Doctor Who Exhibition Opens in Glasgow
See Daleks, Cybermen and Other Alien Nasties at Kelvingrove Museum
May 17, 2009
The Doctor Who special exhibition at Glasgow’s wonderful Kelvingrove Museum has a charge on the door but is an absolute must for anyone who grew up with the Doctor, especially from its inception back in the days of steam-driven TV. The exhibition is open now through to 4 January 2010, by courtesy of the BBC.
The Early Days of Doctor Who
This long-running episodic science fiction drama commenced on BBC television in November 1963 and the unearthly whooping theme music would have the family running from all corners of the house to watch the Doctor, his various female side-kicks, and sometimes the British army, defeat a variety of aliens threatening the earth.
In Glasgow Museums magazine Preview, Peter Marshall reveals that Doctor Who was originally commissioned as an educational program, but the first episode ‘An Unearthly Child’ introduced the Time Lord and his Tardis (space/time travel machine that looked like a police telephone box), and the concept was so overwhelmingly popular that the show became pure fiction. The original Doctor Who was played by William Hartnell until 1966. Hartnell subsequently died in 1975, aged 67.
The Doctor Who Exhibition at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
What does the avid fan get for his or her 7.50 GBP? The familiar blue Police Box flashing its signs at the entrance whets the appetite. Entrance is through a dark corridor and exhibits are in black-walled chambers and are highlit with coloured lighting for effect.
Immediately, some of Dr Who’s most virulent enemies are ranged against the viewer – the cybermen. Metal bodies gleaming in the space and reflected in mirrors to give the effect of a huge army, they will chill anyone who remembers them.
Another spooky exhibit that many sidle past anxiously is the Stone Angel, vampire teeth bared in a wide-mouthed snarl, and clawed fingers outstretched to trap the unwary.
The best is saved till last: the Daleks are waiting to screech “Exterminate” in that familiar rising metallic tone. Behind them are large screen clips from the series to remind the visitor just how ugly they could get.
Latex Alien Figures at the Doctor Who Exhibition
The most intriguing exhibits are the full length creations of Hath, with gas-mask like snout; the grotesque Abzorbaloff, with various human faces emerging from the stretched skin of his belly; little Moxx of Balhoon, seated with his stomach draped on the floor between his legs and his elongated octopus-like skull; and bull-necked Sontaran from Series 4. It is hard not to be repulsed and impressed by the wrinkly Face of Boe, a huge head over 1 metre round, trapped in a Perspex cylinder.
Behind the Scenes Exhibits at the Doctor Who Workshop
The creative genius of Neill Gordon, who has manufactured some 40 alien creatures since 2005, is celebrated with a step-by-step display of how a creature is designed and cast in plaster, turned intoa latex figure, then painted.
As well, a model of the design for the interior of the Tardis is on display, various original sketches of creatures, and clothing worn by various doctors and the young ladies who featured in their lives. The exhibits are accompanied by explanatory posters, describing the plotline for the episodes that featured certain alien characters.
The endearing robot dog K9 is there as well. The displays mentioned are only representational: this exhibition has many great characters from the 40 year reign of the TV series to inspect and will bring back memories for many viewers. It is certainly well worth a visit while the display is in Glasgow this year. If Glasgow seems too far away, the BBC has also placed similar exhibitions at Coventry, Lands End, Blackpool and Cardiff, and it appears that each has a slightly different range of characters and costumes. For complete details of displays, check out the BBC Doctor Who site.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
