Golden Mile Years - The Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition #5

By 1983 it seemed as if perhaps there had been some sort of backblast backlash – how else to explain the fact that this year the corridors were extremely dark with the carpet or floor or whatever being more like an inky void. The exhibits ranged from a Gundan that seemed to be headbanging through a line up of the Time Lord council, Omega and his bird (the Ergon), a Dalek running rings around a totally out of it Davros and displays from `Mawdryn Undead` and `Terminus` One exhibit in the corridor was a montage of various costumes but sadly only lit up once an hour! Darkness was in that year!

Something very wonderful and strange!

Why does a two part story broadcast 33 years ago leave such a strong impression? Maybe it’s because while it contains many elements you might expect to encounter in an Eighties Doctor Who story, `The Awakening` cuts out a lot of the filler that often extended stories unnecessarily cutting to the essence of the series. In a lot of ways it’s similar to the series we have now- 50 minutes of mystery, excitement. It is indeed something very wonderful and strange! Little was known by fans about Eric Pringle before he wrote it and the story proved to be his sole contribution to Doctor Who. This always seemed a shame as he appeared to have found a way to create a well thought out story packed with interesting characters, an alien with real visual impact and romps along at quite a rate. I used to think it should have been 3 parts but now I realise it is perfect as it is.

Golden Mile Years - The Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition #4

By the early 1980s the Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition had become established as a major attraction for the resort and a destination for fans from all over the UK who would badger their parents to let them go. Each year the exhibits would change so as to include costumes and props from that year’s series. By 1981 Doctor Who itself had changed with a refreshed look and a new Doctor in the form of Peter Davison. The final Tom Baker series though was in the spotlight for the 1981 displays with something from each story which you could see for the entrance fee which was now 40p! 

How to deal with changes in Doctor Who

Things on a long running television programme cannot stay the same and they will change which doesn’t always sit well with people. Fans however are well versed in the art of dealing with change and it seems appropriate, as we wait for a new Doctor to be announced, to bring together the sum of their experiences. When these things happen all you have to do to get through it is follow the standard response patterns in this handy dandy guide. Just work your way through each step and you’ll be fine. There, there.

#1 A new Doctor is cast. “Who’s Next? It’s Patrick Housego!”

• OMG Not Patrick Housego
• He will ruin the series
• He’d be better off cast as The Master
• Actually he was ok in that historical series
• Oh the costume looks ok
• Maybe he won’t be too bad
• He’s the best Doctor since Tom Baker
• I hope he never leaves
• What! He’s leaving after only three years. The series is finished!!

Golden Mile Years - The Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition #3

By 1976 the Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition had established itself as one of the resort’s premier attractions and once again the contents had evolved. This year the displays began at the foot of the staircase over which a Pteradactyl from 'Invasion of the Dinosaurs' was suspended and then there was a  `Terror of the Zygons'  display featuring Broton and another Zygon with bits of their organic technology; all lit spookily behind glass casing to give an underwater effect.  On the wall beside this was some artwork depicting the first three Doctors transforming one to another. Next was a full size Krynoid with some of its tentacles thrashing madly; close up this really did seem impressive.