diff --git a/phpBB/includes/extension/controller.php b/phpBB/includes/extension/controller.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..985aded862
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phpBB/includes/extension/controller.php
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+<?php
+/**
+*
+* @package extension
+* @copyright (c) 2011 phpBB Group
+* @license http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php GNU General Public License v2
+*
+*/
+
+/**
+* @ignore
+*/
+if (!defined('IN_PHPBB'))
+{
+	exit;
+}
+
+/**
+* Abstract class extended by extension front controller classes
+*
+* @package extension
+*/
+abstract class phpbb_extension_controller
+{
+	/**
+	* @var phpbb_request Request class object
+	*/
+	protected $request;
+
+	/**
+	* @var dbal DBAL class object
+	*/
+	protected $db;
+
+	/**
+	* @var user User class object
+	*/
+	protected $user;
+
+	/**
+	* @var phpbb_template Template class object
+	*/
+	protected $template;
+
+	/**
+	* @var array Config array
+	*/
+	protected $config;
+
+	/**
+	* @var string PHP Extension
+	*/
+	protected $phpEx;
+
+	/**
+	* @var string Relative path to board root
+	*/
+	protected $phpbb_root_path;
+
+	/**
+	* Constructor method that provides the common phpBB objects as inherited class
+	* properties for automatic availability in extension controllers
+	*/
+	function __construct()
+	{
+		global $request, $db, $user, $template, $config;
+		global $phpEx, $phpbb_root_path;
+
+		$this->request =& $request;
+		$this->db =& $db;
+		$this->user =& $user;
+		$this->template =& $template;
+		$this->config =& $config;
+
+		$this->phpEx = $phpEx;
+		$this->phpbb_root_path = $phpbb_root_path;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	* Handle the request to display a page from an extension
+	*
+	* @return	null
+	*/
+	abstract public function handle();
+}
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/extension/controller_interface.php b/phpBB/includes/extension/controller_interface.php
deleted file mode 100644
index bcc8972db4..0000000000
--- a/phpBB/includes/extension/controller_interface.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-<?php
-/**
-*
-* @package extension
-* @copyright (c) 2011 phpBB Group
-* @license http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php GNU General Public License v2
-*
-*/
-
-/**
-* @ignore
-*/
-if (!defined('IN_PHPBB'))
-{
-	exit;
-}
-
-/**
-* The interface that extension classes have to implement to run front pages
-*
-* @package extension
-*/
-interface phpbb_extension_controller_interface
-{
-	/**
-	* handle the request to display a page from an extension
-	*
-	* @return	null
-	*/
-	public function handle();
-}
diff --git a/phpBB/index.php b/phpBB/index.php
index d71878a885..8b73f0008f 100644
--- a/phpBB/index.php
+++ b/phpBB/index.php
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ if ($ext = $request->variable('ext', ''))
 
 	$controller = new $class;
 
-	if (!($controller instanceof phpbb_extension_controller_interface))
+	if (!($controller instanceof phpbb_extension_controller))
 	{
 		send_status_line(500, 'Internal Server Error');
 		trigger_error($user->lang('EXTENSION_CLASS_WRONG_TYPE', $class));
diff --git a/phpBB/language/en/common.php b/phpBB/language/en/common.php
index 94edddc6f5..300529f967 100644
--- a/phpBB/language/en/common.php
+++ b/phpBB/language/en/common.php
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ $lang = array_merge($lang, array(
 	'EXPAND_VIEW'						=> 'Expand view',
 	'EXTENSION'							=> 'Extension',
 	'EXTENSION_CONTROLLER_MISSING'		=> 'The extension <strong>%s</strong> is missing a controller class and cannot be accessed through the front-end.',
-	'EXTENSION_CLASS_WRONG_TYPE'		=> 'The extension controller class <strong>%s</strong> is not an instance of the phpbb_extension_controller_interface.',
+	'EXTENSION_CLASS_WRONG_TYPE'		=> 'The extension controller class <strong>%s</strong> is not an instance of the phpbb_extension_controller.',
 	'EXTENSION_DISABLED'				=> 'The extension <strong>%s</strong> is not enabled.',
 	'EXTENSION_DISABLED_AFTER_POSTING'	=> 'The extension <strong>%s</strong> has been deactivated and can no longer be displayed.',
 	'EXTENSION_DOES_NOT_EXIST'			=> 'The extension <strong>%s</strong> does not exist.',