Issue 85 was published at the start of 1984 – and added even more colour pages to the magazine. With the Fifth Doctor’s third season airing on TV, DWM was able to feature some topical images for its covers over the next few issues, tying in with the episodes broadcasting at that time. Did editor Alan McKenzie find it easier to get the photography he needed from the BBC than his predecessors had?
“The BBC Picture Library would keep us supplied with images, usually cleared for use by John Nathan-Turner,” Alan explains. “Our writers were also able to supply archive images, which was better for us at the time, as the Picture Library would charge us a ‘research’ fee to supply the pictures, and that could put quite a dent in our budget.