Daleks versus Dennis the Menace: Daleks triumphant

By John Freeman on November 25, 2013

The Daleks proved the winners in the Professional Publisher Association‘s long-running Cover the the Century Poll (see news story), revealed at a Gala Dinner to mark its centenary at the Park Lane Hotel on 21st November, which was attended by key figures from the world of magazine publishing, including CEOs, Publishers and Editors.

The PPA says a total of 36,262 votes were registered by the public over nine months, with the Radio Times Dalek cover beating a Dennis the Menace cover of The Beano from 1999.

Professional Publisher Association: Cover of the Century Awards: Montage

The nominated covers

The PPA Cover of the Century Poll was part of the organization’s 100th birthday extravaganza, looking back at some of the greatest covers ever made, with 10 covers spanning different decades and genres, also including covers of Empire Time Out, Mac User and Harpers Bazaar.

The winning “Vote Dalek” cover celebrated the Daleks’ return after two decades, and coincided with the 2005 general election. The cover recreated the infamous 1964 scene where Daleks crossed Westminster Bridge.

“It’s a huge honour for the Radio Times to have been voted Cover of the Century by the great British public,” said Tom Bureau, CEO at Immediate Media Co, who publish the listings title. “We were up against some very famous front covers from an incredible group of magazine brands, so we are over the moon.

“Radio Times and Doctor Who are both iconic media brands that continue to go from strength to strength with regeneration at the heart of their success. This award exemplifies what the Radio Times brand does best – creating national conversations around the key moments in broadcasting history.”

Professional Publisher Association: Cover of the Century Awards Runner Up: The Beano, February 1999, Dennis the Menace

The 1999 Beano cover selected was the issue that first featured Dennis The Menace in non-comic-strip style, which celebrated the magazine’s 75th birthday. The comic’s editor faced strong internal opposition to choosing this bold child-like graphic, but his innovation delivered a sale of 202,528 copies, the highest of that entire year.

Time Out’s November 1974 cover scooped third place. The issue aimed to highlight another side of Winston Churchill around the former Prime Minister’s 100th birthday by putting a different spin on his trademark V-sign.

“We’re delighted that the great British public came out and voted in their thousands to choose their Cover of the Century,” commented Barry McIlheney, CEO of the PPA , “And it’s apt that such an iconic brand – and one nearly as old as the PPA itself – has been crowned the winner.

“It’s been great to immerse ourselves in the 100 year history of the magazine industry, but we now look forward to our next century of progress, helping publishers, agencies and advertisers adapt to the seismic changes ahead.”

The search of the Cover of the Century began in February 2013 and a panel of independent industry experts chose a shortlist of ten covers which were then put to the public vote. The shortlist was made up of the following:

Woman’s Weekly – July 1916, Wartime Women
Harper’s Bazaar – November 1941, Fashion Blitz
Cosmopolitan – March 1972, Launch Issue
Time Out – November 1974, Churchill V-Sign
New Scientist – April 1987, Chernobyl
The Beano – February 1999, Dennis The Menace
Vogue – December 2001, A Royal Salute
Radio Times – April 2005, Vote Dalek!
Empire – June 2005, Breathing Vader
MacUser – February 2012, How Evil is Apple

The Professional Publishers Association represents more than 200 companies, covering everything from consumer magazine publishers to business-to-business data and information providers and smaller independents.

They promote the industry in all its forms, protect members through lobbying activities, and advise the industry through communications and training work.

• Web Site: www.ppa.co.uk

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.