3 Raleigh Bicycles To Be Won!
3 Raleigh Bicycles To Be Won! was a competition printed in Doctor Who Magazine. Aside from Crazy Caption which was a recurring feature, this marked the first competition in the publication.
The competition was started in DWM 5 where readers were asked to cut out the lower section of a page which featured two versions of an an illustration and circle all the differences for a chance to win. It had to be mailed no later than 21 November 1979 and employees of Marvel Comics or the BBC and their relatives were barred from participating. Readers were also asked to state why they liked the magazine in twenty-five words or less.
The prizes consisted of three different bikes. These were: a Twenty Shopper with a detachable front basket, described as "just right for the family"; a Grifter, said to be "strong and stable with all the pace and pounce you could want"; and a Chopper which had hi-rise handle bars and T-bar gear shift. Readers chose which of the bikes they preferred on the page they mailed in.
This competition was mentioned on two occasions by the Fourth Doctor in his A Letter from the Doctor series. The first instance was in the fifth issue's instalment where he directed readers to the further details about the competition on pages 8 and 9, also alluding to the advertising of the competition on that issue's front cover. The second time was in the ninth issue's instalment where he noted that responses had started pouring in to the extent that the TARDIS was beginning to get crowded while also promising readers would not have to wait "much longer" for the results.
These results came in DWM 11 with the publication of the winners' names and the full list of eleven differences. It was also revealed that the competition had received over 3000 entries. 7 year old Matthew Greer of Royston won the Grifter, 10 year old David Ridler of Southampton won the Chopper, with Anne Marie McLoughlin winning the Twenty Shopper.
List of differences
- The top of the Cyberman's helmet
- The Cyberman's mouth
- The flash above the TARDIS
- The Draconian's forehead
- The window of the TARDIS
- The Doctor's tie
- The Ice Warrior's fur
- The Doctor's watch
- The triangle of white light on the TARDIS
- The Doctor's hat
- The star
