The Winter of Who...

With October knocking at our door tomorrow, so begins the great winter of Doctor Who, which will end with the death of the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and see his rebirth as Matt Smith's 11th Doctor.

A special edition of Doctor Who Monthly is published on October 1, concentrating on The Doctor's most memorable and loyal companion - Sarah Jane Smith.

This is then followed, two weeks later, on October 15 by the launch of the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures on BBC1, which in turn ties into the forthcoming six-part online animation Dreamland, featuring David Tennant's Doctor.

October 15 also sees the simultaneous release of both the new issue of Doctor Who Monthly and the next issue of the Official Torchwood magazine.

The Doctor's cartoon adventures in Roswell, New Mexico, lead into The Waters Of Mars, which is expected to air mid- to late November (around the same time that Cubicle 7 finally publishes its long-awaited Doctor Who: Adventures In Time And Space roleplaying game).

The Waters of Mars is the start of David Tennant's concluding trilogy of televisual adventures in the TARDIS, which then wrap up over the Christmas/New Year period with an epic two-part finale.

This will see the - no doubt tearful - exit of one of the most popular Doctors and his regeneration in his new look: Matt Smith.

According to Richard Curtis, the Four Weddings And A Funeral scriptwriter - who is penning an episode for next year's Doctor Who Season Five - Matt Smith's travels in the blue police box could begin as early as February.

This may have been a lean summer for Whovians, lifted only by the strength of Torchwood: Children Of Earth, but it looks like the drought is over and, once more, we're going to be inundated with brand new adventures in the Whoniverse.