Radio Times: The 1980s

Radio Times is a weekly BBC magazine that publishes television and radio program listings.

1980
Radio Times  (30 August – 5 September 1980) 
 * BROADCAST OF: The Leisure Hive: Part One
 *  Who's for Corri Colour feature by Mich Brown about Adrienne Corri (two page)

Radio Times  (13 – 19 September 1980) 
 * BROADCAST OF:The Leisure Hive: Part Three
 *  Backstage ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ feature on Tom Baker’s aging make-up (quarter page)

Radio Times  (25 – 31 October 1980) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Full Circle: Part One
 *  Teenage Takeover in Doctor Who  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ featuring Matthew Waterhouse and Andrew Smith (third page)

1981
Radio Times  (31 January – 6 February 1981) 
 * BROADCAST OF: The Keeper of Traken: Episode One
 *  Fair Sarah Joins the Doctor  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ feature introducing Sarah Sutton as Nyssa (third page)

Radio Times  (31 October – 6 November 1981) 
 * BROADCAST OF: The Five Faces of Doctor Who
 *  Backstage  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ feature Preview feature for The Five Faces of Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child (half page)

1982
Radio Times  (2 - 8 January 1982) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Castrovalva
 *  New Who  “Peter Davison, everybody’s other favourite vet, the bespectacled Brian in Sink or Swim, is the new Doctor Who. Renate Kohler meets 30-year old actor as he prepares to step into the Tardis and delight yet another generation.” (one full colour page)

1983
Radio Times  (19-25 November 1983)
 * BROADCAST OF: The Five Doctors
 * COVER TAG: "Who's Who? Doctor Who's twentieth anniversary is celebrated by 'The Five Doctors' who again face their enemy The Master in a special feature-length story on BBC1. Inside: companions in space...a Who Who's Who"
 * Celebratory cover promoting the 20th Anniversary adventure The Five Doctors.
 * With a cover illustration by Andrew Skilleter, this is only the second Doctor Who illustrated cover for Radio Times, the first being the cover by Frank Bellamy in 1972.
 * This particular issue was hit by a printers strike that meant a reduced number of copies were available and indeed some regions received no issue. The quality of the reproductions (including the internal line drawings), suffered as well.
 * For his cover work, Andrew Skilleter was invited to the Radio Times Cover Party this year where he received a framed cover.
 * The cover illustration was later reworked (the Richard Hurndall likeness was improved), and used again for the first video release to not feature a photographic montage.
 * Interestingly Sylvester McCoy also appears in this issue in an article for 'Eureka' (a series about inventors and inventions) as does Simon Gipps-Kent (Seth in The Horns of Nimon]]
 * On Monday 21 November Blue Peter has a special 'Happy Birthday, Doctor Who!' edition.

1984
Radio Times  (4 – 10 February 1984) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Resurrection of the Daleks
 *  The exterminators return  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ feature Preview feature for Resurrection of the Daleks (half page article and one colour page picture of the Fifth Doctor and Dalek)

Radio Times  (17 - 23 March 1984) 
 * BROADCAST OF: The Twin Dilemma
 *  A dream come true for Doctor Who  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ full colour page introducing Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

1985
Radio Times  (12 January 1985) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Attack of the Cybermen
 *  There’s trouble in store for Sarah  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ full colour page on Sarah Greene ex-Blue Peter presenter and Cryon in Attack of the Cybermen.

Radio Times  (2 February 1985) 
 * BROADCAST OF: The Mark of the Rani
 *  Who goes back with the Master ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ has a feature on filming The Mark of the Rani at Blists Hill open-air museum at Ironbridge Gorge and the Master’s return. (half page feature and full colour page picture with the Master, the Rani and the Sixth Doctor.

Radio Times  (6 September 1985) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Slipback
 * RADIO Listing for a new magazine show Pirate Radio 4 (on BBC Radio 4) with a quarter page illustration by Graham Higgins and a ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ feature on the radio show with an out of costume picture featuring Nicola Bryant and Colin Baker by Katie Griffiths

Radio Times  (6 September 1985) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Trial of a Time Lord The Mysterious Planet
 *  Guess who’s back at last? has a one and a half page feature with colour photos of the Doctor’s return to TV after an 18 month extended break.

1986
Radio Times  (1-7 November 1986) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Trial of a Time Lord Terror of the Vervoids
 *  Bonnie’s just what the Doctor ordered! ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ introducing new companion Mel (Bonnie Langford) (one and a quarter page including one full colour)

1987
Radio Times  (5-11 September 1987) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Time and the Rani
 *  Who’s taken to the cleaners!  ‘John Craven’s Back Page’ previewing the new season (one page full colour)
 * The Seventh Doctor and Mel’s return features in the opening Up Front feature, and a snippet elsewhere promotes Doctor Who photographs for sale the Doctor Who Appreciation Society fanclub and Peter Haining’s Doctor Who: The Time-Travellers' Guide.

Radio Times  (3-9 October 1987) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Paradise Towers
 * In an associated (quarter-page) feature actor Richard Briers (the Chief Caretaker) radio and TV performances this week are covered.

Radio Times  (21-27 November 1987) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Dragonfire
 * Doctor, doctor … “Travelling through time and relative dimensions in space, Doctor Who this week begins his 150th intergalactic adventure. Patrick Mulkern plays the regeneration game” full page feature over two pages profiling the earlier Sixth Doctor’s with story numbers accredited to each and Sylvestor McCoy from story 147.

1988
Radio Times  (1–7 October 1988) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Remembrance of the Daleks
 *  Unexterminated!  “Those evil, heartless, cruel, diabolical Daleks and back – and the latest Doctor Who is rather pleased about it! John Davies finds you can’t keep a bad monster down.” This feature looks at the Daleks return in their 18th story, launching the new season and is not relegated to the back pages (one page full colour).

1989
Radio Times  (2-8 September 1989) 
 * BROADCAST OF: Battlefield
 * Monster bash  “Ace in a frock? Doctor Who’s tomboy assistant has even more surprises up her sleeve in store. Sophie Aldred tells all…” previewing the new season and also her return to a new series of Corners (half page B&W)

External link
The BBC's official Radio Times website