Series 7: Episodes 1-3 New Details

Issue 451 of Doctor Who Magazine is released tomorrow and features episode guides for episodes 1-3. Below is a short summary for Asylum, Dinosaurs and Mercy.

Asylum of the Daleks

According to legend, somewhere in the universe, hidden away, the Daleks have a dumping ground. An entire planet where they lock up the Daleks that go wrong. The battle-scarred. The insane. The Daleks in the Asylum are lost in rage. They despise all things, even themselves…

Dalek Prime Minister: “Does it surprise you to know the Daleks have a concept of beauty?”
The Doctor: “I thought you’d run out of ways to make me sick, but hello again! You think hatred is beautiful?”
Dalek Prime Minister: “Perhaps that’s why we’ve never been able to kill you.”

• There is one scene where the Doctor is trapped outside and begging for someone to open the door as insane Daleks advance on him.

• Amy and Rory know themselves a lot better than before.

• The Asylum is a bit like an outer-space concentration camp – but a lot worse…

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

2367 AD. A spaceship the size of Canada is on a collision course with the Earth. Oh, and there’s dinosaurs on board…

Brian: “Sorry. Sorry. Are you saying dinosaurs are flying a spaceship?“
The Doctor: “Brian, please! That would be ridiculous. They’re probably just passengers. Did I mention missiles?“
Brian: “Missiles?!”

• Riddell is Edwardian

• Rory and Brian don’t really understand each other at the beginning.

• Amy references a certain 1993 Spielberg flick – “Jurassic Park all-nighter at Leadworth Cineworld,” she tells Riddell adding, “It’s a wonder I ever married that man,” to which Riddell replies, “I have no idea what you just said.”

A Town Called Mercy

When the Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in a town called Mercy, in the American Old West, the Gunslinger is watching – and the Doctor is next on his hit list…

Jex: “Looking at you, Doctor, is like looking into a mirror. Almost. There’s rage there, like me. Guilt, like me. Solitude. Everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done. Thank the Gods my people weren’t relying on you to save them…”
The Doctor: “No. But these people are."

• There’s a crucial scene – you’ll know it when you see it – which shows the Doctor in an entirely new light…

• The Doctor dons his Stetson, Amy goes for her gun and Rory tries to keep them both out of trouble. But the time-travelling trio aren’t the only strangers newly arrived into town…

DWM #451 is officially out tomorrow priced £4.50.

DWM #451: Full Details

Issue 451 of Doctor Who Magazine is out on Thursday and below is the full details of the magazine as well as the three collectable covers.

• Asylum of the Daleks – DWM takes over the Asylum for Doctor Who's most ambitious episode yet. Matt Smith shares his thoughts on the Doctor’s arch enemies, Steven Moffat on the challenges of keeping the Daleks fresh and how Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan feel about the beginning of the end for Rory and Amy.
• Dinosaurs on a Spaceship – it’s an episode of Doctor Who packed to the rafters with dinosaurs. On a spaceship! Writer Chris Chibnall, reveals how his script lived up to that title, and what challenges did the FX team face on bringing so many dinosaurs to life?
• A Town Called Mercy – guest stars Adrian Scarborough and Ben Browder on how thrilled they were to join Doctor Who for an adventure into the Wild West, how the crew enjoyed their time on location in sunny Spain, and what writer Toby Whithouse thought of being out of his comfort zone.

The show's executive producer, Steven Moffat, also teases the ultimate fate of the Ponds:

As you’ll be able to tell from the end of Episode 5, I’ve had the very last moment of Amy Pond in my head for quite some time...

Also in this issue:


The Usual Suspects – the writers of the new series are given the once over by Doctor Who’s executive producer, Steven Moffat (including himself!) in a curtain-raising Production Notes.
Gulity as Charged? John-Nathan Turner was Doctor Who’s most colourful and controversial producer, guiding the show to dizzying heights, but perhaps a few lows too. Luminaries and experts from Doctor Who past and present assemble for the first in a two-part feature to assess the work of the series’ longest-serving producer in The Trial of John Nathan-Turner.
Cold Front - the Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in Prague in the dying days of the Cold War. Revolution is on the horizon, but the Doctor senses something unreal in the air. What is the significance of the book The Sorrows of Prague, and why will Yuri Azarov and his terrifying companion stop at nothing to retrieve it? Part One of The Broken Man, the latest comic strip written by Scott Gray with art from Martin Geraghty.
Is This Death? - companions come and go, but should they ever die? Johnny Candon and Toby Hadoke weigh up the pros and cons of crash-landing to Earth in an out-of-control freighter, or heading off into the sunset to marry Brian Blessed in A Battle of Wits.
Take Art - DWM’s intrepid Time Team – Chris, Emma, Michael and Will – go for gold as the Doctor and Rose land in an ordinary housing estate where extraordinary things are happening as children are going missing, trapped in the drawings of Chloe Webber. Will the Doctor make it to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics as The Time Team views Fear Her.
Coming of Age ­– Doctor Who’s 21st year saw a season packed with exciting cliff-hangers, companion departures, a tour de force performance from the leading man, andarguably the finest Doctor Who story ever made. Countdown to 50 reaches 1984 and Series 21.
All in the Mind – mind-sucking alien parasites, prison riots, a nerve-gas missile and the Master at his most scheming – find out how the Third Doctor, Jo and UNIT fought The Mind of Evil in this month’s Fact of Fiction.
Light my Fire – the Watcher warns of the pitfalls of predicting the near future as A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objectsreaches number 22 – the Olympic Torch. Was the 2012 of Fear Her remotely like the real thing? Also stare into the eyes ofThe Six Faces of Delusion, flick through The Stockbridge English Dictionary and marvel at the Supporting Artist of the Monthin Wotcha!

PLUS! All the usual features, latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, and prize-winning crossword.

DWM #451 is out tomorrow priced £4.50.

DWM #451: Dinosaurs and Mercy

As announced last week, Issue 451 of Doctor Who Magazine will be available in three collectible covers. The first was revealed last week and the other two are below.

DWM #451 is on sale on Thursday priced £4.50.