"Oh no, not Blackpool again..."

[khaosworks]

Tardis materialises in Blackpool

He may be coming back to our screens next year, but Doctor Who materialises in Blackpool on Friday - nineteen years after he was meant to visit the resort.

The new permanent exhibition about the time lord will be housed in the Golden Mile Centre on the Central Promenade.

A previous Doctor Who exhibition opened in the resort 30 years ago.

A Doctor Who adventure was supposed to be set in Blackpool in 1985, but the planned season was cancelled by Michael Grade, the then BBC One controller.

The new exhibition, which will cost adults £6 and children and senior citizens £4 to visit, will be interactive and house original props and costumes from the series.

These will include several of the Doctor's best-known adversaries such as Daleks, Cybermen and the Sea Devils.

Many of the gadgets that appeared on the show over the years will also feature, including the third Doctor's yellow roadster Bessie and a replica of the Tardis console.

Blackpool businessman and sci-fi fan David Boyle, who is hosting the exhibition, said: "It's perfect timing."

"It's exactly 30 years since the original Doctor Who exhibition opened here in Blackpool and interest in the series is as strong as ever.

"We are confident we have a fascinating exhibition, guaranteed to appeal to all the family, with animated characters, clips and sequences from the show playing on monitor screens and lots of buttons to press."

Richard Hollis, BBC Worldwide's head of licensing, said: "The recent announcement that Doctor Who is returning to our screens means there will soon be a whole new generation of fans, and this exhibition will be the only one in the world to bridge the gap between the old series and the new.

"It's bound to become one of Blackpool's top tourist attractions."

The exhibition has been created by Experience Design, a company licensed to design and mount Doctor Who exhibitions.

The firm's Lorne Martin said: "Visitors will walk through a maze of corridors, with some exhibits displayed in set areas and others museum style.

"The main difference between this exhibition and the original Blackpool exhibition is that there is now a much greater quantity of exhibits on display."

The original exhibition in Blackpool ran from 1974 to 1985.

Doctor Who is set to return to the BBC next year, in a brand new series by the acclaimed writer Russell T Davies and starring Christopher Eccleston as the maverick time lord.

So, um... who wants to go visit it third week of May?