The Basics - Issue 159, April 1990. The front cover is from The Curse of Fenric.

News And Views - As of the beginning of February, no final decision has been made on the future of the show. If it remains in-house, production may start as early as July. The TARDIS set - apart from the console - was junked after recording of The Greatest Show In The Galaxy, hence its non-use in Season 26. Nathan Cooke writes in regarding the thought of Season 27 under independent production, which he is not happy about.

Notables - An 8 page pullout covers Battlefield and Ghost Light in the first of a two part Season 26 Guide. In the first of a new series of features studying DW villains, Case Studies features the Graff Vynda Ka. Collector's Corner debuts, examining rare DW merchandise and revealing current prices for those products.

New Fiction - In the first of a new three part comic strip, the Seventh Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith take a Train-Flight.

Boxpops - Jupiter Moon debuts on the BSB Galaxy Channel in late March. Top of the pop charts in April 1990 were the continuing Snap and Vogue by Madonna.

Skaro Says - Ant Cox remembers this issue for the Graff Vynda Ka article and the comic strip, which is unusual for him as he usually has no interest in the comic strips. Si Hunt feels that the view of the outside of Sarah's house, as taken from The Five Doctors, was a nice touch. Sidesk loves the cliffhanger to this episode of the strip, being a lovely "how will they get out of this?" one. Si Hart remarks that Train Flight was great, and welcomed the return of John Ridgway and Sarah.

Critique - This issue always makes me think of a news item in DWB remarking on an early issue of TV Zone having exactly the same front cover photo! Train Flight was great and must have been one of the earliest examples of pairing up a Doctor with an earlier companion, and it worked well. It's great fun to spot the various publicity photos of Sarah used too! Case Studies and Collector's Corner were both welcome additions to the magazine, and a two page feature giving an overview of the early video releases made for good reading, though it's odd with hindsight to see only 15 stories being ranked! The highlight for me though was the Season 26 Guide, mainly for its detailing of changes made to the scripts. A very strong issue overall.
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