With the devastating news that we won't be getting any resolution to the latest Doctor Who cliffhanger when Ncuti Gatwa's 'Doctor' seemingly regenerated into the Time Lord's old companion 'Rose Tyler' (played with glee by Billie Piper) I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and revisit the times I visited the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay, Wales. Whenever I travelled back to see my Welsh family I'd always find the time to check out the latest screen-used costumes, props and set pieces from the iconic BBC show on display at the Doctor Who exhibition and I'd thought that my photos from that time had been lost when my old laptop died and I discovered I hadn't backed up the images. To my surprise (and delight) I was able to power up that laptop the other day and retrieve the missing files, so I thought I'd share an eclectic selection of photos from classic and revival era episodes.
First up is a trio of Doctor costumes and accompanying TARDIS for each from the 50th anniversary Doctor Who special, which saw Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor team up with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor and uncover the secret of John Hurt's 'War Doctor'.
The special also featured the metamorphic Zygon aliens, so make sure you take a closer look at all these costumes and more from The Day of the Doctor.
One of the many cool things that I got to see at this ever-changing Doctor Who Experience were TARDIS interior consoles and set design. This particular retro console was featured for the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors during the Eighties, which was when I grew up watching the sci-fi series.
The exhibition also featured this uncanny Matt Smith waxwork and on this occasion it was dressed in the Doctor's purple Victorian frock coat with fur collar from the 2012 Christmas special, The Snowmen.
The costume beside him is one of Jenna Coleman's 'Clara Oswald' outfits from the show.
Back in the old days the Doctor Who sets and costumes maybe have been a bit wobbly and held together with sticky back plastic, but the villains were always iconic, no more so than 'Davros', the creator of the Daleks. I used to have nightmares about him and the metal killing machines, so be sure to take a look at all these various Generations of the Daleks.
Another formative night terror came in the form of the Cybermen. Alas, poor 'Adric'. The death of the Fourth and Fifth Doctor's Companion really haunted me.
This particular Cyberman and Cyber Conversion Unit are the upgraded versions from the TV revival era, but be sure to also check out other Cybermen designs through the ages.
The revival era not only brought back classic monsters and aliens like the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and more, but they also introduced new and deadly fan-favourite foes like the statue-like Weeping Angels.
Another instantly classic new race of aliens introduced in the new era were the Ood. These scary-looking squid-like aliens share a telepathic hive mind, communicate through an orb-shaped translation device, and were first introduced enslaved by humanity in the 2006 episode, The Impossible Planet.
Another great looking creature introduced in Russell T. Davies revival era was the 'Face of Boe'. This over-sized head with tentacles is an old friend of the Doctor's and in the Last of the Time Lords episode is revealed to be what the immortal 'Captain Jack Harkness' has evolved into in the future.
The reptilian Silurians were also given a makeover in the new era of Doctor Who, like military commander 'Restac' in The Hungry Earth/Cold War two-parter.
The actress under that scaly prosthetic makeup, Neve McIntosh, later went on to play the Victorian-era Silurian lesbian detective, 'Madame Vastra'.
The Doctor and his Companions adventures in time and space also brought him into the path of The Silence in the opening episodes of the sixth season.
These eerie, tall, long-fingered suited aliens with their almost The Scream painting homage faces were a great addition to the Doctor's pantheon of foes.
Christmas specials were also a brilliant strategy for the success of the new era, making the show must-see holiday viewing millions of festive households.
This cryogenic storage chamber and Wood Queen and King props are from 2011's playfully-titled The Doctor, the Widow and The Wardrobe.
Like most classic foes, the Ice Warriors also received an upgraded look for a new generation of viewers.
Be sure to compare this 'Grand Marshal Skaldac' suit from 2013's Cold War episode with Martian Ice Warrior from the 1960s.
And totally letting nostalgia get the best of me here, the Doctor's robotic dog 'K-9' was one of my favourite characters when I was watching when I was younger. I mean what kid wouldn't want a loyal robot dog who fired laser beams?!?
And finally for this collection of photos from my visits in May and December 2013, here's the Third Doctor's canary yellow vintage roadster, 'Bessie', that Jon Pertwee drove when he hung out with UNIT (known at the time as the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) as their scientific advisor.
I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane with all these costumes and props. Let's hope we won't have to wait years into the future before we see Doctor Who back on the small screen.
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