The Doctor Who Experience (London 20th Feb - 30th Nov 2011)

[straydogstrut]

I recently took my 6 year old nephew to see this, so I thought it might be useful to post a review of sorts incase anyone else is considering going.

Tickets

The following includes a £1.50 booking fee:

Adult: £17
Child (5-16 yrs): £13.50
Child (under 5 yrs): FREE
Family Ticket (buy in 4s): £12.50*

*at least one adult, and no more than 2, must attend to qualify for the Family Ticket

The following basically get you souvenir tickets, brochures and gifts.

Adult Silver Ticket: £30
Child Silver Ticket (5 - 16 yrs): £26.50
Adult Gold Ticket: £40
Child Gold Ticket (5-16 yrs): £36.50
Enhanced Family Ticket (buy in 4s): £21.75

Link to the info page and ticket bookings here.

Getting there

The exhibition is based at Olympia 2 and the nearest tube station is Kensington (Olympia) on the London Overground line. We found it very difficult to actually get to as only a limited service runs between Earls Court on the Piccadilly Line and Olympia 2.

In the end, the station staff were a bit doubtful about whether the service was running at all (?!) so we took the bus. A very helpful bus driver didn't call out our stop despite several requests so we ended up at Shepherd's Bush where I had to run back to Olympia station and find the, rather small, signs to the exhibition. I naively expected it to be better sign-posted and would recommend anyone else going check out the streets on Google street-view to familiarise yourself with the area before going. Running about like a headless chicken was not fun. Entry is timed so the organisers stipulate you must be on time. We were 15 minutes late but actually found they didn't mind (this could vary if it's very busy).

The Experience

The event is divided into two parts: The Experience and an Exhibition (ie. museum-style space). First the Experience, and i'll try not to give too much away.

The whole Experience revolves around the Doctor being trapped in the Pandorica a second time (You did watch the last two episodes of last season right?). After a brief wait in a room with some props - a WW2 style Dalek for one - it starts with a video intro with a voiceover by the current Doctor, Matt Smith, and an obvious but child-pleasing crack-in-the-wall effect. Passing through the wall, you enter a museum where one of those creepy talking head things shows you some exhibits before the Doctor - on a big screen - interrupts and asks for your help.

The TARDIS then materialises - I think it was a glass screen effect, quite impressive though - and you head inside where the young 'uns get to have a go at flying the TARDIS. They don't actually get to touch the central console, rather there are key positions set back from the centre with controls labelled Navigation, Engineering etc. Safety railings kind of spoil the setting and if there's a lot of kids, your little one might not get near a control. Matt Smith gives more directions from some tv screens and the TARDIS shakes at key points as the kids press the controls.

After that the Daleks are coming and you have to evacuate the TARDIS. (The whole Experience is meant to take about 30 minutes so the staff have to make a quick turn-around with the groups). You then find yourself on a Dalek ship where three Daleks surround you and it's all flashy lights and "Exterminate!". I'm sure there were strobe effects here so check before booking if you have epilepsy etc. As an adult, I found it disappointing that the Daleks were cordoned off behind the necessary safety rails but the kids loved it.

I won't spoil it but you escape from there to move through a forest where there's a handful of those scary Weeping Angels. I thought more could have been done with this part - it really is a swift transition - but it's frightening for the little kids. I swear I blinked and an Angel disappeared..

I think then it was back in the TARDIS briefly before finding yourselves in front of the Pandorica. I didn't actually realise that's what it was as the room was dominated by a large screen and by putting on 3D glasses you see the classic wormhole with all different enemies flying out at you. I only got half the effect as one of my eyes is practically useless (no, I don't wear a patch;-) ) but it was pretty good. My little nephew had his Sonic Screwdriver with him so he had fun waving it at the Cybermen. I would have liked to have seen 'real' Cybermen stomping about in the experience though.

I can't remember the transition to the Exhibition so it probably wasn't anything special. I think the Doctor basically thanks you for helping out. It's worth mentioning that none of the videos are subtitled which meant that my partner missed out. I did see a sign on the way in that suggested you could access subtitles using the free wifi hotspot, but that seems a bit of a hassle and obviously only available to people with smart-phones. I would expect the welcome desk should have some foreign-language briefs or something if English isn't your first language though.

The Exhbition

This part is basically a museum space where you can see lots of static props. There's the costumes of all the doctors, past and present with a description of the different Doctors, a TARDIS police box, K-9, an older-style interior of the TARDIS, the Doctor's gadgets, and lots of Daleks and monsters. It's a fairly decent size that will take you a good half an hour to get round if you read all the info signs and do the fun things like recording your voice to sound like a Dalek and learning to walk like a Cyberman. There's also a photoshoot area where you can pose against a bluescreen and get some impressive composited images. We got one of my parents and my nephew clinging onto the TARDIS for dear life as it hurtles through a wormhole, and another of my nephew strapped into the Pandorica.

There's also a making-of video showing how the exhibit was constructed. It was interesting, and my nephew, bless him, watched the whole thing, but I felt it took away the illusion of what we had just been through. After you leave the area - and you can't go back - it's straight into the obligatory gift shop where the prices are astronomical. You can buy boxsets of the different series and films, but they're ridiculously expensive compared to what you'd find in a high-street store or even online.

Summary

Overall, I felt that the whole thing was better than some things i've been to. It's definitely best enjoyed with kids, and seems geared towards them. I know Doctor who is for all ages - i'm quite a fan myself, both of the old films and the new series - but there's little in the Experience part to wow adults. The Exhibition part is good, and real Doctor Who enthusiasts will enjoy seeing all the different Sonic Screwdrivers and other props, but I don't think it's enough to deserve repeat visits as some other reviewers have said.

It's a fun family day out and it's whetted my appetite for the new series that starts here in the UK on BBC One tomorrow night at 6pm!=D