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It
may be fifteen years since we last cowered behind our sofas, but
the blizzard of media interest in the forthcoming Doctor Who series
has proved that it still holds a special place in the nation's psyche.
As
uniquely British as bacon and eggs and miserable wet Augusts, it
is perhaps best remembered for its monsters, notably the daleks
and the cybermen. Despite having clearly been rendered on a shoestring,
they successfully traumatised a generation of schoolchildren.
After
a long absence from our screens (barring a one-off special starring
Paul McGann) Doctor Who still retains a loyal fanbase, with a network
of local groups afiliated to the offical Appreciation Society.
Francis
Moloney runs Gloucester group The Mind Robbers, a collective of
dedicated fans who meet monthly to discuss all things Who.
He
is also a player in The Offstage Theatre group, a local company
run by Barnaby Jones which stages comedic Doctor Who plays at conventions
dedicated to the series.
Scary
Francis
was five when he first saw Doctor Who (who was then played by Jon
Pertwee).
"It
was just one of the most bizarre things I'd ever seen on television,
and it was really scary," he recalled.
He
puts the enduring popularity of the series down to the fact that
it's "great escapism".
"Stories
can take you from ancient Rome, to the far future, to alien worlds
- there's great diversity."
He
remembered being most scared of the autons.
"They
were plastic facsimilies of people, like tailors' dummies come to
life. They were pretty eerie. I believe they may be coming back
in the new series."
New
Doctor
The
casting of the Doctor in the new series was a difficult task, bound
to provoke a reaction among veteran fans but Francis believes Christopher
Eccleston is a good choice.
"He's
played a wide range of roles to date and I think he'll make a good
job of it," said Francis.
Francis'
own acting outlet, The Offstage Players, is an amateur theatre group
which has been established for 13 years.
In
2002, they took a step away from traditional drama when group founder
Barnaby Jones co-wrote Deja Vu of the Doctors, a Doctor Who spoof.
They
successfully pitched the play to the organisers of Doctor Who convention
Destiny, and have gone on to performed at a string of Who-related
events, including the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½-backed PanoptiCon.
Return
The
group also makes regular appearances at Doctor Who conventions,
such as the one in Liverpool in October 2004. Francis explained
a little about what takes place at these events.
"There
are interview panels with actors from the shows, autograph panels,
photo sessions and
merchandise rooms."
With
the impending return of the Doctor currently causing a stir, 2005
could be a busy year for Francis and his friends.
If
you would like to comment on this story get in touch at gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk
or have your say on our
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As
Doctor Who prepares to return to our screens, a Gloucestershire group
are bringing the Time Lord to life on stage.
