The Doctor Who Experience - Brilliant!

A day out for father & son at The Doctor Who Experience!

As a young lad in the 70s my dad took me to a Dr. Who Exhibition when Tom Baker ruled the roost. I got to touch the TARDIS, run away from all sorts of bad guys and I even shook hands with the Doctor himself. It was fantastic. With this in mind I was very interested to see how the new Dr. Who Experience at Olympia in London would measure up.

I took my five year old son Tom, an expert on all things Doctory and already something of a geek on the tenth and eleventh regenerations. He was thrilled before we even started and as we waited for the initial tour to kick off in the presence of Silurians, his frenzy intensified.

The Doctor Who Experience is divided into two sections: in the first we are led through an adventure featuring visuals of the new Doctor as he talks us through the Dalek Mothership and his own TARDIS in an attempt to

extricate him from the Pandorica. Then, job done, we go through to an exhibition hall where we meet enemies old and new, learn how to march like a Cyberman or walk like a Scarecrow, operate a Dalek and fiddle with another operating console for the new TARDIS.

All of this is carried out in a highly professional manner and the whole caboosh motors along at a cracking pace. Times have certainly moved on. Whereas, as a child, I was happy to merely touch the hallowed wood of his time machine, this now materializes in front of our very eyes and we get the whole experience of working on an actual set of the console. Needless to say that this interactive journey, always overlooked and narrated by a recording of Matt Smith, was at all times exciting and really fun, culminating in a superb 3D presentation as several baddies get sucked through a vortex in time. As you do.

The script is such that it feels as though he is talking to all newcomers (Tom thought it hilarious that The Dr. was referring directly to me in his jibes about baldies) and the experience in the Dalek Mothership is genuinely threatening in the time-honoured Dr.

Who way of being just this side of too-frightening. Tom loved it and I was certainly entertained myself. Judging by the mixture of visitors (some without kids who were old enough to be at the theatre instead, and yet could still be found wandering about an imaginary Time-Lord's world) this hits the mark with any fans of the show, whatever your age.

The second section of The Doctor Who Experience was equally well done and was fascinating. I was

was trying to drag Tom over to look at the original Sontarans whilst he was trying to drag me over to see The Silence.

This was a fabulous day out for both of us. It isn't cheap at around £50 for the best priced family ticket but for fans it is well worth the price. It isn't perhaps something you might have to go to three, four or five times but both Tom and I had a wonderful day out and have memories that we will talk about for years to come. This well worked, clever, fascinating journey through the amazing world of the greatest Time-Lord ever was a brilliant day out and a terrific treat for all. A must!

Dave Fouracre with Tom 5
August 2011

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