Doctor Who Festival 2

After the Millennium FX talk we had three hours or so free for visiting the main exhibition area (we hadn't booked for any of the photo sessions).

I for once succumbed to the merchandising, buying a Pandorica scarf for £27. The day before I had been tempted by an Escher Metamorphosis scarf at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, but thought £75 was a bit steep, so I was an easy target.  I also bought a Dalek soft toy for my German colleague.  Yes, I did use the words 'Dalek soft toy'.  (The Dalek is now keeping up the grand tradition of adorning an office in a major university).  My husband dithered about buying a burgundy 4th Doctor scarf and eventually succumbed - with unfortunate consequences.

We caught the end of an ‘Act Like a Monster’ talk with Nick Briggs and Barnaby Edwards and later watched a ‘Director’s Class’ with Douglas Mackinnon, who took some volunteers through the Rupert Pink’s bedroom scene from Listen.  They did pretty well, considering the script had been thrust into their hands just a moment or two before, but having seen that, I appreciate the talent of the professionals all the more.

The prop and costume exhibition was all from the latest series.  It's difficult to get excited about Clara's costumes, which are just normal clothes. Missy, Osgood and Lady Me/Ashildr's costumes were much more interesting.  I probably wouldn't have recognised Leandro's costume without a label, as he really didn't make that much of an impression.  The exhibition also included a Zygon pod and the confession dial. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of that...

Zygon pod

Missy's new costume

Lady Me's costume

Osgood's costume

Props

Merchandise, Merchandise

One of the advantages/perils of being known to be a Doctor Who fan, is that people give you merchandise as gifts.

In the dark days of the mid-nineties, my leaving present from a job included David Banks' Cybermen book and a poster of the Daleks crossing Westminster Bridge. The poster duly graced my office wall in my next two jobs.

Then there was the inflatable Dalek that a couple of History professors left outside my office.

But books and Daleks, whether in photo or blow-up formats are fine.  Jigsaws are another matter entirely.

Don't get me wrong, Vincent and the Doctor and The Pandorica Opens are great stories, but the person who thought that the Van Gogh picture of the exploding TARDIS would make an excellent jigsaw should have both his ears cut off.  

The colleague who gave me this abomination wanted photographic proof of the completed article, all 2,000 pieces of it.  All the pieces were either dark blue, or multi-coloured swirls that could have gone anywhere. The only place to do it was my dining table, so I had an added incentive to complete it, or never have Sunday lunch again.

It took six weeks....