Chalky, Shirt, Tigger, Enigma & Scooby…

…Are Earls Court in the Act

Guest Starring: Alfie & Vader

(l-r: Scooby, Enigma, Shirt, Tigger, Alfie, Chalky. [Vader not shown])

The travelling new series exhibition had made its way to Earl’s Court. A trip was organised, as well as Chalky, Shirt, Tigger, Enigma and Scooby, two newbies also attended – one was new-found Tavisode friend of Chalky and Tigger – Alfie – the other, Vader, another bearded friend of Enigma & Scooby’s. [Shirt doesn’t have any friends outside the group].

Shirt was held up, and so arriving a few minutes after the agreed meeting time, phoned Chalky.

“Where are you ?”, he asked.

“Just by the Timelord Café”, answered Chalky.

Looking for a large area selling food, Shirt was surprised to find the others, including a heavily pregnant Tigger, by a small cart containing sandwiches and drinks. This was incomprehensibly labelled – “Timelord Café”.

Alfie finally arrived, hobbling due to having recently undergone major surgery.

Having wasted the ten minutes prior to their ticket time, catching up on all the gossip, the gang made their way to the steps leading into the bowels of the exhibition centre. Printed tickets scanned by the security guard and they made their way down to the exhibition. First up were information boards showing the ‘Classic Doctors’, photos taken of favourite Doctors, they moved on to the entrance to the exhibition, handing the tickets to the steward. The corridor leading to the exhibition had been dressed to look like the basement of Henriks Department Store from ‘Rose’. Autons were lunging menancingly from the walls, and then suddenly starting moving, scaring Chalky who doesn’t like mannequins at the best of times.

Entering the exhibition proper, the first exhibit was the Tenth Doctor’s coat, with a moving Tennant face being projected onto the mannequin, which was standing beside a TARDIS. The first room proved to be Series One costumes.

“No ‘Moxx of Balhoon’ !”, whined Shirt.

However, arriving at the Face of Boe shut him up.

Moving on passing a Sycorax and Cat Nuns, seen by Chalky, Tigger & Shirt in Cardiff, they reached the Abzorbaloff and Cassandra.

Next up was a room containing a ‘Guess the monster part’ game. Chalky did very well, identifying a Cyber-hand, a Slitheen head, and a spiky Bankafalatta head, with no problems. The group continued on into a make-up gallery, which featured both the Doctor’s and Professor Lazarus’ aged-make-up. Videos on screens also showed how prosthetics were applied. The next big room contained the very impressive Empress of Racnoss, which again scared gang members by suddenly springing to life.

A plastic curtain led to the Cyber-Zone, with the Cyber-controller as well as several individual Cybermen. Chalky was adamant that he and Shirt should have a photo taken being ‘menaced’ by the Cybermen.

However, the scares were to continue. The next room contained a Weeping Angel, which Chalky again decided that he wanted a photo with. However, having watched ‘Blink’ several times, he was concerned about breaking eye-contact with it, despite all the others agreeing to stare at it, to stop it coming to life and sending him back in time.

Moving on, the next room contained K9, Oods, a Carrionite, Clockwork Droids, and Rose’s 1950’s outfit, which was admired by both Chalky and Tigger. Having watched several videos on the Special Effects display, they entered an exhibit that allowed them to appear on a screen in a CSO TARDIS. Having all attempted to take a photo of this (the best is above), the next room contained Series 4 monsters – namely a Sontaran and a Hath, as well as Series 3 costumes, including those from “Human Nature”, Shirt’s camera batteries choosing to ‘die’ whilst he attempted to take photos of the latter.

The next room was themed around those Skarosian pepperpots -the Daleks. A superb brief vignette played out, featuring the Cult of Skaro, and lots of laser beams and sound effects. So good was this audio-visual experience, that they watched it again.

Leaving the Dalek Zone, they found the rest of the Series 4 items – Bankafalatta, Morvin & Foon, Max Capricorn, a Vashta Nerada Spacesuit, and a Pyrovile Priestess.

This marked the end of the exhibition and the popular “little shop” run by the Punch Middle. All found it difficult to decide what souvenirs to take home with them. Overpriced merchandise purchased, and they went up a side corridor to look at art prints, including a superb one of Galifrey as seen in Series 3. Resisting the temptation to sneak under the rope that led back to the Tenth Doctor and TARDIS, they returned to the shop, retraced their steps to the staircase, returning to the “Timelord Café”. After buying a few food items, they all went their separate ways, all agreeing that it had been a great day out.

[PL]