Hi! and Welcome to MBH's memories of the DR WHO Exhibition at Longleat.
My name is Mark and I have no Doubt
that my story starts the same as anyone elses... perhaps yours...
When I was a child, my parents took
me to visit Longleat regularly and like so many, I became quite fixated with one particular attraction.
After all,
Its very rare to have a TV show as exciting and ever-changing as DR WHO, which also has an exhibition dedicated to it
- and as we lived in Bristol it wasn't too far to go.
I have been very lucky in my time, not only to visit
the exhibition on many occasions, but as a young adult I got a Job there through Tim Bentley (Estate attractions Manager)
who asked me to work in the exhibition during the mid 1990's as a weekend and holiday job.
I regularly
had to dress up as a Cyberman or a Timelord and after acquiring the top section of an old BBC Dalek prop from JNT, I
eventually built the bottom half to complete it, adding to the fun by trundling around in THAT!! (This time marked the
advent of such online groups as The Dalek Builders Guild etc, so I wasn't alone in my build project and from this moment
on, Daleks ceased to be RARE - and in subsequent events we were inundated with Daleks of all shapes, heights and colours).
Due to a Tour with The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, I stopped working there before the fire in 1996 and returned
afterwards, but payed a visit or two during the aftermath and re-fit to help out and take lots of pictures!
I
also attended the infamous 1983 convention at the tender age of 8 at which I met Peter Davison and Janet Feilding but
was too young to know what to say and simply told them I liked them very much!
Later, in 2001-2003 I worked for Lorne
Martin at the last three DR WHO days accompanied by the wonderful The Hyde Fundraisers and other high profile fans.
The Dalek for which I built the bottom section was housed in the exhibition with the Giant Robot, and later deeper in the
exhibition with The Dalek and Davros in the enclosure itself, which made it much harder to get to! This Dalek was
known in fan circles and the various online clubs as 'DALI' (how original) and I sold my build bits many
moons ago, but retained the top section - so I no longer know its where-abouts...
After graduating from The Bristol Old
Vic in 1997 I was fortunate enough to immediatley get a theatrical job or two Directed by the late
John Nathan-Turner, all his shows were choreographed by Gary Downie. I also worked with Richard Franklin,
David Rodan and also at corporate and DR WHO themed events or conventions with Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Nicholas
Courtney, Sophie Aldred, Frazer Hines and Mark Strickson. Whilst training at The Bristol Old Vic, I worked with a student
Director called Derek - who turned out to be married to Nicola Bryant, Perry! - it seemed that DR WHO followed me everywhere...
More recently, whilst working on a pilot TV show for ITV, I met A Cyberman which turned out to be Kevin from The WHO
SHOP, and I've only just found out that while I've been talking to one of my work collegues (called Keith) for years,
I had no idea that he once played The Raston Warrior Robot - in The Five Doctors!!!! - and now I see him every other
day in a whole NEW way! - so DR WHO has always been part of my life and thoughts. It is of great interest to me
both as a fan and as a collector and since the recent 2010 auction at Bonhams - where I re-lit the fires of friendship
with costume designer June Hudson
and the BBC 's resident DR WHO expert, Andrew Beech - my interest in 'The Classic DR WHO' has
intensified and I felt compelled to create this web site, so that others may share in my memories and enjoy all the pictures
which I have taken and collected - ALL in one place... ENJOY!
