The new millennium saw Roger Hall take over the editorship of Heart. The journal had recently changed its title to signal its international ambitions, and no one could argue that these have not been fulfilled. Heart now receives submissions from around the world—only a minority emanating from the UK—and is able to publish ⩽15% of the original research articles it receives. The high quality content is ever more widely cited, and with its rated Education section—edited by Peter Mills and shortly to be made available to the European Society of Cardiology membership—has seen Heart established firmly in the top five clinical cardiac journals based on the impact factor scores. Meanwhile, the web-based submission system has speeded the handling of papers, whereas OnLine First has ensured that research and review articles appear electronically within days of acceptance, simultaneous listing in PubMed and other reference collections allowing almost immediate citation. The facility for rapid communication for papers of outstanding interest is an additional asset, …