The Daleks in my bedroom
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- Publication: Ashbourne News Telegraph
- Date: 2005-05-18
- Author: Tim Baker
- Page:
- Language: English
IT'S Saturday night one weekend in 1974 and a young Tim Baker has been placed in front of the television by his mother to keep him quiet.
One of the most famous theme tunes of all time plays and the youngster is immediately captivated by what he sees and hears. Tonight, he is watching Doctor Who, starring Jon Pertwee, and it is one of the best things he has ever seen. "I was enthralled with it," he says. "My attention was focused on that programme and after that I would watch it every week without saying a word.
"The music was very distinctive -- it's either the music or the Daleks that scare people." However, while the merest snippet of the theme music was enough to have even the most hardened viewer cowering behind the sofa, Tim sat firmly in front of the television, enjoying every minute. Soon, the avid young fan began receiving Doctor Who-related presents for birthdays and Christmas, including toys and annuals. Three decades later, the 32-year-old now has hundreds of Doctor Who pieces in his collection, including toys, books and actual props from the cult show. These include a cyberman mask, a 2ft replica Dalek from two Doctor Who films made in the 1960s, a Tardis key and a sonic screwdriver. However, pride of place in his collection goes to the genuine Dalek standing guard in his bedroom, in all its fibre-glass glory. Standing 5ft 3in tall, the Dalek first appeared in the 1960s, with Tim lucky enough to get his hands on one at an auction in 1996. Not only can a fully grown man fit inside it, the Dalek also boasts flashing lights, an authentic 'sink plunger' protruding from the front and casters, which can be steered from inside, enabling the arch-enemy of the Doctor to move about (although, unsurprisingly, stairs may pose something of a problem). Although Jon Pertwee was the first Doctor Who he watched, much of Tim's childhood was spent following the exploits of virtual namesake Tom Baker's exploits as the time-travelling hero. "He's my favourite Doctor," he says. "He is the one I grew up with and he draws on the alien quality of the Doctor, because Tom Baker is very eccentric in real life." While Tim is obviously glued to the current series running on BBC1, starring Christopher Eccleston and sidekick Billie Piper, he still feels that it does not quite capture the essence of the original, extremely low-budget programme. "I think it was old school British TV at its best," he says. "When it first came out, they borrowed the blue police box from the set of Dixon of Dock Green because they couldn't afford anything else. "Although I personally like the new TV series, and they have brought it up to where it should be, for me it lacks something of the original. "The original, for me, conjures up memories of Saturday teatime with the Generation Game and Basil Brush, while the new series does not generate that." But what is it about Doctor Who that has kept Tim's attention for the last three decades? "He is the ultimate all-round hero," says Tim. "He is always on the side of right, he's anti-establishment and you can empathise with him." Unusually, however, Tim has found himself able to empathise with new assistant Rose, played by Billie Piper, more than the Doctor. "I've never empathised with the Doctor's assistants before," he says, "but I can relate to her more than the Doctor this time."
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- APA 6th ed.: Baker, Tim (2005-05-18). The Daleks in my bedroom. Ashbourne News Telegraph .
- MLA 7th ed.: Baker, Tim. "The Daleks in my bedroom." Ashbourne News Telegraph [add city] 2005-05-18. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Baker, Tim. "The Daleks in my bedroom." Ashbourne News Telegraph, edition, sec., 2005-05-18
- Turabian: Baker, Tim. "The Daleks in my bedroom." Ashbourne News Telegraph, 2005-05-18, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=The Daleks in my bedroom | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/The_Daleks_in_my_bedroom | work=Ashbourne News Telegraph | pages= | date=2005-05-18 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 April 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=The Daleks in my bedroom | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/The_Daleks_in_my_bedroom | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 April 2024}}</ref>
