The latest Doctor Who Magazine in in shops now, with the new exclusive comic strip, “Liberation of the Daleks“, a tie-in with the upcoming new series starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, taking front and centre on the cover.

This is the first time the comic strip has had such a high profile in the official Magazine in the “modern era” of the show, with Lee Sullivan on art duties inside, with a script from Alan Barnes.

Inside, showrunner Russell T. Davies reveals the welcome news that Doctor Who is to be an annual series with “no gap years” after it makes its Disney+ debut next year – although seasons will, initially at least, be shorter.

Following a series of centenary specials featuring David Tennant, leading into a Christmas episode with Ncuti Gatwa, the £100m fourteenth series of the long-running show will be eight-episodes long when it airs in 2024, and Davies is already working on a 2024 Christmas special.

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine, Davies acknowledged that this means fewer episodes than previous BBC series when his new vision for the show heads to the streamer as well as BBC1 in the UK.

When the series first returned in March 2005 under Davies’ original tenure, the BBC aired 13 episodes plus a Christmas special. Recent series have run to 10, with Jodie Whittaker’s final series truncated to six plus three specials.

“It takes a while to get the empire in shape, but that’s a serious plan: annual Doctor Who, no gap years, lots of content, on and on,” he says.  

Previous “gap years”, years that missed out on a full series, occurred in 2009 when Davies handed over to Steven Moffat; in 2016, when Chris Chibnall took over; in 2019, and in 2020 due to the pandemic.  

Disney+ came on board the franchise in October, in a bid to transform Doctor Who for a global audience, with Ncuti Gatwa playing the Fifteenth Doctor, joined by former Coronation Street actor Millie Gibson as new companion, Ruby Sunday. 

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) | More info here | Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99

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.

Categories: British Comics, Comics, Doctor Who, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Magazines, Other Worlds, Television

Tags: Alan Barnes, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Magazine, Lee Sullivan, Lew Stringer, Russell T. Davies