LONDON: Travels with the Time Lord

Apr 5 2008 by Paul Cole, Liverpool Daily Post

WHERE'S a sonic screwdriver when you need one? asks Paul Cole at the Doctor Who exhibition in London

"OH HELLO. You're just in time.' The voice is unmistakable. It's David Tennant. Or rather Doctor Who.

"A reading this far on the scale can only indicate that there are Daleks in the vicinity. Right here in London."

He breaks off distractedly as if sensing some great universal truth. "Oh no, no, no, no, no. Don't tell me a rift in time and space has been opened!"

There are, in fact, all manner of aliens lurking in the basement of the Earls Court exhibition centre in London. Virtually all the nasties from the revived sci-fi show are here.

If Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant has faced them, then so shall you.

From the tiny Dalek emperor floating in a glass case to the room-sized spider Empress of Racnoss, the original props are here to scare you back behind the sofa.

"Welcome to the end of the world" reads the message scrawled on the wall as you enter a subterranean maze of dark passageways where menace lurks round every corner.

From the Auton shop mannequins that scared young Rose Tyler so badly to the 10ft tall Slitheen, all baby face and giant pincers, it's Who heaven for fans.

There's the strongman Sycorax warrior defeated by Eccleston ("Why shouldn't I have a Northern accent? Every planet has a north"). And speaking of up north, there's the bloated Abzorbaloff memorably hammed up by Peter Kay, the faces of his victims still bulging in his belly.

The frightening feline Sisters of Plenitude are here; cosmetic surgery addict Cassandra is stretched out; the ugly Ood make several sinister appearances.

Then there are the seriously scary villains - the shambling Scarecrow, the clockwork tick-tock terror that brought violence to Versailles; the stone angel that you had to watch carefully. Blink and you're dead.

There are good guys, too. The Face of Boe floats in his tank (can he really be Cap'n Jack Harkness?); K9 wags his tail and rotates his ears; there are costumes worn by Rose Tyler and Martha Jones.

Each area boasts giant video screens replaying action scenes to match the exhibits, and there are touch screens so you can recap on any episode from the most recent three series. The TARDIS Chromakey Dome uses blue screen technology to put you at the helm of the most famous police box in the galaxy, and several figures leap into action at the touch of a big red button.

One gallery takes you through the process of making a monster, with the actual models and moulds used to create the Ood. You can even make the ugliest of the villains blink and frown.

It's bang up to date, with the Host - those angry angels from the Titanic Christmas special - guarding the exit. And speaking of angels, there's the cheeky chambermaid outfit worn by Kylie!

Organisers promise that fresh exhibits will be added as episodes from the new series are screened on BBC1 from tonight. Watch the show screens carefully and there's a sneak preview of what's to come.

But, of course, no Doctor Who spectacular would be complete without the oldest enemies of all. And they're a devastating double act. Between them, they've conquered the Earth more than once.