Geek Weekend Part II – Friends and Enemies

After a busy week I’ve finally got the time to post my second part of my trip to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay.  Please note this post does contain the odd spoiler…

Firstly – the ones that used to scare me the most when I was little (and occasionally now!) – the Cybermen.  It was interesting to see the development of the Cyberman over time.  Not surprisingly the older ones, which I vaguely remember from behind the sofa, seemed more frightening, I think it was the gapey mouth!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up, some of the more recent ‘New Who’ baddies – The Foretold (or Mummy) – pretty creepy…  One of my favourite episodes of David Tennant’s regime was The Girl in the Fireplace – here is one of the Clockwork Droids.  I must admit to a ridiculous thought as I walked past that it was going to move!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two more of the most sinister looking enemies of recent years follow – the Peg Dolls and the Smilers (or Winders), together with one of the naughtier Silurians (cover your ears Madame Vastra).  In the reception area they had a Smiler booth – I was very loathe to approach it, what a coward!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Doctor Who enemies collection would be complete without the ubiquitous Daleks.  My little cousin had great fun with the Dalek on the right as you could climb into him and control his weapons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With all these baddies around, thankfully The Doctor does have some friends to help him on the way, old and new.  Firstly the Face of Boe (AKA Captain Jack), and one from my childhood (yes, I am that old!!), with a brief reappearance in David Tennant’s reign, K-9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, some of my favourite recurring characters – the Paternoster Gang – Jenny, the Silurian Madame Vastra and the Sontaran Strax.  They (particularly Strax) seem to get the best lines!   My favourite is from Strax: “I suggest a full frontal assault with automated laser monkeys, scalpel mines and acid.”

 

 

So it’s well worth a trip to Cardiff Bay to visit the Exhibition, and on the way through you get to save the world as well (no spoilers on that, but it’s great fun, interactive and a little bit scary!!)

Happy travelling!

 

Lou x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geek Weekend – Part I – Costumes

Ood afternoon!

Yesterday I accompanied my cousins to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff – highly recommended for any Who fans…

I visited a couple of years ago (during Matt Smith’s Doctor) and they have recently re-energised it and the exhibition with a more interactive Peter Capaldi episode which is at times quite spooky, but very enjoyable.

Afterwards we wandered through the exhibition and bought some goodies at the shop.  More on that later – I thought I would start with the costumes which were quite magnificent.  Please excuse the quality of the pictures as I only had my mobile phone camera on hand…

Firstly, some of Clara’s costumes.  She’s not my my favourite of companions, although she has her moments…  She is so incredibly tiny – I am sure my biceps are wider than her waist!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On to one of my favourites, River Song.  She is an amazingly powerful female character.  One of the things I love about Doctor Who is that they don’t just write in two-dimensional girlie roles.  All of the companions (and now Missy of course!) are complex, usually clever, resourceful and funny.  River Song had (or should we say, has!) this in spades.

On to some of the character costumes – the attention to detail and styling on these were quite astounding up close and personal.

I can’t do a blog on Doctor Who costumes without including The Doctor himself.  Firstly – my first Doctors.  I have no recollection of Jon Pertwee, I think I would have quite enjoyed his incarnation of The Doctor.  The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, was my first Doctor.  I found him extremely scary at the time – big eyes, big hair, very tall and that booming voice (well I was very young!)

As a keen knitter and crocheter, I have always fancied making a scarf or two, based on a variation of Tom Baker’s scarf.  Perhaps one in a thinner, lighter fabric, not so wide and certainly as long as possible – but maybe not quite the 24 feet long scarf that the Fourth Doctor had at one point.

Peter Davison was my favourite at the time, he was quieter, more sensitive and, of course, very handsome!  The celery stalk was a bit of a strange addition to the costume, but it all added to the quirkiness of The Doctor which we all know and love…

 

 

So here they all are – in order, including the War Doctor.

 

My least favourite Doctor was Sylvester McCoy.  He had some fun with the part, but it was no surprise to me that the series was cancelled at that point.

With ‘new Who’ I was thrilled that Christopher Eccleston took the part of The Doctor.  He and Russell T. Davies brought something fresh and new to a character that we all loved, and thought we knew!  but my Doctor is (and probably always will be) Ten – David Tennant (he really was a skinny boy!)

He just encapsulated the role so brilliantly and could play light and shade and everything inbetween.  Although Eccleston brought it back in style, to my mind, it was Tennant and his relationship with Rose that sealed the success that it now is.

Who is your favourite Doctor and why?

Happy geeking!

 

Lou x