Dr Who Pilgrimage to the UK

As many of you know, I have been a Dr Who fan since I was probably 8. Now, a couple months away from 40, Dr Who has become an obsession with me. There always felt like there was something missing with my fandom. I have been to many Dr Who Conventions and have met and interviewed many of the actors, but something was always missing. What was missing was a pilgrimage to the UK to see where Dr Who was filmed and the home country of the show.  I planned on spending 6 days in London and 3 days in Cardiff Wales.

One of the first things I did was attend a Dr Who Walking Tour in London by Brit Movies Tour and was hosted by Jeremiah. Jeremiah took us through London to show use where many key scenes from classic to new Who were filmed. He also gave us some behind the scene information about the filming of the show and could basically act out any Dr Who episode on demand. His knowledge of the show actually put my knowledge of the show to shame. He was defiantly the highlight of the tour.

The next place on my list was to check out the Tardis in front of Earl's Court Tube Station. As soon as you leave the tube station there it is on the sidewalk. It was put there for the 50th Anniversary celebration and it has been kept there since. Lots of people are walking by and not even givingit a second look, while I'm standing there staring at it like it's the Holy Grail. I have seen lots of Tardis's in my time at conventions, but there's something special like seeing a Tardis in the middle of a busy London street.

The last stop on the London part of my pilgrimage was a stop at the Who Shop. The Who Shop opened in 1984 and is still in business today. Great selection of Dr Who merchandise and some hard to find items. The highlight of the store is their own Dr Who Museum. It's not a large museum, but it's packed full of costume's and props. They have spent a lifetime collecting some one of a kind items. One of the employees actually told me that a person from the show had stopped in before I got there to see if they could use any of the props in the upcoming filming.

The next leg of my journey took me to Cardiff Wales to visit where Dr Who is filmed today. My first day there, I went over to Eddie's Diner, where they filmed scenes for the "Impossible Astronaut". Make sure you sit at booth #11, because that's where Matt Smith sat during the episode. It's a neat diner that has pictures on the wall of the filming of the episode.

Next stop in my trip was to visit Torchwood Tower in Cardiff Bay. Such an iconic image with the Millennium Center right across from the tower just like on the show. Just a few yards away is the Ianto Jones Memorial. This memorial was created by the fans of the character, Ianto Jones, from Torchwood who perished in the Children of Earth special. The memorial started when fans started posting pictures and well wishes to the fallen character. The city kept taking it down, but then finally gave up and allowed the fans to post their well wishes. The city even enacted a plaque in his honor at the memorial.

My last full day in Cardiff was the day I will always remember. I got to visit the Dr Who Experience. I didn't know what to expect from the experience. I had high hopes, but sometimes museums can be a let down. Let me tell you, there was no let down. The Dr Who Experience was better then my expectations. The first part of the experience is an interactive adventure with the Doctor himself. Peter Capaldi actually filmed scenes for this interactive adventure. Your tour guide interacts beautifully with the Doctor on screen and makes the adventure very believable. I don't want to give away the plot, but you will take a ride on the Tardis and meet some of the Doctor's deadliest enemies.

After the interactive experience, then you are on your own to explore the rest of the museum. They have a lot to see and they change it every couple months. They have multiple Tardis console rooms from different Doctors and era's. The museum is filled with costumes from all the Doctors, lots of companions and from every episode of this past season. Every classic villain is represented from Daleks to Cybermen and to even more obscure villains like Morbius. It's a great mixture of classic and new Who. When you are done at looking at all the costumes and props, you will end your visit in the gift shop. The Dr Who Experience gift shop has some exclusive items that can only be found at their shop. I would recommend when you buy your ticket to also purchase the merchandise package. You get an exclusive t-shirt, cloth bag, Dr Who Experience program, your very own Tardis key, certificate and a special ticket. It's definitely worth it.

Later on that day, I did join the Cardiff Bay Dr Who walking tour hosted by the Dr Who Experience. I was kind of disappointed with this walking tour. Most of the places I already knew about and visited the previous day. The tour guides were nice, but not overly entertaining. They take us to some sites away from Cardiff Bay. I guess if you hadn't already visited the locations yet, it would have been more enjoyable.

This Dr Who pilgrimage that I went on was a once in a lifetime experience that I would recommend to any Dr Who fan. I think I was able to visit much of the major Dr Who attractions in the UK, but there's always more that I could have done, but just ran out of time or transportation. If any of my fans are planning their own Dr Who pilgrimage to the UK and wants some ideas or tips, please email reach out to me. Please see more pictures of my trip on myFacebook page

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