June 19th, 2025
42 comments
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Doctor Who Magazine Issue 618
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 618
- “OH, HELLO…” We take a look at the jaw-dropping revelations in this year’s season finale!
- Plus – RUSSELL T DAVIES looks back at how the Fifteenth Doctor’s two seasons developed.
- VARADA SETHU speaks to DWM about her time playing Belinda Chandra.
- ACCESS ALL AREAS! Join us on the set of Wish World and The Reality War – including contributions from director ALEX SANJIV PILLAI and Melanie Bush herself – BONNIE LANGFORD.
- JUNO DAWSON, co-writer of this year’s spectacular Interstellar Song Contest, talks about her Doctor Who journey.
- SCOTT HANDCOCK, UNA McCORMACK, JAMES GOSS and GARETH L POWELL discuss their new Target novelisations covering last year’s season finale and the first three episodes of Season 2…
- Ace! A preview of two books, curated by SOPHIE ALDRED, that tell the story of her character’s iconic jacket and collection of badges…
- JOHN LEVENE – aka UNIT’s Sergeant Benton – gets behind the wheel of Bessie at a special day at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.
- Doctor Who lands in San Diego! A report from the new Worlds of Wonder exhibition in the US.
- Gary Gillatt argues that France is the Doctor’s spiritual home…
- Back to 1985… Alan Barnes recalls the final role of Doctor Who super villain VALENTINE DYALL.
- THE FACT OF FICTION travels back to 1965 to scrutinise life on the planet Vortis in The Web Planet.
In this issue
Regular features
- GALLIFREY GUARDIAN – our news round-up including a look ahead to spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea.
- Reviews – featuring the latest audio and book releases.
- Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe including the return of the Thirteenth Doctor!
- Prizes to be won – bag yourself copies of the new Target Books!
Doctor Who Magazine Issue 618 is on sale Thursday 19 June 2025 from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK).
Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.
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Mac
June 24th, 2025 - 12:18amSuch an odd issue.
It feels like that scene out of Titanic, when all the boats are gone and a French lady with a baby asks Captain Smith what she should do, and the Captain walks off.
atl
June 24th, 2025 - 12:09pmits like a headline in a sci fi it may have been in DWM or something else years ago ….NO NEWS YET
BW
June 21st, 2025 - 3:09pmHappy Wilderness Years Eve to all who celebrate.
anonymous
June 22nd, 2025 - 2:28pmBW or is it merry Wilderness Years Eve ? i never know ….i want DWM every 4 weeks but i do hope they cut down on the specials now there will be less and less to put in them with the bookazines there are at lest 6 a year if they have just 2 or 3 a year there might be more to them
Young J
June 20th, 2025 - 8:09pmI have got my copy
WhoWhenWhy?
June 26th, 2025 - 5:21pmSorry for your loss.
Chris
June 20th, 2025 - 12:21pmIt is a bit of a strange issue; the only cast interview being with Varada Sethu. Nothing from the departing Ncuti Gatwa or any of the other cast. She’s the only one of the main three who seemed to give the magazine any of her time during this latest series. And this is RTD’s last issue for a while as well, and he’s still in PR mode, offering nothing behind the scenes or any indication of what’s going on. Just, “Ooh, Billie Piper! Isn’t it exciting!” It really feels like we’ve been abandoned now.
I like the bit with John Levene though. Always nice to see. I’d love a longer interview with him, or to be directed to a past issue with a longer interview with him.
NickD
June 23rd, 2025 - 7:10amWe have been abandoned, an increasingly irrelevant and ignored BBC rolled the dice in desperation, doubled down, ignored the only streaming partner they could get to bankroll the show and they’ve pulled out. Folk scream Dr Woke and it’s hard not to agree. From the canon destroying timeless child and the misfire of the Chibnal era things just got far worse. At least RTD got his new modern audience, and younger kids watching it – except we didn’t. Only the dedicated fans stuck with it and by the end most of them didn’t. Dithering over its future, no wonder the star bailed after two filmed seasons.
Snowman
June 23rd, 2025 - 1:00pmI know it’s a Sad State of affairs NickD, but I have to agree with Everything you said.
Andy R
June 23rd, 2025 - 2:56pmNo, not at all NickD. We’ll still have the CBeebies series keeping the show going.
Sascha
June 23rd, 2025 - 6:54pmI have a vivid imagination and have outlined a 3 Season with 10 Episodes each season Story arc with some episode Titles already and Plot and arc Summary outlined with a new doctor After the „Rose“ Version as some kind of edwardian Adventurer with a Mix of Standalone; Multiplarts; historicals – should I pitch it to the BBC?
The DR.
June 24th, 2025 - 12:24pmYes Sascha, Pitch it to the BBC it can’t be any worse than what RTD will do. (Nothing can be worse than what RTD will do in Future). It might even be Good.
Sascha
June 26th, 2025 - 5:38pmThanks @ The DR.
Problem is that BBC or Bad Wolf say on Their Page:
Unfortunatly we are unable to read unsolicited Submissions.
Gordon
June 20th, 2025 - 7:06amI’m taking a more modest approach on Russell’s letter. It pretty much tell us nothing that we already didn’t know about the future. It was also written weeks ago. The latest being 8th of June when it went to print or weeks earlier potentially prior to the finale airing.
“The show will return at some point”. He pretty much alluded to that in April. “We don’t know what’s going on” He’s being saying that for months. He’s hitting pause on writing the articles while they figure out the future. That makes complete sense if there isn’t anything to write about the future at present. Pete mctighe who is co writing the war spin off with rtd i clearly believe is being earmarked as a potential Russell successor and will probably do a lot of the press for that as a test so I can expect Russell to maybe take a backseat at that.
I think it would be a shame if the gods/Billie/boss/susan/master tooth mystery’s aren’t wrapped up. Controversially if he is going I think he should get a special or 2 to wrap up his era and to leave the era more open to a clean fresh restart without leaving things unanswered and also it prevents the future showrunner being saddled with a bunch of things he she or they have no interest in continuing with or answering.
The next showrunner I feel needs to start from scratch and more 2005ish era back to basics approach which they can’t do currently with the billie cliffhanger. Not saying they should completely ignore the past continuity themes and monsters but when they do they really need to make it explainable and accessable to new and casual viewer: which they didn’t do in the ncuti era. Casual Friends of mine had no clue who sutekh rani or omega were on their reveals and felt no reason to care. Sure they were explained but it was done in such an exposition dump way that they still didn’t care.
Bookcollector
June 20th, 2025 - 1:28pmI have to say I do think the show will be back sooner rather than later Gordon and yes, there is nothing new in the RTD piece that he hasn’t said over the last few weeks. The difference for me this time round is that I’m not bothered if the show were to end. We’ve had who back for 20 years and that is a miracle in modern television. How many shows that created in 2005 are actually still with us? So 20 years is fantastic but… things do have a natural life and maybe this is it for who? Like I say I think it may be a short hiatus and as amypondfan said we still have war/land to come so there may be an official announcement after that airs. If the show returns within 2-3 years a major rethink is needed. But I do agree Gordon that loose ends could do with being tied up. The problem is rtd has proven before he is not great at finales! Maybe a clean reset might be better? All we can really do is wait.
WhoIsWhere
June 20th, 2025 - 5:14pmIts RTD’s tribute to Charles Hawtry hence the Ooh Hello at the end
Amypondfan
June 19th, 2025 - 9:48pmI’m wondering if we won’t get any sort of announcement until after the war between the land and sea has aired as those five episodes conclude the Disney+ deal (3 Tennant, 18 gatwa and 5 war making the 26 episodes the deal was for.)
Tom Smith
June 19th, 2025 - 9:07pmThere’s no comic strip in this issue – the editorial says the latest episode of the comic has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
The Living Shadow
June 19th, 2025 - 8:44pmThey really couldn’t have gotten the person who is supposedly the new lead and face of the main show to wear Ncuti’s old outfit for a quick photoshoot in time for the reveal…
Yikes we are in bad hands.
Anomalous
June 19th, 2025 - 9:09pmBillie is wearing ncuti’s outfit on the cover… as for a new photoshoot for the magazine… what’s the point when there is no confirmation the show is coming back yet!
The Living Shadow
June 19th, 2025 - 10:22pmHer head has been photoshopped on his body haha and I feel like it would, at the very least, display some confidence about the current direction of the show. I live in hope!
NickD
June 23rd, 2025 - 3:19pmThat’s how the effect was done by comping Billie Piper’s head onto Ncutie’s body. Not the best of shots but perhaps the most contentious regeneration?
The fact that this stunt casting has not paid off and seems to paint the show into a huge corner is sadly par for the course in RTD 2.0 era. Click bait casting that failed to get much clicking – beyond people tuning out.
Darrell
June 26th, 2025 - 11:45amIt was photoshopped in the regeneration but it’s actually not on the cover, it’s a photo shoot, you can tell by looking at it so clearly you didn’t look at it for too long.
Tom Williams
June 19th, 2025 - 8:05pmI admit at heart since 2005 too present when it first aired and off course only being 6 lol its always never a big hope hunch on whats too happen next or especially matter for waiting a gape off a long wait till if it does airs again especially i know during this period its handy with all the merch that gets released too continue it going especially for the season blu rays (classics) and off course animations if it i admit wasn’t for them it would feel very down and out now days and doll especially when we lost toys rus and all the old days :/
Uncle Davros
June 19th, 2025 - 6:49pmThe show is dead and a hiatus is the only real viable option. The show needs to be missed again by the British public, like it was in the late 90’s/early 00’s (remember when Doctor Who topped a Radio Times poll in 2000 for the show most Brits wanted to return to their screens).
At least unlike the last hiatus, we now have Big Finish, classic series Blu-ray collections, animated lost 60s stories being released, and with the advance of AI, this will allow fans to create their own stories. Back in the early 90s, all we had was the New Adventures and DWM.
Bookcollector
June 19th, 2025 - 7:13pmUnlike last time I won’t be too bothered if this is the end of the show. I don’t buy big finish and I’ve cut back on books, but there are more than enough episodes of the show to watch and hundreds of books to read. Last time i was desperate for new material this time I’m happy to get target books and animations and that will do me fine with everything I already have.
Barney
June 19th, 2025 - 9:23pmThing is the show was missed because you had getting nostalgia from all the classic stories becoming available on video for the first time and season 26 was one of the best seasons classic who had had in years. Probably season 21. The state the shows been run into its going to be a long time till theres any appetite for it and even then it’d need to be someone acknowledging why the show died and saying im going to do it x way where it will work. As soon as rtd said he was continuing the path chibnall had laid out and made comments about how davros would be perceived from now on I knew it was bad news.
Peter
June 20th, 2025 - 8:44amUncle Davros… The show was missed in the 1990s by the British public?! Are you misremembering? I became a card-carrying fan exactly 30 years ago (I was 10, going on 11) and NOBODY spoke fondly of the show. It was a joke and to be a fan was a bully-able offence. I also remember it winning the BBC “Best Drama” award circa 1996/97 and all the public did was complain freaky Dr Who fans rigged the vote by calling the phoneline repeatedly to register their vote. Plus there were various clips on shows like Harry Hill, Room 101 etc and the audience was *always* in hysterics when a clip was shown.
Whatever state you think the show is in now, it’s not in the doldrums like that.
Prof Horner
June 20th, 2025 - 10:50amI wasn’t aware of how old he was Gordon. I think you are right regarding needing younger blood. I think it needs a long rest and only brought back when someone has a new fresh take on the series. RTD is 62 Gordon as I will be next month. I have started commenting on Prowls YouTube videos . Which is fun.
The DR.
June 19th, 2025 - 2:17pmAs a Lifelong Who Fan, I don’t actually mind the Hiatus. Even if it’s the same length as the last one. I think Who needs a Big Rethink, in a Total different Direction to what RTD was taking it, maybe with Fresh Minds that have never been connected to Dr Who before. Hopefully we can have another Golden Period of Who again in the future.
Bookcollector
June 19th, 2025 - 4:28pmIf it’s another 16 year gap I’ll be long gone lol
Bookcollector
June 19th, 2025 - 4:33pmI do think it might be back within a short time period, 2027 is still a possibility as the BBC did say the Disney deal was not the end of who if it stopped and a 2027 series was something mooted by Russell a few weeks back. I do think if Russell stays a major rethink of the direction is in order. Personally I’d prefer him to relinquish the writing and creative role in favour of fresh blood.
The DR.
June 19th, 2025 - 5:42pmIm the Same Bookcollector. Im Approaching 60, so that kind of Hiatus like before and I’m not forced to be here Either. It’s fine, though I prefer it over anymore of the RTD Stuff.
The DR.
June 19th, 2025 - 5:54pmI heard the Disney deal is 100% Dead, as the Viewing figures were very poor and was not a Good return on the £100 Million that they put into the show. I also heard the News about what you mentioned about the Show Returning in 2027. The BBC is still hoping to get another Streaming partner onboard (I won’t mention the Name) rather than go it alone.
But this partner wants more Creative Control and to go in a Different Darker direction. Apparently RTD his dead against this as, in his own Words he wants the show to be even more camp and of course to have total control.
We will have to see what happens. If the BBC wants RTD at the Helm it looks like they’ll have to go it alone. But if they need a Streaming partner it might be on the understanding that RTD as to go?
Prof Horner
June 19th, 2025 - 6:00pmWell if it’s 16 years I will be nearly 80 ! Well 78 ,if I live that long! I hear the creator of Babylon 5 has moved to the Uk and wants to take over the series. Which would very exciting.
The DR.
June 19th, 2025 - 6:15pmYes I heard that news aswell Prof Horner. I think it would be a Great Idea as a lot of people thought he had done a Great job with the Babylon 5 show. Apparently he asked the BBC For the Dr Who job when They Gave it to RTD for the Second Time. He’s also put his hat in the ring again, saying it would be a dream come True to run Dr Who.
He’s also apparently an Anglofile.
This Guy as a Track record as a Show Runner and seems very passionate about the Job. Let him have it?
Amypondfan
June 19th, 2025 - 7:17pmI think the solo streaming partner is a daft idea anyway. I imagine many outside the UK probably refused to buy Disney+ just to be able to watch one show. That will apply to any giant streaming service. By having an exclusive streaming service they probably lost far more viewers than Disney gained. I certainly would not be buying a streaming service if a new who series ended up on one in the future instead of on the BBC.
Anonymous
June 19th, 2025 - 9:16pmI hope RTD gets to resolve all his threads before leaving (The Gods, Susan, The Boss, the fourth wall breaking, possible alternate universe clues…). It feels like we’ve only had half the story at this point. I’ve generally enjoyed RTD’s writing, with the occasional niggle, but the season finales just haven’t hit the mark each time. This was his problem first time around too, but it’s even worse now.
Gordon
June 20th, 2025 - 9:44amI think JMS is a fantastic writer and I wouldn’t say no to him writing a few episodes. However I am not 100 percent convinced he is what the show needs in a showrunner at present. I love Babylon 5. It was also 30 years ago. Tv landscape has changed massively since then. None of his shows post b5 have been ratings hits. All 3 of them were canceled. Crusade never really got going. Ok in the case of Jeremiah there was a creative falling out as well as showtime heading away from sci fi but still canceled. Sense 8 was good no question but didn’t pull in enough viewers to justify continuing it. JMS writing style I find is very slow burn and low key at first. If it doesn’t hit immediately the fans will turn on him and no doubt him being American will be used against him and this is someone who doesn’t care that he’s American. I also don’t want to sound ageist but is an almost 71 year old with no uk showrunning experience the right person to continue the show when some are claiming rtd at 63 is too old? The show is desperate need of younger fresh blood. The 2 best producers in the shows history in my opinion are Verity Lambert and Philip Hinchcliffe. You know what connects them? They both left the show before they hit 35 and in verity’s case it was 30. If they were to give him the keys to any uk show I feel Blake ‘s 7 is more his wheelhouse
Demdike@CultLabs
June 19th, 2025 - 1:26pmRussell’s final production notes article in this. Pretty much confirms the shows hiatus once again..
bbb
June 19th, 2025 - 2:10pmas last episodes go survival was better then “Wish World/ “The Reality War”,, it would have been a better last scene if the regeneration just went in to the end titles
Bellal
June 19th, 2025 - 2:22pmYeah a clean break would be better even if it did continue (unlikely).
I also feel Billie’s appearance at the end sort of just takes the spotlight away from Ncuti, who deserved the end note on his brief tenure