I have always been interested in science and science fiction.
So imagine my interest and fascination when a new science fiction series called Dr Who came to our TV screens one Saturday afternoon at 5 15pm on the 23 November 1963.
I was mesmerized watching the first episode along with the Dr Who theme music which sounded so futuristic and way ahead of its time.
I soon became an avid watcher of the TV series after seeing the stunning look of the Daleks on screen with their grating, monotone sounding voices appearing in the second story.
Despite the story having one short deleted scene, which I noted on a repeat showing in the 1990s, to this day it is my favourite story of all the adventures the Doctor had.
This is because it made such a strong impression on me as a 10 year old child. The acting was for real and as a result it made the story believable.
Furthermore one cannot underestimate the unearthly sounds of the BBC Radiophonic workshop had created, which helped capture the mood of the story to great effect. The workshop continued to create many more ethereal sounds to accompany the stories that followed through the sixties and seventies. The sounds made the stories more frightening along with character actors who played it for real. Added to this you had the story soundtrack composers who helped make the stories more atmospheric.
When the second Dalek story was shown in 1964 around Christmas, again with a short deleted scene after a second showing in the 1990s, we had a faulty valve with our Ekco 14in screen TV set and we had no picture.
So we asked our kindly neighbours if we could come round and watch the episode with them while our TV was being repaired. They kindly obliged.
It was a good episode not to miss.
I always looked forward to Saturday afternoons and watched the Doctor and his companions confront all sorts of dangers with monsters and fighting good over evil until 1976, when I went to work overseas and I was unable to see it anymore.
In 1965 I was treated to going to the cinema at the Picture House in Erdington, Birmingham to watch the film Dr Who and the Daleks with my parents.
Following Beatlemania we now had Dalekmania as the Daleks had become so popular during the 1960s, with many Dalek related stories on TV and accompanying merchandise.
I saw the second Dalek film entitled Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD at Birmingham Odeon in 1966. The way it was made gave it a wide universal appeal.
I lost interest in Doctor Who during the late 1970s and 80s, but my interest in the show was rekindled after watching many repeat showings of early episodes in the early 1990s
on UK Gold TV channel and I then felt inspired to create some Doctor Who artwork.
As my portfolio grew, newly formed Dr Who clubs wanted to use my art in their fanzines around the country during the 1990s.
Slowdazzle Calendars in London were interested in using my artwork on a 1999 Doctor Who calendar.
This led to an interview at their HQ in London.
I approached BBC licensing about using my artwork on their Doctor Who related merchandise and was later contacted by K and D Publishing who I had originally met at the International Spring Fair in 2002.
They wanted to use some of my artwork to create a montage jigsaw puzzle.
It was published in 2007 and sold well and was stocked by Amazon.
I, along with my daughter enjoyed attending conventions at Longleat and venues in the Midlands during the late 1990s and early 2000s. We met Colin Baker, the sixth Doctor
in person, who kindly endorsed my portrait of him. It was wonderful to speak to him and to hear about his charity work. We also met Deborah Watling in person at a DW Club stall
in Gloucester docks.
Deborah was promoting the new BBC VHS of the Ice Warriors story dating back to 1967.
It was a delight to meet her and talk about her companion role.
I often donated my artwork to convention charities. It was great escapism for us.
I have spoken to many Doctor Who actors over the years, which was a pleasure, and they endorsed my artwork, to which I am grateful. I was in contact with Director Alvin Rakoff
who was very pleased with my portrait of his wife Jacqueline Hill, which I had sent to him. Jacqueline played Barbara in the early stories. This made my day.
In 2005 Doctor Who was back on our screens again with a new series after a hiatus going back to 1989. I was immediately engaged by it and in turn was inspired to create some
more artwork.
In 2012 I was invited to have a stall at a British Sci fi Exhibition at Leicester Space Centre where I was able to promote my Dr Who artwork.
A great experience meeting everyone there.
There have always been strong moral and ethical messages running through the stories, which sometimes mirror the world around us.
But Doctor Who works on so many levels, with a wide diverse audience and a massive fan base which has grown steadily over the years and lives on today and is now a legend.
Dr Who is timeless and has become a "monster" in itself.
This page is a tribute to the great legendary TV programme Doctor Who and has made the world a better place.
Dr Who influenced my life and is a wonderful form of escapism.
