View source for Whoies Hold Fan Panopticon

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| publication = The Victoria Advocate
| file = 1985-07-16 Victoria Advocate.jpg
| px = 250
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| date = 1985-07-16
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| language = English 
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| categories = conventions
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| text = 
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  In an unlikely combination of Mardi Gras and the latest in time travel fans of a venerable and quirky British television show that has spawned an American cult brought their annual convention here over the weekend.

Nearly 1,000 Companions of Dr Who taking then name from their science fiction hero, descended on the International Hotel for what they called the North American Time Festival's annual Panopticon.

Despite the 92-degree heat, many fans came dressed as Dr Who, who favors an overcoat, floppy hat and 20-foot scarf wound round his neck. The British Broadcasting Corp series is aired, in bits and pieces, on stations throughout the United States.

To the uninitiated, Panopticon was a jumble of unintelligible inside jokes, puns on the word "who," and jabs at the BBC, which intermittently threatens to cancel the 23-year-old show.

"They are way out gone" said one hotel worker, surveying the unconventional gathering of fans, who are nicknamed Whoies.

But to those expert in the lore of Who, Panopticon offered a chance to swap trade secrets on any subject from time travel to fantasy board games.

The TV show features the adventures of Dr Who, who travels throughout time and space in a craft disguised as a police call box. His space vehicle is indistinguishable at rest fromn booths found on London streets that Britons use to call the police in emergencies

Six actors have played Dr Who in the series because the character has a regenerative ability that necessitates reducing the lead's age every five years or so, as the doctor grows younger.

The fifth doctor, Tom Baker, came to the Panopticon along with supporting actor Nicholas Courtney, who portrays another character, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The two attended guest panels and autograph sessions.

Charlie Duval, Companions' local chairman and leading organizer of the convention, said. "We're here to be bonkers."

Companions come from all walks of life, he said. I'm an accountant. We have lawyers, salesmen, computer programmers, you name it. A little of everyone."

There were near constant screenings of Dr Who episodes, old and new. For some programs it was the American premiere.

"Dr Who has something for everybody," said Betty Lou Powell, one of the New Orleans volunteers at the convention. "It appeals to your sense of adventure." 

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