Guinness World Record for Doctor Who Magazine

Guinness World Records has named Doctor Who Magazine the world’s “Longest Running Magazine Based on a Television Series”.

First published on October 11, 1979, with a cover date of October 17, the magazine began life as Doctor Who Weekly, but with issue 44 moved from a weekly to a monthly publication in September 1980. At this time, it changed its name to, simply, Doctor Who. Other title changes took effect from issue 61, when it became Doctor Who Monthly, and issue 85, to The Official Doctor Who Magazine. From issue 99, the periodical became The Doctor Who Magazine, then, in 1985, just Doctor Who Magazine with issue 107.

With one exception, this is the title it has remained under ever since. The exception occurred in June 2008, when issue 397 was published as Bad Wolf. The significance of the words “Bad Wolf” could be found in the Russell T Davies-penned Doctor Who episode Turn Left, which saw its first television transmission that same month in the UK.

Despite the television series being discontinued by the BBC in 1989, DWM – as it is affectionately known by Who fans – continued publication and, in 1990, moved from a monthly-publishing schedule to its current four-weekly one, resulting in 13 issues every year. Since the series’ return in 2005, the magazine has gained in popularity, and the Guinness award comes as it enjoys one of its most successful periods in its history.

The magazine, which is officially sanctioned by the BBC, was originally published by the UK arm of Marvel Comics. However, in 1995, along with the rest of the Marvel UK catalogue, Panini Comics purchased the title. Panini published DWM’s 400th in 2008 and celebrated the magazine’s 30th anniversary in 2009.

Doctor Who Weekly (DWW) was originally geared towards children, but, over the years, DWM has grown into a more mature magazine, exploring the behind-the-scenes aspects of the series. Its longevity and close relationship with the TV-series production team gives it official status, something Davies, when he became the showrunner for Doctor Who in 2004, insisted should remain. Closely linked to the magazine himself during his time as the show’s head writer and executive producer, Davies wrote a “Production Notes” column for it, which his successor, Steven Moffat, has continued with. In 2006, the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, harked back to the DWW days by launching its own comic, Doctor Who Adventures, which is aimed at a younger audience. Initially published once every fortnight, since 2008 DWA it has published weekly.

In 2005, shortly after David Tennant was cast as the Tenth Doctor, DWM revealed that the actor, himself a fan of the show, had been a subscriber to the magazine since he was a kid!

Doctor Who, itself, already holds the Guinness World Records for the world’s “Most Successful Sci-Fi Series” and “Longest Running Sci-Fi Series”.

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