Delight in dodging Daleks
- Publication: Sunday Express
- Date: 1990-10-21
- Author: Sally Staples
- Page: 3
- Language: English
ANYONE venturing into Coventry's Hotel Leofric today for a Sunday lunchtime snifter is in danger of being exterminated.
Not, you understand, by any earthly assassin, but by those menacing aliens of the '60s Daleks.
Hundreds of Dr Who groupies are dodging the dastardly killers this weekend at the 10th "panopticon" of the Dr Who Appreciation Society.
The faithful have come in their hordes from America, Holland, New Zealand and all over Britain to worship at the knee of Jon Pertwee (Dr Who mark 3) and Sylvester McCoy (mark 7) and to pat the metal head of that engaging little dog K-9.
They can play with Cybermen or pop into a police box modelled on the original Tardis that spirited away actor William Hartnell 27 years ago when the series first began and millions of children refused to leave the TV set for that magic half-hour on Saturday evenings.
Since then, Dr Who has been played by more than half a dozen actors, but the series still has a thriving fan club of 1,200 members. Its original viewers have grown up but they stayed loyal.
They rushed to Dr Who's aid in 1985 when Michael Grade postponed the programme indefinitely. It resurfaced after a public outcry.
Now the BBC is under pressure to have more of its programmes made by independent producers.
Peter Lovelady, assistant organiser at the convention, said: "The last series was made 18 months ago and the future seems uncertain."
This weekend 600 people, aged between six and 60, turned up to watch old episodes, chat with actors, producers and special effects operators and wallow in nostalgia.
Joe Nazzaro, from New Jersey, said: "I've only been watching the series for seven years and I've been to Dr Who conventions in the States, but here in Britain it's so wonderful to meet people who work behind the scenes on the show. I think it's so popular in America because of the Britishness. It has a charm you don't get in more slick productions like Star Trek."
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- APA 6th ed.: Staples, Sally (1990-10-21). Delight in dodging Daleks. Sunday Express p. 3.
- MLA 7th ed.: Staples, Sally. "Delight in dodging Daleks." Sunday Express [add city] 1990-10-21, 3. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Staples, Sally. "Delight in dodging Daleks." Sunday Express, edition, sec., 1990-10-21
- Turabian: Staples, Sally. "Delight in dodging Daleks." Sunday Express, 1990-10-21, section, 3 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Delight in dodging Daleks | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Delight_in_dodging_Daleks | work=Sunday Express | pages=3 | date=1990-10-21 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Delight in dodging Daleks | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Delight_in_dodging_Daleks | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 May 2025}}</ref>
