The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who next year will be a time of celebration, and we’ll be able to party on down for the show’s birthday with this special edition of Monopoly!

The game, to be released in the summer, will feature various heroes, villains, monsters, planets and places as seen in the series from 1963 to the present day.

You can pre-order it from Forbidden Planet now, but be quick! There’s only 5000, and when they’re gone…

Elsewhere in the world of merchandise, you may be interested in this Dalek Collectors Edition of Top Trumps, and you can dress to impress with these Don’t Blink, Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey, TARDIS Words, Vworp Vworp and Ninth Doctor Costume t-shirts! See what else is on offer in our merchandise section…

Sophie Aldred’s said that it would be “very nice” if she were asked to return to Doctor Who for its 50th anniversary next year, confirming she would do it “like a shot”.

The actress, who played Ace in the series back in the 1980s, told the Independent that she’d love the chance to reprise her role as part of the big celebrations. “Doctor Who is one of those things that just stays with you, and I’m very happy with that,” she said. “I would love to do it again on TV, but she’d be played by this strange woman with two children!”

When asked to name her favourite revived series companion, she revealed: “Billie Piper played Rose brilliantly. I think Karen Gillan’s a really strong companion for the Doctor.”

Steven Moffat has said the plans for the landmark year are “extensive” and “amazing”.

Steven Moffat has revealed that the Doctor will be meeting a “very different” companion in the new series.

In a special introduction message written in the programme of the recent live concert in Melbourne, the showrunner teased: “Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary is coming, and we are gearing up for the biggest and the most ambitious series we’ve ever made. There will be surprises and heartbreak – the Doctor is about to say goodbye to his very best friends, Amy and Rory.”

He continued: “And then he’s about to say hello to someone very different – the Doctor is going to meet someone very new in the very last place he could ever have expected.”

So, what do you make of of Steven’s cryptic message? Where’s the last place the Doctor expects? Post all ideas below, and don’t forget to describe your dream companion!

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred have been talking about the possibility of returning to Doctor Who as part of its 50th anniversary next year.

In an interview with Shadowlocked, the Seventh Doctor actor revealed: “I keep meeting fans all over the world, and all they want for the 50th anniversary is for all the Doctors to come together. Someone suggested that they should get all the old Doctor Who actors to play other characters, and I think that would be huge fun.”

Meanwhile, Aldred – who appeared alongside him as his companion, Ace – admitted that she’s “waiting for a call”. “I’d drop everything,” she said. “She’d soon be back to bashing up Daleks with a baseball bat! Although, I did find out that Russell T Davies had planned for Ace to be in The Sarah Jane Adventures. But yes, I would love to. You never know.”

Steven Moffat has said that “there will never be a better time” for fans than 2013.

Steven Moffat spoke to Radio Times recently, remaining as cryptic as ever about what the future holds for Doctor Who. He did, however, confirm that “at least 14 episodes” will be broadcast from Autumn 2012.

“It’ll be returning in the autumn,” he said. “I won’t say when exactly, but it’ll be back in the autumn for a long run. I will just say, it will be at least 14 episodes. We always do 14, because we do the Christmas special as well. So being in the autumn, the Christmas special will be part of it as well.”

Regarding next year’s 50th anniversary, he revealed that “there will never be a better time to be a Doctor Who fan”. He said: “Oh dear God. I think, knowing a certain amount of what’s coming, there will never be a better time, I promise you, and I am just saying this as a Doctor Who fan myself. I promise you, for so many reasons I can’t talk about.”

Filming for Series 7 – which will feature the exit of the Ponds – will begin next month.

io9 has been chatting with Caroline Skinner about the future of Doctor Who in an exclusive interview.

Skinner, who was announced as the new executive producer last July, revealed that Series 7 is going to be “the biggest series ever”. “I’m thrilled and slightly daunted at the scale of what we are achieving in the next series,” she admitted. “We are not too far away from starting shooting.” Filming for it is scheduled to start next month, and there’s rumours that “multiple episodes” are to be shot in Australia.

Regarding next year’s 50th anniversary, Skinner teased: “The plans are absolutely huge, and 2013 is going to be the biggest year in the history of Doctor Who so far.”

She also briefly mentioned the movie, confirming that it is “a very, very long way off”.

The Scotsman have a new interview with Steven Moffat, in which he discusses a range of topics relating to the current Doctor Who universe.

Regarding Series 7, he explained: “We start mid-February, but I can’t tell you what the schedule is yet.” It’s previously been confirmed that its transmission will be “moving a bit later” in 2012. “It has done very well in the summer,” he said. “But I think it is a show you watch in the dark, about tunnels and torches…”

The interview goes on to cover 2013’s 50th anniversary, for which Steven reaffirms there are “very big plans”, noting: “The plans are at an early stage, but we have some clear ideas about what we’re doing. Doctor Who fans will think it’s the best ever, and the mere fact we’re talking about it two years before tells you how seriously we’re taking it.”

Another big piece of news recently is the announcement of the new Doctor Who film… Steven reiterates that the movie won’t be the reboot originally rumoured. “It’s not going to be a different version of Doctor Who with two different Doctors at the same time,” he confirmed. “We’re not that silly, and that would be no way to run a franchise, would it?”

Finally, he finishes by commenting on his future as showrunner. “I genuinely haven’t got a plan,” he reveals. “I’ll have to stop at some point or I’ll die. And dying would be bad.”

Freema Agyeman has said that she has “heard rumblings” about what’s being planned for the 50th anniversary.

During a Q&A with the Independent recently, the Martha Jones actress was asked whether or not she would consider returning for the landmark year. “I’ve just heard rumblings and my agent was talking about it,” she said. “In terms of working with David and with Karen, we’ve all got the same sort of circle, so a mention of things, but nothing’s really been in set in stone.”

She explained: “If they want to do a big group thing, I can’t really envisage anybody in the Who family saying no. It’s quite a marked occasion, and a good opportunity to rekindle… For the fans, it is exciting for them as well, and everyone gets together.”

Steven Moffat recently said the plans for the 50th anniversary are “quite extensive”.

Peter Davison has revealed that he would be “very surprised” if Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary was marked with a multi-Doctor special.

“I don’t feel like it’s the kind of thing they’d do,” he told BANG Showbiz recently. “I would be very surprised if they tried to do anything involving the old Doctors, because it always takes a slight stretch of the imagination anyway to figure out why the previous Doctors look older. But I’m sure that can be done, and I feel no need to turn my back on it.”

Steven Moffat has promised that the plans for the landmark year are “quite extensive”.

As David Tennant keeps himself busy promoting his latest film, Fright Night, he has once again been asked about the chances of a Doctor Who return for its 50th anniversary.

He has previously said that it’s “not impossible” he’ll be back for the landmark year, but has told NOW Magazine that he hasn’t “had any phone calls yet”. He said: “I’m sure something will be celebrated, but I haven’t had any phone calls yet.” He added that he hopes his assocation with the series will stay with him for the rest of his career.

He explained: “There is a generation now who see Doctor Who as something to be absolutely celebrated. Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor in the 70s, talks now about how he’s employed solely by people who grew up loving him. I pray to god I’ll be enjoying the same thing in about 20 years’ time. That’s fine by me.”

Fright Night, in which David appears as magician Peter Vincent, is out in cinemas now.