Hey guys, Tom Project Indigo here.
Just a quick post to tell you about this really cool watch that I’ve heard about – The Doctor Who Time Vortex Watch! This watch looks like it would really suit the Twelfth Doctor or any other Whovian who needs to keep track of Timey Wimey stuff. Travelling in the TARDIS can be pretty confusing sometimes so it would be great to have one of these watches to help!
This watch is available from The Bradford Exchange and you can read all about it here….
Hello everyone and welcome to a new blog post. This time I am not visiting a filming location but rather an actual TARDIS – the TARDIS at Dunbury Church of England Academy! I read about the Dunbury Academy TARDIS in my local newspaper, the Daily Echo, and when I saw the article I thought ‘I want to go there!’. I emailed the school and got invited to have a trip through time and space on the TARDIS…
Dunbury Academy is in the village of Winterborne Whitechurch. It is a small school for the children of the Winterborne Valley in Dorset and the school’s motto is
Inspire, Learn, Empower.
I was given the opportunity to have the day off from my school so that I could visit the TARDIS and I travelled there last week by train and bus. When I arrived at the school I couldn’t help but notice how small it was compared to my own. I felt very welcome and I was immediately greeted by Mr Payne the teacher who made the TARDIS, who invited me to come and have a lesson. On Thursday night Mr Payne was awarded Nursery / Primary Teacher of the Year in the first ever Daily Echo School Awards. Well done Mr Payne!
I was greeted by some of the Dunbury students and got taken to the TARDIS which was materialised on the first floor. There was no key but I was allowed to open the door using a Sonic Screwdriver. I couldn’t stop saying ‘Wow!’ as I was so surprised – it was bigger than I thought it would be but then again, it is a TARDIS. I started exploring but suddenly Daleks appeared on the screen – we were under threat!
First we had to solve a coded message from Rassilon, the Lord High President of Gallifrey then we travelled around time and space meeting many historic figures. The pupils and I had to solve multiple puzzles to ensure we were safe from the Daleks, including maths, codes, Roman Numerals and Hieroglyphics. First we met Archimedes in 214 BC, then went to Egypt to meet Cleopatra in 69 BC. Next to Rome to meet Julius Caesar in 48 BC who sent us to see the Viking Explorer, Eric the Red, in 991 AD. We then went to see William the Conqueror in 1066 AD who sent us on our way to see the Doctor’s old friend (and mine!) Winnie Churchill in 1940. We finally solved the Tablet of Skaro but it was a trap – the Daleks had kidnapped K-9! After some timey-wimey stuff we found him and we were safe from being blown to space smithereens. Yay!
After all that excitement I had some time to interview the children about their time in the TARDIS. I asked them what they thought when they first saw it and immediately two of them said ‘Amazed!’ at exactly the same time. Someone else said ‘Speechless!’. It was built in the school holidays so when they saw it, it was a real surprise.
They have learnt all different subjects in the TARDIS but it was built as part of a Space Topic. For English they travelled to space to write a description of a planet. For Maths they have had tests and learnt about Roman Numerals. They have visited the planet Kepler 452B which is 1400 light years away. It would take 26 million years to travel there if you didn’t have a TARDIS. Kepler 452B is 60 % bigger than earth and orbits around a star. Like Earth it is in the Goldilocks Zone which means that there could be life on there. To sum it up – they have learnt A LOT of stuff! I also told the pupils about Project Indigo, especially the filming locations I have visited in Dorset which was a surprise for them.
Then it was time for Assembly and I went along to support the school and see how different it was to my school. The classes are named after trees and there were only two at the Winterborne Whitechurch base. Certificates were handed out and pupils were rewarded for their achievements. The new First Aiders got to use their skills to help out the Headmaster Mr Barker.
After assembly it was home time for the pupils and I got to interview Mr Payne. He built the TARDIS because he wants to inspire children and the first time they saw it they flew through the solar system! He has also built Hogwarts and Narnia style classrooms before.
Mr Payne has been a fan of Doctor Who since he was three and his favourite Doctor is Tom Baker because he grew up with him. If you need any proof he is dressed as the Fourth Doctor in his first photo! He is also a fan of David Tennant – and if you need any proof of that he did a Magic Show with him once for Children In Need!
I asked Mr Payne where he would like to go in time and space and he said he is happy right here, right now. He really likes his class and the school and wouldn’t want to change anything. If Mr Payne had to go somewhere he would choose to see the future. He said to imagine what it would be like for someone waking up after 20 years in a coma. I think it would be very confusing to see new pieces of technology at work, and it would very sad if people in your family had passed away.
Mr Payne could design the TARDIS as he was a helicopter designer once. The TARDIS was made in his garage over two weeks – the hardest part was collecting all the egg boxes for the walls, it took him months to get them! A friend of his helped build the console and donated the Doctor Who cardboard cut-outs from work.
I asked Mr Payne if the Headmaster Mr Barker was hesitant in saying yes to having a TARDIS at school or was he quick off the bat? He said that Mr Barker said yes immediately and that the TARDIS has had lots of support from all the staff, parents and children.
After I interviewed Mr Payne I had one last go in the TARDIS before I had to leave. The TARDIS is just Wow! I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone at Dunbury Academy for their hospitality. I felt so welcome and the staff and pupils were all really nice. It is a very friendly, cheerful school and I had a fantastic day.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my time at Dunbury Academy. In a few days something exciting is happening – Project Indigo is turning 2! I hope you will come back and read about my other adventures.
Goodbye!
Hello everyone – now I shall tell you who the lucky winner is of a Doctor Who : The 10 Christmas Specials– Limited Edition Box Set!
I asked the question:
Now Clara is leaving the TARDIS, who would you like the Doctor to have an adventure with? You can choose anyone in time and space!
I picked the winner at random by numbering the entries and using a Random Number Generator.
Congratulations to the winner, Neil Firth!
Neil said ‘Wow, that’s absolutely brilliant news. I’m over the Moon – I absolutely love Dr Who.’
He voted for
I think that is a great answer, imagine what they could invent together! He could also do a fantastic portrait of the Doctor. 🙂
Thank you to all 289 people who entered and told me who they would like to see in the TARDIS. I loved reading all the answers – some were a little crazy and some were just perfect!
The Top 5 suggestions were as follows:
Please see here for the results of all the votes:
A little surprise was that 31% of the suggestions were female and 69% were male. I think people would really like to see the Doctor have a male companion.
What do you think? Do you agree with the results? Please leave a comment and let me know.
Thank you again to everyone who entered.
I hope you enjoy your prize Neil!
Goodbye!
‘Ello me Old Chinas and welcome to East London for The Doctor Who Festival at London ExCel! I was really excited to be going to an official Doctor Who Festival and was honoured to be given a Press Pass to report on the event for my Project Indigo readers.
The Doctor Who Festival ran from the 13th-15th November 2015. I went to the festival on Saturday and spent the night before in Greenwich as the festival opened its doors to the public bright and early and I didn’t want to miss a thing. I travelled to the Excel via Docklands Light Railway and got off at Custom House station. The Excel lives up to its name as it is XL! It is so big that there are 2 DLR stations either side.
As soon as I collected my Press Pass from the Boulevard I went up to the Press Lounge on Level 3 to introduce myself and say thank you to BBC Worldwide. I was really happy to meet Cath who arranged for me to have my pass. It was a spacious room with free refreshments, and new merchandise on display. I was also able to take home boxsets of Doctor Who Series 9 Part 1 and The Ten Christmas Specials in exchange for a donation to Children in Need.
The Festival goers were divided into Daleks and Cybermen. I was part of the Dalek stream which meant that I went to the Main Theatre shows with the writers and cast in the morning.
First I went to the Drama School for the ‘Act Like a Monster’ show with voice of the Daleks Nick Briggs and Dalek actor Barnaby Edwards. They needed three victims volunteers to perform in a show about ‘Davros’ Diabolical Daleks’, playing a Dalek and UNIT soldiers. Barnaby said that there has been no change in how to operate a Dalek in 52 years. A Tenth Doctor Cosplayer called Ash played the Dalek – that’s the only time there’s ever been a Doctor inside a Dalek apart from Into the Dalek (2014)! Ash said that it was hot and claustrophobic inside a Dalek. The Dalek came apart like a wedding cake and I got a good look inside.
The show was a laugh and good fun to watch. Afterwards there was a Q&A and someone asked what other Doctor Who characters they would like to play. Barnaby said The Brigadier and Nick said The Doctor! I got to meet the Dalek himself, Barnaby Edwards, which I was really pleased about.
After the show I had to rush off to the Main Hall to Meet the Writers! I was really looking forward to this part as I am considering being a writer myself. I already have lots of ideas for Doctor Who stories and I would love to develop the scripts and see them on the TV screen one day. On the way in everyone was given a script from The Magician’s Apprentice (2015).
The writers on Saturday were Steven Moffat, (Steven says his title is not Showrunner as the Press call him, but Head Writer) Sarah Dollard and Peter Harness. There was a Q&A and they offered advice for other writers. Steven says he cries a lot and thinks he can’t finish a story – and his wife once filmed him to remind him he thinks that all the time! Someone asked how to cure ‘writer’s block’ and Steven said there’s no such thing, it just means you are stuck! Steven needs a Swear Jar because he has a potty mouth – Ha Ha.
Sarah said that when she learnt about ‘Trap Streets’ she knew she had to write a story about them and Face The Raven (2015) became an ideal story for Doctor Who. The writers talked about a ‘terrible event’ that she had to write into the story – we know what that is now. Poor Clara, and poor Sarah for having to write it!
Peter wrote The Zygon Invasion and The Zygon Inversion (2015). I really enjoyed those stories and would be really happy if he writes more about the Zygon stories in the future.
After the trio went off the stage there was a short break then time to Meet the Cast! Out came Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez and Ingrid Oliver along with Steven again. There was a big eruption in the room because everyone was so excited to see them. It was a definitely a day out for the Peter Capaldi Fan Club!
Peter bowed to Jenna as she is currently playing Queen Victoria. I wonder if she will set up Torchwood in the story?
We watched some clips and looked at some pictures, then the cast answered some questions. Steven was amazed that there was a petition to bring back the Sonic Screwdriver. I quite like the sunglasses, I think the Doctor should stay with them. I think sunglasses are cooler than screwdrivers.
Someone asked Steven if he would set a story in Ireland. Steven said that Wales can look just like Ireland and if they went abroad to film it would have to be as different to Wales as possible to be worth the money to film there. That makes it easier for me to visit Doctor Who locations!
The cast were asked what monsters they would like to bring back? Peter said the Zarbi and the Menoptera and Steven said the Sea Devils.
Later they were asked what companion they would like to bring back. Peter and Steven said ‘Clara!’ at exactly the same time. They made Jenna feel guilty for dumping them!
Meet the Cast was a great opportunity for everyone to ask questions about Doctor Who and daily life on set, the team really know how to look after their fans.
After a quick lunch (veggie sausage roll) I went to Stage One to a talk about the game Lego Dimensions. Mark Warburton from TT Games was there to tell us about bringing the Doctor Who characters into the Lego Dimensions world and answer questions from the audience. Stephen Moffat helped create the Doctor character so that he was just right.
Mark said everyone felt it ‘was about time the Doctor had his time in the sun!’ He also said that as Whovians they put Missy in the game when her identity was a secret, so that they could find out who she was!
Whilst I was at the Lego talk I met my friend George aka Mini Matt Smith! I have been friends with George online for yonks but it was finally time to meet in person. As Mini Matt Smith he is a Youtuber with lots of fans and he has interviewed many Doctor Who stars including Peter Capaldi onstage at the Series 9 Premiere! George invited me to visit him in his TARDIS which I hope to do. Sadly we live 200 miles apart but I will definitely take him up on the offer one day! It was really nice to meet George and his family.
After the talk and hearing about the features of Lego Dimensions I was convinced I wanted to play it so the Press Lounge was my first stop. The graphics were amazing, like everything else about the game, and I really liked the way they made the Daleks out of Lego. I played as the Twelfth Doctor and also saw K-9 and Batman. The chemistry is still forming between the Doctor and Batman, but they will make it!
I played for as long as I could until I had to let someone else have a turn. I hope Father Christmas brings me the game because I CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After I left the lounge I went back to Level 1 and explored an Iconic Room Set. This was Davros’ Sick Room from the Series 9 two-parter opener The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar (2015). It really felt like you were in the episode and Davros looked real, but I was brave. It was a bit smaller than I expected and I wondered how they fit the cameras onto the set. The props looked so hard to make so Millennium FX must be very good at their job.
Next I went to the MFX area to see them at work. There I met my mate Jon Davey! Jon is a Doctor Who monster actor who has been in over 30 episodes and I’ve met him a few times now. I always like to try and spot Jon when I watch a new episode. Recently he had a staring competition with Doctor John Disco in The Zygon Inversion (2015). In Series 9 he also played The Mire and I got to try on the costume! It was dark inside and my eyes couldn’t reach the visor so I couldn’t see a thing. It was really fun and I’d love to make a Mire costume at home for a Cosplay, I think I would need some help from the guys at MFX though. Check out this video of all of Jon’s performances in one go – it’s awesome!
The last talk of the day was the Millennium FX Show with Special Guest Mark Gatiss. Mark is a writer and actor, he has appeared as both Professor Lazarus and Gantok in Doctor Who and written 8 episodes. Fact fans – 38% of Project Indigo readers chose Mark Gatiss’ episode Robot of Sherwood (2014) as their favourite episode of Series 8!
In the show Mark and the MFX Team talked about how they create the monsters and take them from script to screen. Mark came up with an idea for a parasite that feeds off of parts of the brain that we don’t use and two designers created their own versions on the stage.
Mr Sweet from The Crimson Horror (2013) made a guest appearance and Mark explained how he worked. Mr Sweet was much more cheerful in real life and seemed really cute.
Next they brought out The Mire, and Mark Gatiss threatened to show the ugly creature inside. He took of The Mire’s head and underneath was …. Jon Davey! A volunteer came onstage and Jon taught him how to move like an Ice Warrior. Jon has been in many episodes so has lots of experience.
All of the sudden the lights turned out and a Spoiler Alert came out from behind the sofa! It was a Sandman from Sleep No More (2015), Mark’s latest episode that was airing that day.
The final thing I did before I left was play The Doctor and the Dalek. I played a custom level that had been created by another guest and had to shoot Daleks. I was having a great time playing but sadly it was time to go.
I was really sad to leave but I hope they do another Festival one day. The Doctor Who team have really made their fans happy. On the way out I met a man who had his photo taken with Michelle Gomez and he was so chuffed that it made me so happy to see how happy he was. This event was something that Whovians will remember for their whole life and I was ecstatic to be part of it!
See you again for my next adventure – a Classic Doctor Who location next time. Rattle n hum back soon! Laters!
Croeso and welcome to the West Wales Museum of Childhood in ….West Wales! We are travelling back in time to August 2015 for a trip down Memory Lane. I visited the West Wales Museum of Childhood during my summer road -trip around Wales, and I popped into the museum when I was leaving Newcastle Emlyn on my way to visit Conwy. I got a big surprise when I discovered there were a lot of Doctor Who toys there – I was expecting all the toys to be old fashioned.
The West Wales Museum of Childhood is at Pen-ffynnon, 1 mile from Llangeler in Carmarthenshire. There is a tea room and a gift shop and the museum has 10,000 exhibits! A warm welcome is offered to ‘everyone who is – or ever has been – a child’.
The museum was created by Paul and Hilary Kennelly and Vic Davey to display the toys and memorabilia that they have been collecting for most of their lives. They bought the farm, Pen-ffynnon, in August 2002 and gradually turned it into the place I am reviewing today. I had a good chat with Hilary and she told me that she met the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, many years ago when he was playing Worzel Gummidge.
When I arrived I went into the ‘Oriel Amser’ (Gallery of Time ) which is a timeline of the 20th Century with memorabilia and displays of toys to look at.
Next to this is a stable where you can see costumes and traditions from Wales, and an antique toyshop window ‘Siop Deganau’ displaying Welsh toys.
Next door is a barn full of little metal toys and an old school room that shows you what school was like in Wales’ old days. Next is the carthouse which contains train sets and a huge collection of Action Man toys.
Finally we come to my favourite bit – the Doctor Who stuff in the Television and Film Gallery! This was originally the kitchen in mid-Victorian times. It contains lots of merchandise from film and television over the last 60 years. At the entrance is a magnificent mural painted by Paul, depicting a Dalek exterminating a TV , whilst the Eleventh Doctor and James Bond have a sonic weapon-off!
The room is crammed with Sci-Fi treasures including an original Dalek Dress-up suit from 1965. I dressed up as a Cyberman but deleted nothing as I was a good Cyberman. I would recommend any Doctor Who fans who live in, or visit West Wales, to go and see this collection. There are A LOT of special Doctor Who treasures to treasure which have been happily collected and displayed for you to enjoy. It was lovely to look at the toys and imagine what it would have been like to be a Doctor Who fan 50 years ago and I even saw some items from my own toybox.
This museum was an amazing place to visit and I really enjoyed riding on the kiddy cars. If you are ever in Carmarthenshire make sure you stop off and see it for yourself! If you have been already please leave a comment and tell me what you liked best.
In other news, I am off to London this weekend to go to the Doctor Who Festival! There will be lots of stars there including Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez and Ingrid Oliver. I hope you will come back soon so I can tell you all about it.
Goodbye!
Welcome back and today I am reviewing the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular!
I was given tickets to the Symphonic Spectacular for Christmas (thank you Nanna!) and I have been looking forward to it ever since! The day finally arrived last Sunday and I was a bit nervous wondering what to expect but very excited! The show was nearly cancelled because an unexploded World War 2 bomb was discovered in Wembley – maybe it was the Daleks trying to get at their old enemy Winston Churchill!
This was the first time I had taken my TARDIS to Wembley so I had a good explore and looked round the outside of Wembley Stadium and visited the Bobby Moore statue. The League One play-offs were being held that afternoon so lots of supporters were arriving too!
Outside the SSE Arena I saw the Square of Fame where celebrities had put their handprints. I saw Kylie Minogue’s handprints – Kylie played the waitress Astrid Peth in the Doctor Who Christmas Special Voyage of the Damned (2007).
When I entered the building I saw A LOT of Doctor Who fans – people of all ages were there and many were dressed up. I saw fezzes, bowties, scarves and even a Stetson! I also saw lots of people wearing a TARDIS hoodie just like me! I bought an official tour programme as a souvenir of my special day and so I could learn more about the performance.
When I entered the arena I was surprised at how many people were there and I was pleased that my seat was close to the stage near where all the action was! When I was waiting for the music to start I met my old pal, monster actor Jon Davey, who has worked on Doctor Who for 10 years and has appeared in over 30 episodes (to date). Jon was recently seen guarding Missy in Death in Heaven but unfortunately it didn’t quite work – ha ha! It was great to be reunited with Jon again, I first met him at Fleet Air Arm Museum and again at the Timeless Collector’s Fair. Jon has recently been to Australia and New Zealand for the Symphonic Spectacular and is now on the UK Tour. He has been super busy and told us how the bomb scare had cost a lot of time and everyone had to work superhard so that the show could go on!
When the music started I was amazed at how good it was – and how loud! It was the first orchestra performance I had been to. I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it but the National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Ben Foster, performed the music that Murray Gold has written for Doctor Who. Whilst they were playing monsters were coming out amongst the crowd and clips from Doctor Who were played on the big screen. I loved watching all the scenes from past episodes reminding me of all the Doctor’s incarnations.
The Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, presented the show and made a lot of jokes about his fellow Doctors. Then came a big surprise – he introduced the Secretary of his Fan Club to the crowd, PETER CAPALDI! The Twelfth Doctor himself was waving from the stands – he had come along on his day off to listen to the brilliant Doctor Whosic!
I cannot choose a favourite performance as they were all fantastic – the orchestra did a really good job! I wasn’t scared of the monsters. I used to be very nervous and scared when I met a Doctor Who monster but now I have met Jon I know everything is ok! Another monster actor was Nick Briggs, voice of the Daleks and Executive Producer of Big Finish.
The show wrapped up as Ben Foster said he had to dash off and play a snooker match and I was very sad that the show had finished. As soon as we were out of our seats the crew started packing up ready to move the show on to Cardiff! I left via the nearest door and later found out that I had missed another golden opportunity to get Peter Capaldi’s autograph! Peter had stayed behind to meet the fans but I didn’t see him. GUTTED. One day I will get another chance!
On my way back to the TARDIS I did meet creature performer Paul Kasey. Paul is a choreographer and movement director too and has appeared in many episodes of Doctor Who. Fun fact – he is also ‘Foxy’ in the Foxybingo adverts! Paul was very cheerful and friendly and was really pleased when I told him I thought the show was AMAZING!
I had a great time at the Symphonic Spectacular – I hope it will be on every year! Thanks for reading and I will see you soon for another location report. Did you go to the Symphonic Spectacular? Please leave a comment and tell me what you thought!
In the words of Winston Churchill – K.B.O!
Hello? Is someone there? Ah! Readers! Thank goodness you’re here, you are just in time for another post – all about the Bournemouth Invasion!
Yesterday I went to the Bournemouth Invasion – the first Doctor Who convention to be held at Bournemouth University, hosted by the Bournemouth University Whovian Society. The event was set up to host an excellent Doctor Who convention full of special guests, talks, quizzes, autographs and pictures and also to raise cash for Cash for Kids.
As soon as I arrived I went to a talk by my old pal Simon Fisher-Becker who I had met at DEFCon 3. Simon is best known for playing Dorium Maldovar alongside the Eleventh Doctor and is the ‘best blue actor in the business’! His one-man show is called ‘My Dalek Has a Puncture‘ and is all about his life and is full of advice for anyone who wants to be come an actor. Lauren Wilson who played Daughter of Mine in the two-parter Human Nature and Family of Blood (2007) was in the audience. I hope she got some good tips!
Simon spoke about his childhood in South Ruislip. He was bullied horribly when he was a child and he learnt to always look for the silver lining. I hope his bullies are ashamed of themselves.
Doctor Who started two days before Simon’s 2nd birthday and he would watch it with his grandfather – little did he know that one day he would be a Doctor Who actor himself! He lived near a Police Box and would look out for the Doctor but never saw him.
Simon has had many other jobs including the Civil Service, an Event Organiser, a deputy Town Crier and an ‘Ugly’ model. I also found out that he used to play Sir Topham Hatt from Thomas the Tank Engine!
I enjoyed ‘My Dalek Has a Puncture’ – it was funny and a bit fruity! If you get the chance you should definitely go and see it.
After the talk I went to do the Ultimate Franchise Quiz No 1. I was playing on my own and I was a bit shaky ; I didn’t do very well! The picture round was my best round but two of the rounds weren’t about Doctor Who and I didn’t know the answers as they were about things like Star Trek, Marvel and Firefly. The Quotes Round was really hard too. I did enjoy it though – even if I wasn’t very good. Congratulations to one of my companions who came first with a score of 31 out of 50!
Lunch was next and I got to watch a bit of the Middlesborough v Leeds match whilst I ate a veggie burger in the Student Bar. I got back from lunch too late to see Andrew Cartmel‘s talk and I was sad about that as I was looking forward to hearing about the scripts for the Seventh Doctor who is, as you know, my favourite Classic Doctor. I did get to say hello to Andrew though, and he remembered me from the SF Ball 21.
In one of the rooms there were lots of games including a raffle, Guess How Many Jelly Babies in the Jar and ……PLANET PONG!! YEAH! Planet Pong was a devilishly difficult game that involved bouncing a ping-pong ball off a table to land in a cup. Each cup represented a planet and there were pictures of them under each cup that looked like pancakes. I had several tries and I was determined to do it – but I was defeated. By a cup.
Next I went upstairs and went to a room which was set up with a green screen and I got to pose for some photos and chose a TARDIS background. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished picture and will update this when I get it so that I can show you too!
Then it was time to meet Terry Molloy aka Davros! I had already met Terry at the Timeless Collectors Fair but this time I got to spend more time with him and chose a fantastic picture from Revelation of the Daleks (1985) for him to sign.
I asked Terry my 3 golden questions. First I asked him where he would go if he could go anywhere in time and space . He said that he would like to travel back to Ancient Rome to see Julius Caesar or to the time of Richard III. His favourite episode of Series 8 was Listen (2014) and Terry said that Peter Capaldi is a really good Doctor – just as Terry expected. I asked him about his favourite filming location but he said all his scenes as Davros were filmed in a studio. His favourite filming location ever was when he filmed Carrott Del Sol in Spain for six weeks with Jasper Carrott and Bernard Latham.
After I met Terry I went to the park for a quick play then came back for ‘I, Davros’ a Q&A session with Terry all about Davros and his career.
Terry was asked about any memories of playing Davros – he said he remembered pain, claustrophobia, sweat, no peripheral vision and dragging a shopping trolley around with his toes! Davros was a physically challenging role that was hard work but great fun.
The 5 people Terry would like to go out on the town with are Leonard Rossiter, Aneurin Bevan, Michael Palin, Charles Darwin and Jacqueline Du Pre. He also mentioned someone he would like to roast for dinner – but I’m not telling you who!
He likes Doctor Who because it is quintessentially ( I had to look that up!) British and that he would love to throw the Sonic Screwdriver into a black hole because the Doctor only needs to use his brain power.
Terry said there would be a test on nuclear fission at the end – I’m glad he was only joking. I thought his Q&A was inspiring and I really liked Terry – he is not at all scary like Davros!
Next I went to do my second quiz of the day – this time it was a Team Quiz so I felt a bit more confident with my two companions at my side. I enjoyed all the questions, it was more fun conferring with my team mates. The Quotes Round baffled us for a second time but we still breezed through and were joint winners in a 3-way tie with a score of 35 out of 50!
Finally came the Closing Ceremony of this Whovian Convention and we all gathered together to thank everyone involved in this amazing event. Terry and Simon said they were pleased to be part of a first time convention. I hope this will be the first of many to come as I thought the day was phenomenal and everybody worked so hard to make this such an enjoyable day.
Thank you BU Whovian Society!
Thanks for reading, and see you soon for another location report. Until we meet again, goodbye!
Happy New Year everyone!
This is my first post of 2015 and I hope it is a good one! On New Years Day I went on a short holiday to Warwick and while I was there I wanted to visit some Doctor Who locations around those parts. I went on to the fact-filled Doctor Who – The Locations Guide and discovered that filming for The Shakespeare Code (2007) had taken place in the area!
I had already been to The Globe Theatre and now was my chance to explore more locations from The Shakespeare Code. I had only just finished learning about the Tudor times at school so this was a surprise for me and I was excited about seeing some real Tudor buildings. The Shakespeare Code was Martha’s first time-travel adventure with the Doctor and he took her to Elizabethan London in 1599.
My first stop was Cheylesmore Manor in Coventry which was very easy to find as it was very close to where I parked my TARDIS! Cheylesmore Manor is now part of Coventry Register Office and while I was there people were arriving for appointments. What a cool place to have your wedding photos taken, it is the oldest Register Office building in the whole country and opened as a Register Office in 1968.
The current building is only part of the original manor house. It was first built in 1237 for the Earl of Arundel and was then owned by Queen Isabella, Edward II’s wife before passing to her son Edward the Black Prince.
I could immediately recognise the building as All Hallows Street, home to the Carrionites. I was most excited to see the window which Lilith leaned out of to watch Wiggins sing to her. Later in the episode she escapes out of the window with her doll of the Doctor leaving him for dead, and levitates outside . Luckily there weren’t any psychokinetic Carrionites around while I was there!
Next I found my way to Ford’s Hospital, a few streets away. The exterior was used for The Elephant Inn where Shake-a- spear stayed. Ford’s Hospital was built in 1509 by local merchant William Ford. It was constructed as almshouses for men and women. An almshouse is a house which is funded by charity for poor people to live in, usually elderly people who can no longer work.
After 1800 it became a home for women only. Unfortunately the building was hit by a bomb during World War 2 and sadly eight people died. The building was restored in 1953 using original materials.
You can see through to the courtyard which was used in the episode as an Elizabethan street although I didn’t go in because it is private and still used as sheltered accommodation. If you would like to see some photos taken during filming please see the Historic Coventry website.
It must be so cool to live in an original Tudor building! I wonder what William Ford would say if he knew his almshouse would still be there in 500 years?
After Ford’s Hospital I spent a few hours exploring Coventry.
In the afternoon I went to the Coventry Transport Museum and I found a tiny Time And Relative Dimension in Space! The TARDIS was part of a big collection of models collected by a collector called Tibor Reich and has been shown on Blue Peter. If you ever get a chance to go this great museum see if you can spot the TARDIS too!
Late that afternoon I returned to Warwick and went to The Lord Leycester Hospital. Like Ford’s Hospital it is not a hospital for sick people as we would know it, the word ‘hospital’ meant “a charitable institution for the housing and maintenance of the needy, infirm or aged” in Tudor times. The buildings date back to the 14th Century but became a retirement home for old warriors during Elizabethan times. Even today the building still provides homes for ex-servicemen and their wives.
I recognised that this was the location where the TARDIS and the Doctor and Martha arrived in Elizabethan London and Martha asked “when are we?” – a useful time-traveller phrase which she used for the first time. They narrowly avoided being covered in pee when someone emptied their chamber pot out of the upstairs window!
The outside of the building was used for the street scenes and the area outside the Elephant Inn. The Doctor and Martha were chased back there by Queen Elizabeth I’s guards and the TARDIS was hit by arrows ( like in Robot of Sherwood (2014)!) but luckily the TARDIS de-materialised in time!
I had a great day in Coventry and Warwick and hope you enjoyed reading about it. I hope I can go back that way another time and check out more Doctor Who filming locations. Thanks for reading and I hope you come back soon to check out more of my adventures through time and space!
Parting is such sweet sorrow! Goodbye!
Hello and welcome to my second competition to mark the end of Series 8. This week I bought a copy of The Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia – Updated Edition and I bought another copy to offer as a prize too! Hopefully this book will keep me occupied until the Christmas Special.
This book was written by Jason Loborik, Annabel Gibson, Moray Laing and Emma Grange and has Peter Capaldi on the cover. It contains facts and photos about over 200 of the Doctor’s friends and foes and all the Doctors – including the War Doctor and the Twelfth Doctor. The book lists them all in alphabetical order from the Abzorbaloff to the Zygons!
You could win a copy of this amazing book simply by answering this question:-
Which episode of the latest Doctor Who Series (8) do you like best?
Please leave a comment on this post with your answer and one winner will be picked at random. Only one entry per person please. I will e-mail the winner to confirm the delivery address.
Closing date is 11.59 pm on November 30th 2014
Sorry but I can only post it to people within the UK so if you live outside the UK please leave a comment if you want to share, but I won’t be able to send you a prize. 😦
Good luck!
Greetings and welcome to DEF Con 3!
DEF Con 3 was held this weekend in the Empire Hall in Totton near Southampton and spilled out across the town. It is a Sci-Fi Fan convention run by Nerdageddon and raised money for the Piam Brown Ward at Southampton General Hospital.
I knew there would be Cosplayers but this time I didn’t want to dress as the Doctor as I have on other occasions. I dressed as another character. Can you tell from the photo? Leave a comment if you want to take a guess.
The first thing I did when I got there was go to meet Colin Baker – The Sixth Doctor! When I arrived he was free and I thought I would take my chance. He is the Second Doctor I have met, after Peter Capaldi. The Sixth Doctor was very stroppy, a bit like the Twelfth!
I was extremely shy meeting Colin, although he was very friendly.I couldn’t believe I was talking to the Doctor! I asked Colin where his favourite location was where he filmed Doctor Who and he told me it was Seville in Spain where he filmed The Two Doctors (1985). I fancy going to Seville for my blog!
Then I asked Old Sixey if there would be a second Five-ish Doctors Reboot (2013) but he said he doesn’t know. He said they needed a good idea for a story first, to top the last one! I hope there will be a sequel because I really lol-ed and rofl-ed at the first one – it was something that could always tickle your funnybone!
I chose a picture for Colin to sign and he posed for some great photos with me.
Later I went back to Colin to ask if he could travel anywhere in time and space, where would he like to go? He had a quick think then told me he would like to ‘travel to London, 1000 years in the future, just to see’.
It was really good to meet Colin because he was a very nice man. He didn’t have the yellow curls anymore – or the bright trousers!
Then I went on to meet Simon Fisher-Becker who played the Eleventh Doctor’s friend Dorium Maldovar , who owned a black market bar in the 52nd Century known as The Maldovarium. On his website Simon is described by Tom Macrae as ‘ The best blue actor in the business!’. Simon was also in Harry Potter as the Fat Friar.
Simon is a great chap, like Colin, and was very chatty. I asked about filming locations and he said that when he filmed as Dorium he spent most of his time in the studio but he does remember filming in an aircraft hangar at three in the morning and being very cold!
He was wearing a medal from the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Fun Run which was given to him in New Zealand. This virtual fun-run was to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor in November 2013.
Simon told me about his one-man show ‘My Dalek Has a Puncture’, all about being an actor. He has been on a tour with his show and new dates are being added so I will go and see his show when he comes locally to me next year. It sounds like it is going to be really funny!
Next I asked Simon where he would go if he had a TARDIS and could travel through time and space. He said that he would want to be there for First Contact – even it was just to make the tea! He also said that he would like to witness his own family history and see if his family’s stories were true.
It was really nice to meet Simon and I hope I meet him again in February when I see his show.
After I met the actors from Doctor Who I trotted around to see what merchandise there was and saw the stars from other Sc-Fi. There were even stars from Red Dwarf and Star Wars including Daft Vader – David Prowse! Ooops, I mean Darth Vader.
There was a Lightning McQueen outside one of the halls and when I went out to take a look, a man honked his horn really really really loud. There was also a huge 35ft Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.
I enjoyed looking at all the Cosplayers and saw a Brigadier Lethbridge – Stewart, a Fourth Doctor and a Tenth Doctor. Someone had brought along a K9 and I thought someone had dressed their dog up so they could get in for free.
Oh, and I bought my first FEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fezzes are cool.
DEF Con 3 was really good fun and I had a great day – I hope they do it again next year.
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll come back soon.
May the force be with you!
I like tea and coffee, fantasy, healthy food and hippie clothing. And I love bright colours.
"Be good to your data, and it'll be good to you."
Random ramblings
A blog for Geeks, ran by Geeks !!!
IF IT HAPPENS IN WHO, IT HAPPENS HERE
My experiences as a Doctor Who and classic TV fan.
My World, according to Ari 😋
The Best Vegan Children's Books
It's all a bit strange really...
Musings about life, the universe and everything.
Doctor Who is my Life and This is the Journey Through it
An on and off the wall examination of all things Doctor Who
football reviews
It's bleeding weird having half the Tudor nobility ligging around on motorized bicycles!
The world of Doctor Who through the eyes of a lifelong fan
You will regret nothing
Project Indigo 