Attraction Profile
www.parkworld-online.com
Pandorica (3D theatre)
Following the walk-through, visitors enter the exhibition area, tracing almost 50 years of the Doctor Who legacy. Around 85% of the artefacts displayed are originals used in the making of the TV series, including a TARDIS set from 2005. Fans will also enjoy the interactive areas including Walk like a Monster and The Sounds of Doctor Who.
the attraction. For Sarner creative director and Doctor Who fan Michael Bennett, it was a dream job. “This has been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on,” he confirms. “There are so many magical moments that have never been seen or experienced at any of the Doctor Who exhibitions of the past, from walking through the doors of the infamous blue police box, experiencing a TARDIS take off or walking through the dank, dark forest of the Weeping Angels.” Bennett’s original storyboards and scripts were edited by Steven Moffat, the TV show’s executive producer, who injected a little humour and translated the speech into the words of the Doctor. Matt Smith, the show’s lead actor since last year, appears in several scenes filmed exclusively for the attraction.
Visitors walk through five sets, in groups of up to 55. A simple but effective start to the experience is the sequence where the screen splits in half after the pre- show film, and the audience is invited into the heart of the story. After a briefing from the Doctor in Star Ship UK, the TARDIS screeches into view from behind a bookcase and guests step inside, where everything is larger than they expect – just like on the TV show. A motion base provides an added thrill as the TARDIS takes flight.
3D Effects
During the Dalek battle, which pitches two generations of the Doctor’s oldest adversaries against one another, audiences witness a spectacular space vista combining CGI footage with a 24-metre painted backdrop. Later the Daleks reappear alongside the Weeping Angels in a 3D film using effects that might appear a little clichéd were they not so effective.
“Everyone is really pleased with the 3D,” notes Bennett. “What we have produced – with all this stuff coming out at you – you just couldn’t do in a motion picture, but for a short sequence in an attraction like this it works.” Surpsrisingly, there are no roaming aliens or other scary characters in the walk-through section of the show, but this may happen over the Halloween period. For now it’s important the Doctor Who Experience remains accessible to all ages (particularly school groups), while also being fully automated. At the heart of the attraction a sophisticated multiprocessor computer that ensures a seamless and reliable show every time.
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The BBC connection meant Sarner had no shortage of companies keen to offer their services, and the 3D, together with other CGI sequences, were produced by Prime Focus. Other suppliers included Cardiff Theatrical Services (CTS), responsible for building several of the sets, whose experience with touring productions means they will be relatively easy to reassemble when the Dr Who Experience finally leaves Olympia. “We were keen to launch in London because of the potential footfall,” reveals Al-Lach, “but eventually the plan is move it all to Cardiff [the Welsh capital that is home to Doctor Who’s production unit] where it will become a permanent exhibition.” BBCWorldwide hopes to get half a million vistitors by the end of the year-long run in London, where the Doctor Who Experience goes head to head with other short-stay visitors attractions including Madame Tussauds, Ripley’s Believe It or Not and the London Dungeon and. It’s also pitched at a similar price level, with tickets starting at £15.50 ($25.20/€18.25). What could restrict its appeal to tourists is the colloquial nature of the Doctor Who franchise, which enjoys limited success overseas.
Olympia, which is hosting an attraction of this kind for the first time, is also relatively poorly served by London’s underground “tube” network. Short, sweet, but also rather good, the Doctor Who Experience is nevertheless worth seeing, and many industry professionals will be able to just that this September when the Euro Attractions Show rolls into town next door at Olympia’s Grand Hall and National Halls. Sarner – and the Doctor – will be waiting for you.
www.doctorwhoexperience.com Inside the TARDIS
Doctor Who?
Since the BBC TV series debuted in 1963, 11 actors have played the Doctor Who lead role, including current incumbent Matt Smith.
Other than a one-off film for television, no new episodes were made throughout the 1990s, but in 2005 Doctor Who returned with a bang, fusing 21st Century effects with the kind of humour and eccentricity that have made the show a uniquely British hit. Directed by Russell T Davies, Christopher Ecclestone took the title role, replaced after a just a year by David Tenant, who stayed on until early 2010 when both he and Davies departed. Despite the some of the themes featured in the programme, which include regular alien encounters, the programme is required family viewing. A new series is due to screen in the UK this spring, and the franchise remains a major revenue generator for BBC Worldwide, which has also exported it to over 50 countries, including the USA and Australia. Spin-offs include Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho
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