Radio Times: 90 years of covers - in pictures

28 September 1923: The first issue of the Radio Times, when it was priced at two pence. It was published after director general John Reith rejected the demands of newspapers, which wanted to charge the BBC for printing details of radio programmes Photograph: Radio Times

December 1925: Radio Times Christmas issue Photograph: Radio Times

November 1934: Radio Times celebrates women's broadcasting Photograph: Radio Times

May 1937: Radio Times marks the coronation of George VI Photograph: Radio Times

September 1939: Radio Times marks the outbreak of world war two Photograph: Radio Times

April 1951: Radio Times celebrates the Festival of Britain Photograph: Radio Times

November 1957: The Goons on the cover of Radio Times Photograph: Radio Times

January 1965: Winston Churchill funeral edition Photograph: Radio Times

November 1966: The Daleks are back on BBC1 Photograph: Radio Times

July 1969: Coverage of the moon landing Photograph: Radio Times

February 1970: Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Photograph: Radio Times

December 1973: The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise – then the BBC's biggest light entertainment stars – feature on the Radio Times Christmas cover Photograph: Radio Times

April 1977: The cover promotes David Frost's landmark interview with disgraced former US president Richard Nixon Photograph: Radio Times

February 1979: The stars of comedy Fawlty Towers feature on the cover Photograph: Radio Times

February 1986: The magazine marks EastEnders' first birthday Photograph: Radio Times

November 1986: The cover promotes Dennis Potter's acclaimed drama The Singing Detective Photograph: Radio Times

1988: Radio Times gains a place in the Guinness Book of Records when the Christmas edition sells 11,220,666 copies, making it the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history Photograph: Radio Times

October 1996: Helen Mirren stars on the cover of the 'women's number' Photograph: Radio Times

July 1997: The BBC repeats Andrew Davies' 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. In the same year, Radio Times launches itself on the internet with RadioTimes.com Photograph: Radio Times

July 2006: Radio Times manages to combine Doctor Who and the World Cup final in one cover Photograph: Radio Times

July 2012: The Olympic issue increased sales by 185,000 copies, the biggest sales uplift for a single issue, outside Christmas, since records began Photograph: Radio Times

December 2012: The double issue, featuring the Snowman and the Snowdog on the front cover, sold 2,175,056 copies, up from 2,109,292 in 2011 – the biggest year-on-year increase for a Radio Times Christmas issue since the deregulation of the listings market in 1991 Photograph: Radio Times