Dr Who display extends hours to attract visitors

A museum is hoping that an unofficial exhibition dedicated to the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who will encourage more people to visit.

Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery has extended its opening hours and will open on Sundays for its new exhibition called Adventures in Time and Space.

Laura Hancock, the museum's heritage engagement manager, admitted that with local councils "looking hard at their budgets" there had been "questions in the press about opening hours".

"Really this exhibition is an opportunity for people to use your local museum," she said.

Guest of honour at the opening was former Doctor Who star Peter Purves.

The 86-year-old actor, who lives in Suffolk, starred in the series as Steven Taylor, a companion of the first incarnation of The Doctor, as played by William Hartnell, from 1965 to '66.

Speaking to the crowd as he cut the ribbon, Purves said he understood the museum could be under threat, and he hoped the exhibition would "do something to make sure that it does stay open". He encouraged people to "spread the word".

"These sort of facilities only exist for you, for us, so it's something which we must support," said Purves, who also presented the BBC's Blue Peter.

Another visitor on the opening day with a close link to the timelord was composer Dominic Glynn.

He provided music for Doctor Who in the 1980s, including creating a new version of its famous theme tune for the 1986 series – a job he admitted had made him "very nervous, as you would be, because it's a national institution and you mess with it at your peril".

Glynn, 64, said the exhibition was "incredible... there is so much memorabilia from the last 60 years in this one place; it's absolutely stunning".

Most of those attending the opening day were fans and viewers, rather than those who had worked on the series.

Sarah Grossman, 43, had travelled from London and said she was impressed.

Her favourite exhibit was a fake Mona Lisa prop from the 1979 story City of Death, co-written by Douglas Adams (who went on to write the BBC's Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy), "because it's one of my favourite serials".

Amy Cuddeford, 28, said it was fun to see props both from when she watched the series as a child in 2005, and when her mother had watched it in the 1960s and 70s.

Dominic Cuddeford, 23, also enjoyed seeing the props but was surprised to see how "basic" some of them appeared close-up, in contrast to how they were made to appear on-screen.

"It puts more validation into what goes into it, and what goes on behind-the-scenes to make the show," he said.

Many of the items on display had come from the collection of Derek Handley, who curated the exhibition.

Some are originals as used on-screen, while others are replicas he created.

He explained the event had taken about a year to put together.

"There's not just myself that collects Doctor Who costumes and props," he said.

"There's loads of other fans, and we have them all stored individually in our houses, and the only time people see them is when someone comes round to our house.

"So it's wonderful to be able to gather like-minded people together who have got all these wonderful things, and then put them out on display so the public can see them."

Adventures in Time & Space runs until 2 November and is open Monday to Saturday, 10:00-16:00.

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