doctor Who Magazine.
- Issue 8, which was billed as a 'collector's edition', included a pullout section on the Tenth Doctor and came with two covers to collect, one with Cybermen and one with Daleks.
- The favoured episode of assistant editor Moray Laing is Doomsday.
- Issue 8 had two phone-in polls, on the best episode of the second series and who was better - Cybermen or Daleks (The winners were Doomsday and the Daleks).
- The quote on the Abzorbaloff poster in issue 7 is given as "now meet the real thing" rather than "now meet the genuine article". This was due to the transmitted line differing from the script.
- The free gifts for issues 3 and 4 (the TARDIS clock and the radio, respectively) were swapped around for copies sold at Tesco because the supermarket needed more advance notice to be able to allocate enough shelf space to include the free clock.
- Some of the TARDIS clocks sold with issue 3 did not come with the sticker saying "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" on the top.
- Expanded pictures of the cover of issue 5 and issue 3's K-9 factfile appear by the K-9 exhibit at the Doctor Who Exhibition in Cardiff.
- Issue 4's Cyberman mask has the same black handles as a Cyberleader. It is not mentioned as a Cyberleader, however.
- Both Issues 13 and 14 have extra-large covers that come off to reveal a wallchart on the other side, leaving the reader with a normal-size magazine. Issue 13's cover had a Cyberman wallchart, and issue 14's had a Dalek wallchart.
- Some issues have had alternative free gifts in certain regions. This is because, due to the success of the magazine, more copies than anticipated had to be printed.
- In the Monster A-Z there is no "L"
See also
References
- "Doctor Who Adventures: New magazine for younger viewers launches". BBC News. 2006-03-20.
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External links
- Clockworkrobot.com, who are responsible for the paper engineering of the cut out and make models.
- [1]] Official website for Doctor Who.