Dr Who Cyber Adventures

Dr Who Cyber Cards were issued free with the 16 January 2013 edition of Doctor Who Adventures (cover ), a weekly magazine launched in 2006 aimed at readers aged about 6–12. The court cards feature dramatic metallic images of Cybermen, evoking a mechanised, dystopian future in which humans are replaced by machinery. The same figures appear in each suit but are set against different circuit-board background colours. The borders resemble brushed industrial steel, enhancing the robotic look, while the indices are set in a futuristic typeface that fits the programme’s vision.

The imagery taps into a familiar science-fiction sub-genre centred on cybernetic dystopia: mechanisation, anxiety and loss of human emotions, a recurring theme in modern sci-fi since the mid-20th century classics such as The Time Machine by H. G. Wells and The War of the Worlds, and also overlaps with later cyberpunk aesthetics.

Above: Dr Who Cyber Adventures promotional playing cards published by Immediate Media Company London Ltd under licence from BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2012. 52 cards in tuck box (no jokers). See the credits

The deck transforms ordinary playing cards into a themed collectible appealing to younger fans of the show and readers of Doctor Who Adventures. Unfortunately no jokers were included in the set; printing exactly 52 cards on a single sheet layout reduced production costs for this freebie item. See the box