Day Of The Doctors

This weekend was Day Of The Doctors, the latest one-day convention organised by Tenth Planet Events.

Day of the Doctors - 14th March 2015

the headline guests are Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker, however, Peter had to drop out at short notice, so we are getting Sylvester McCoy instead.

There are also a number of other guests attending, ranging from the Valeyard himself Michael Jayston, to Cyber Leader David Banks, and David Collings who appeared in no less than three classic series adventures and genre-crossing legend David Warner.


Now, I am sorry for being slow on the uptake here, but the inclusion of David Banks threw me a bit. What I hadn’t quite twigged was all the guests (bar a couple of also-rans) had at some point played “The Doctor” - hence the title of the convention.

The Valeyard was The Doctor’s 13th regeneration; David Collings had played The Doctor for a reimagined Big Finish production and David Banks as you will hear played the part on stage when Jon Pertwee fell ill, but more on that later.

With Tom in attendance I thought I’d wear my Denys Fisher doll costume, with the intention of getting my photo taken with him. This was the first time I had worn it to a UK convention and a number of people understood it straight away, which was cool.

Usually I find the Tenth Planet events to be well planned and run, but on this occasion they were experimenting with a new format which frankly didn’t work for me.

The morning was taken up by the obligatory photocalls, but this time around the main hall was used like a mass holding area, with a form of seated queuing system before being called through for respective photos.

While this was happening there was absolutely no alternative programme to watch. So after I got my photo with Tom I was left with little to do before the main interview sessions kicked off.

So in the meantime I caught up with Rob, one of my blog readers who has made his own Sixth Doctor Frock Coat. Seeing it close up I was VERY impressed with what he had done. It is not the easiest of garments to take on, so I have massive respect for anyone with the guts to make it working solely from photos as reference material.



I was especially impressed with his hand-stitched appliqué strip in the rear of the coat, something I have seen others either get wildly wrong or completely omit as it is beyond their skill-set.

We had a good natter about the ins and outs of the collar and lapels, as well as sourcing the fabrics needed.

One of my other clients was attending wearing his Sixth Doctor Frock Coat that I had made him, and if you accept that my colours are matched directly from a screen-worn coat, you can see how well he has matched his own version.

I only had one photo shoot booked, with Tom Baker, so once that had happened I had a pretty dull morning, since  it wasn’t until 2pm before things really got going.

When I showed Tom the doll he totally got the costume and was more than happy to pop the doll in his top pocket, making for a cool picture!

Once everyone had their photoshoots done, it was time for the first interview panel.

First up we had Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy in a Doctor Who double-act. they were their usual selves, slightly bickering, always entertaining.

Then at 3pm Michael Jayston, David Collings and David Warner took to the stage to discuss their times on Doctor Who, playing The Doctor themselves, as well as talking about other sci-fi programmes they were involved with.

David Warner was particularly interesting to hear talk about working on Star Trek. Predictably he said the worst part was the make-up - but unpredictably it was having it removed at the end of the day that he hated the most.

He said it was fine going into work early and just snoozing while the make-up artists applied it. The human cast were arrive a bit later and after a days work they would go home - but those with prosthetics had to go through another hour or so in the make-up chair while it was carefully removed. You don’t immediately think of that aspect to it.

At 3.45pm it was the turn of David Banks and Trevor Martin. This was the stalking horse of the event and for me was bar far the best interview of the day.

Trevor Martin had played The Doctor on stage in Doctor Who And The Daleks In The Seven Keys To Doomsday. Written in 1974 by long-time contributor Terrance Dicks, it was a form of parallel universe interpretation to Doctor Who, with the play opening with the Third Doctor regenerating into the Trevor Martin version of the Fourth Doctor.


Trevor interpreted the role in his own way, creating his own regeneration. That really is the beauty of the series - it can be perpetually reinvented and still remain just as valid.

The same could be said for Doctor Who The Ultimate Adventure. Staged in 1989 and starring Jon Pertwee, it was planned as a twenty theatre tour.



After less than a month in the role Jon fell ill and had to bow out, so David Banks who was playing the villain of the piece (and was Jon’s understudy) had to step up and take on the lead part.

Jon did briefly return to the part, but handed over to Colin Baker who took over for the rest of the run.

Finally at 4.40pm it was the turn of David Gooderson and Peter Miles.

Both actors come from the world of Davros, with David having played the iconic part on Destiny Of The Daleks, and Peter was his right-hand man in Genesis Of The Daleks.

I met David only a couple of months back at Gallifrey One in Los Angeles. He is the nicest, sweetest and most softly spoken guy you could imagine - far from his villainous screen persona.
Peter on the other hand was a bit more abrasive and abrupt during the interview. Happy to talk, but no time for messing around.

All in all it was a good day, with some great guests and insightful interviews. I hope they don't repeat the morning format again - it didn’t work for me!

Barking Signing - 1st November 2014

I so much enjoyed last month’s signing session in Barking, today I am going to the next one!

Barking Signing - 1st November 2104

Of the guests attending, I already have Sarah Sutton and Nicola Bryant in my book, So aside from Sally Kenynette (who was in Blake’s Seven and not Doctor Who) I am going to gather all the rest.

SARAH SUTTON played Nyssa in Doctor Who from The Keeper of Traken to Terminus as well as Ann Talbot in Black Orchid. She also made a cameo appearance as Nyssa in The Caves of Androzani and reprised the role in the thirtieth anniversary special Dimensions in Time.


NICOLA BRYANT played companion Perpugilliam "Peri" Brownfrom Planet of Fire to Mindwarp. She later reprised the role for Dimensions in Time and has since appeared in many Doctor Who video and audio spin-offs.




SALLY KNYVETTE On screen Knyvette is best known for her roles as Jenna Stannis in the first two seasons of the British science fiction series Blake’s 7. She later complained of her role that Jenna had ”started off as this really exciting, intergalactic space pirate, but then she became a sort of housewife on the Liberator”.

PHILIP OLIVIER is an English actor who portrays Seventh Doctor companion Hex in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories.



ROBIN SQUIRE played the lead Auton in the original Spearhead From Space series, filmed in September 1969.


WENDY PADBURY played companion Zoe Heriot from The Wheel in Space to The War Games and again in The Five Doctors.

Barking Signing - 27th September 2014

This weekend, for the first time ever, I went to one of Tenth Planet Events signing events in Barking, East London.

Barking Signing
27th September 2014

I was drawn to go by the appearance of a Doctor Who celebrity I have always wanted to meet and never had the chance - and no, for once it wasn’t Colin Baker!

Character actress Janet Henfrey has been on our screens for well over 40 years, and she has taken her portrayal of hard bitten spinster types to incredible heights striking fear into me as a youngster on serval occasions.

She appeared in The Curse Of Fenric as the village busy body, and was known for the part of the housekeeper in As Time Goes By.

But for me it was the domineering school teacher she played in two of playwright Dennis Potter’s tv serials that stand out for me.

It was a role she first played in 1965 for Stand Up Nigel Barton (uttering the title line with ear splintering authority) and again in The Singing Detective in 1986. Remembering she was only 30 years old when she played it first time around, it is a remarkable performance.

So to walk into the room and see her sitting there waiting to sign autographs was amazing.

She is a particularly welcome addition to my book and I had a wonderful private chat with her while the autograph queues were quiet.

Once over my star-struck moment (and I don’t have them often) I gathered the other signatures I needed then waited for the interview session to kick off.

COLIN BAKER played the sixth incarnation of the Doctor from 1984 to 1986, beginning with the concluding scene of The Caves of Androzani and ending with The Ultimate Foe.


Colin was on good form for the interview session, recounting stories of his work, mainly prior to and after Doctor Who, was was a refreshing change to hear.

STEPHEN MARCUS is a British actor, best known for his role as Nick the Greek in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Stephen Marcus played the jailer in the Doctor Who episode The Shakespeare Code.

Stephen proved to be the quiet gentleman of the panel, and was such a contrast to the gruff and thuggish characters he plays on screen. He goes to show how a career as a true character actor can be built on looks and perception and not personality.

JEMMA CHURCHILL voiced Lady Forleon in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio story Creatures of Beauty. She has an extensive resumé of work on British television, with roles on Waiting for God, with Graham Crowden; EastEnders; Verity Lambert's Jonathan Creek with Stuart Milligan; The Bill, and Red Dwarf.


Jemma was enormous fun to listen to and she floored everyone - Colin Baker included - when she revealed she is the daughter of Pauline Yates, an actress well known for her part as Reggie Perrin wife in The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin.

JANET HENFREY played Miss Hardaker in the Doctor Who story The Curse of Fenric. She also voiced Mrs Vanguard in the Big Finish Productions Jago and Litefoot story The Spirit Trap.


As you have already read, I am a little in awe of Janet.

She wasn’t being asked as many questions as the other guests, so I took the opportunity to ask her publicly about those two roles that as so emblazoned on my memory. It brought back happy times for her and she thanked me afterwards for putting the question, which was so sweet.

CHLOE ANNETT She played Angela Mortimer, the great-niece of Mrs Pumphrey and the love interest of Tristan Farnon, in one episode of All Creatures Great and Small.
In the early 1990s she played the part of Stiffy Byng and Gertrude Winkworth, in Granada's series Jeeves and Wooster, based on the novels of P. G. Wodehouse.

Annett remains best known for taking over the role as Kristine Kochanski in the seventh and eighth series of Red Dwarf, a role which she reprised in the final part of the 2009 special, Red Dwarf: Back to Earth.

MATTHEW DALE is a British actor from Dorchester. He has appeared on a variety of television series including Kitchen Criminals and Stella. His first appearance in the Doctor Who universe was in Mark Gatiss's penned story, Robot of Sherwood.


This was pretty much Matthew’s first convention appearance, so he was a bit like a rabbit in headlight. He was very genuine and had the audience slack jawed when he revealed he had just finished a small part on the new Star Wars film!

Aside from the signing session, nothing else important happened today.

Six Frock coat vs Special Weapons Dalek!

Just had a great day out celebrating all thing Sylvester McCoy at the BFI.

You maybe aware that each month the BFI has been screening a Doctor Who adventure - and since this is July, Remembrance Of The Daleks was being screen to represent the Seventh Doctor, with both Sylvester and Sophie in attendance.

You can read the full story over on my Seventh Doctor Blog, but what you might have missed is I wore my Ultimate Sixth Doctor Frock Coat for a small photoshoot before hand.

Due to unpresidented demand the ticked for the past few screenings have been allocated by a ballot system, and unfortunately I missed out - or so I thought.

A few weeks ago one of my clients, Tom Nichols, who has a small business hiring out Daleks and TARDISs for event, got in touch to ask if I was going to the BFI screening. It turned out he had offered to display his Special Weapons Dalek in the foyer, and had received the promise of a couple of tickets in return.

He wasn’t familiar with the area, but I thought it an unmissable opportunity to take his Special Weapons Dalek to Windmill Walk, where the Daleks have a pitched battle in episode three of the serial.

The location is barely three streets from the BFI, so Tom jumped at the idea.

We had some fun getting some great pictures of the Dalek in situe, and a number of slack-jawed passers by also grabbed a few shape too.

It was amazing to see it on the very spot where 25 years earlier it had been trundling along, obliterating Daleks as it went.

We then drove over to the BFI, where we were welcomed by security and shown where the Dalek was to be set up.

Tom was very easy going about it, and was happy for it to sit there unattended for the duration of the afternoon as a talking point and photo opportunity for everyone passing through. Some ropes were supplied to cordon it of, so all was good.

My full review of the screening can be read 7th Doctor Costume Blog: Perks of the blog - part two

I just want to say a BIG thank you to Tom Nichols for letting me tag along and help him set up the Dalek - and for getting me into a screening I thought I had missed out on!