
Doctor Who: Battles in Time was a fortnightly children's magazine that accompanied the trading card game of the same name, both of which were published by GE Fabbri Ltd.
The magazine had had a seven issue trial run in certain regions of the United Kingdom in spring 2006 before launching nationwide, with some modifications, on 20 September 2006. It was initially set to run for 52 issues but was extended twice, first to 60, then finally to 70 issues.
The final issue was published on 13 May 2009, and therefore the magazine was entirely a phenomenon of the David Tennant era on television.
The first seven issues and 85 cards made for the trial run were designed by James King.[1]
Overview[]
Each £2.50 issue came with at least one pack of collectable trading cards, which were available to buy separately at the cost of £1.50.
Each issue included the following regular features:
- Gameplay
- Take your card battles to the next level with cool new games. Plus learn tactics for building killer decks and find out all about the rares, super-rares, and ultra-rares in the collection!
- Card Clash
- Get up close to the Doctor’s friends and enemies, and watch them battle. Compare their stats, find out more about the characters, and keep an eye out for links with other cards.
- Monster Foldout
- Come face to face with the Doctor's greatest enemies and learn how to fight them. Get the low-down on their origins and discover some little known facts about the strangest alien creatures.
- FAQ
- Relive the Doctor’s adventures with an episode guide in every issue. All your questions about each story are answered. Plus use your cards to go on your own Doctor Who adventure!
- Join the Doctor for all-new adventures in the incredible comic strip. Exclusive stories take you into parts of the universe never seen before and put the Doctor into more dangerous situations than you could ever imagine.
- Behind the Scenes
- Go behind the scenes and meet the monster makers and special effects wizards. Find out how all the amazing effects are created and exactly how it feels to dress up as an alien creature.
- Dalek Wars (Search & Find)
- Follow the Daleks as they battle their way across the Universe, exterminating everyone and everything they meet, from dinosaurs to spacemen and mechanoids.
- The Cyber Controller's Brain Busters
- Personality Test
- Test your wits with fantastic games and puzzles. Plus there's quizzes and fun flowcharts which reveal the Doctor Who characters you are most like!
Regular issue covers[]
Daleks - Dealers of Death!
Cybermen - Steely Killers!
Krillitanes - Bat Creatures!
Slitheen - Mean and Green!
K9 - Heroic Hound!
Alien Guests - At the End of the World!
Sycorax - Scavenging Slave Masters!
The Ood - Slaves on the Beast!
The Cult of Skaro!
Cat Nurses - Medical Menaces!
Clockwork Robots - Automatic Assassins!
Cyber Leader - Ghostly Invader!
The Beast - Pure Burning Evil!
Werewolf - Howling Horror!
Autons - Plastic Power!
Racnoss Empress - Sinister Spider!
Cassandra - The Many Faces of Evil!
Empty Child - Are You My Mummy?
Judoon - Rampaging Rhinos!
Game Station - Killer Television Shows!
Carrionites - Evil Enchantments!
Abzorbaloff - Grotesque Green Giant!
Dalek Sec - Human Monster!
Macra - Car-Crushing Crabs!
Jagrafess - Deep-Freeze Demon!
Sun-Possessed - Burn with Them!
Lazarus - Genetic Mutation!
The Wire - Television Terror!
The Master - Rogue Time Lord
Family of Blood!
Weeping Angels!
Reapers - Vortex Vultures!
The Face of Boe!
Toclafane - Slicing Spheres!
The Final Experiment!
Scarecrows - Straw Soldiers!
Dalek Emperor - The God of all Daleks!
The Graske - Body Snatchers!
Time Lords - Gallifreyian Gods
Max Capricorn - And the Heavenly Hosts
The Gelth - Gaslight Ghosts!
The Zygons - Shape-Shifters!
Dalek Mutations!
Planet of the Ood!
Sontarans - Clone Warriors
Vervoids - Killer Plants!
The Hath - Bubble Rage!
Adipose - Blubber Babies
Pyroviles - Magma Monsters
The Axons - Family of Terror
Vespiform - Giant Killer Wasp
Davros - Dalek Creator
The Shadow Proclamation
Supreme Dalek and Dalek Caan
Vashta Nerada - Killer Shadows
Sybilline Sisterhood
Trickster's Brigade
CAL - Virtual Terror
Titanic - Fight for Survival!
Companions - Children of Time
Cybershades - Servants of Steel
The Gorgon - Ancient Terror!
Odd Bob - Child Stealer
Slitheen - Revenge is Green!
Kudlak - War Criminal!
Ancient Haemovore
The Trickster - Time-Twisting Terror!
CyberKing - Majestic Might!
Sontaran - Thirst for Revenge
Monsters - Feel the Fear!
Special issue covers[]
In addition to the regular issues there were a further four special issues. The first special, Daleks vs Cybermen, was a self contained special issue, whereas its three successors were launched at the same time as expansion sets to the collectable trading card releases.
Subscription offer[]

The offer in the subscription form included with issue 1.
Early subscribers to this title received 9 bonus free gifts that included:
- An A5 size card album with space for 80 cards
- A Magazine Holder
- A SFX TARDIS Lid with flashing light for TARDIS card case
- An Electronic L.E.D. Dice (aka Game Randomiser)
- A Combination Lock for TARDIS card case
- 4 free packs of "Exterminator" trading cards
The free gifts were spaced out across five deliveries: the first came with the card album & a pack of cards; the second with the TARDIS lid & a pack of cards; the third with the padlock & a pack of cards; the fourth with the magazine file & a pack of cards; and finally the fifth came with the L.E.D. dice.
This offer for the free gifts ended somewhere between 19-27 April 2007.[2][3]
International distribution[]
The magazine was available in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Footnotes[]
External links[]
- Doctor Who: Battles in Time official website, with magazine and trading card details (Now defunct)
- Battles in Time Comic Gallery
- Battles in Time @ Millennium Effect
|