The British sci-fi series Doctor Who is about to turn 60; during this time, the Doctor and his blue box have visited the West Midlands for adventures on several occasions. From the 11th century to a brief Cybermen cameo, the Doctor’s journeys have left a memorable mark on the region. Let’s delve into these connections and the real-world locations that brought these stories to life.
Pond Life, a mini-series of the show, bridges the gap between the 2012 Christmas special and the Seventh Series. Throughout the series, the Doctor calls Amy and Rory, keeping them updated while he travels alone. In the final episode, he tells him how he rode a horse in 11th-century Coventry and accidentally invented pasta a few centuries too early.
Fast forward to 2007, Birmingham features in a news segment during the episode Army of Ghosts. In a shocking twist during the ghost shift broadcast, we find out that the so-called ghosts were, in fact, Cybermen from Pete’s World – a parallel universe without the Doctor, where companion Rose Tyler’s father was still alive.
Pebble Mill Studios in Edgbaston, Birmingham, was a creative hub for TV shows like Pebble Mill at One. Doctor Who used these studios for Horror of Fang Rock in 1977, leaving a mark even though the studios are gone now. Further afield, historical areas like Cheylesmore Manor House and Ford’s Hospital in Coventry, dating back to 1509, were used to house witches in The Shakespeare Code episode.
In the novel adventure The Slitheen Excursion, the Tenth Doctor offers a TARDIS lift to June after she misses the train to her home in Birmingham. Meanwhile, in the comic Pay the Piper, the Eleventh Doctor describes the size of the Mandalax Tide’s collection plate, a religious order that worshipped money, as that of Birmingham. The Twelfth Doctor’s whimsy continues as he sends Nardole on a seemingly mundane errand to Birmingham for a packet of crisps during the episode Oxygen.
Escape Hunt has opened its doors in Birmingham, introducing two captivating Doctor Who-themed escape rooms. In Worlds Collide: Cyberman Strike, players investigate a tear in space and time caused by Alastair Montague’s experiments, with Cybermen threatening Earth. In Worlds Collide: Dalek Awaken, participants must thwart a rogue Dalek’s plans to exterminate all on a spaceship. Both rooms offer a thrilling 60-minute challenge, immersing players in the heart of Doctor Who’s universe right in Birmingham.
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