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| + | #REDIRECT [[Whoies Play Doctor At Convention In New Orleans]] |
| − | | publication = The Victoria Advocate
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| − | | file = 1985-07-16 Victoria Advocate.jpg
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| − | | date = 1985-07-16
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| − | | language = English
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| − | | categories = conventions
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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.
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| − | "They are way out gone" said one hotel worker, surveying the unconventional gathering of fans, who are nicknamed Whoies.
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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
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| − | 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.
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| − | 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.
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| − | Charlie Duval, Companions' local chairman and leading organizer of the convention, said. "We're here to be bonkers."
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| − | 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."
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| − | There were near constant screenings of Dr Who episodes, old and new. For some programs it was the American premiere.
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| − | "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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