Doctor Who Round Up!

I know from experience that once you get into Doctor Who...you really get into Doctor Who. Luckily, my time in the UK was perfectly timed so that I was at the height of my obsession while there. As a result, I took advantage of every Doctor Who opportunity I had and let me tell you...there were a ton! From day trips, to afternoons exploring, to seeing a show...Doctor Who is all over the UK! 

Here is a list of the awesome Dr. Who-related adventures I had the chance to do throughout my semester: 

1) The Doctor Who Experience

2) Visiting Cardiff

3) Tardis at Earl's Court

4) Rose's estate

5) Megastore on Shaftesbury Ave. (where I got a few more items to add to my growing Doctor Who collection)

6) Theatre in London (David Tennant and Arthur Darvill)

There are dozens of other Who spots I wanted to visit while living in London, but I just ran out of time. Some I had in mind include going to Chiswick to see where Donna lived, seeing Matt Smith in American Psycho, and going to see Amy and Rory's tardis house in Wales! 

The only Tardis in London.

As you walk out of the Earl's Court tube station over in Kensington, you will walk by a huge blue box. At first you may not notice...that's the trick of the Tardis, isn't it? :) 

On one of our last days here, Tiff and I went over to see the only Tardis in London! It was just one tube stop away from our school but for some reason it took us the whole semester to finally make the trip! It was amazing. It was just perfect, all that was missing was David Tennant standing outside of it in his trench coat. 

p.s. The only thing we weren't sure of was why it was placed outside of Earl's Court. We don't remember that being significant in the show but maybe it has to do with older episodes? Any thoughts? 

Once at the Phoenix Theatre

Every show I see here in London has been amazing (aka Richard II and Billy Elliot)! I keep going in thinking that the show will be okay but every one has just blown me away each time. I should have known by this point that Once was going to be the same and go beyond my expectations but for some reason I went in thinking that it wouldn't be able to compare to Billy Eliot.

The show I attended was one of the first for the new London cast, including Arthur Darvill, and they were phenomenal! The whole time they just seemed like they were having so much fun and that made it extremely enjoyable to be in the audience. Not only that but the actors performed beautifully, singing and playing instruments. As soon as Arthur Darvill opened his mouth to sing, I forgot all about Rory (his character on Doctor Who). He just transformed into someone else completely. I really hope that this leads him to record some of his own music because I need to hear his singing voice again! 

                   

Afterwards, my friend and I figured we would give the stage door a chance, and I am so glad we did. After a few minutes of waiting with around 10 other people, cast members started coming out. They all signed autographs, got pictures, and stayed to chat with us. They asked how we liked the show and seemed quite thankful for the good feedback they got from us. 

The two stars of the show were the last to come out. Arthur Darvill walked straight over to me first and then realized he didn't have a pen. Luckily, I had one and then told him that I thought he was an amazing singer. He was very sweet and seemed happy that people were responding well to his performance. After I got a few photos with him, I went over to the female star of the show, Zrinka Cvitešić. I got her to sign my ticket and then before I could even ask for a photo she grabbed my shoulder and made me take a selfie...it was crazy. After everyone waiting got photos we all dispersed in different direction including the stars of the show. They didn't have cars waiting for them..some of them even walked to the tube in front of us. I couldn't believe it. 

                 

You were fantastic.

"Do you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving?

 It's like when you're a kid. The first time they tell you that the world's turning

 and you just can't believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. 

I can feel it. he grabs her hand. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our 

feet spinning at a thousand miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling

 around the sun at 67,000 thousand miles an hour and I can feel it. We're falling

 through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world and

 if we let go... drops her hand That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler."

Somehow going to the marvelous Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff just wasn't enough for me! So, Tiff and I dressed as close to Rose Tyler as we could and hopped on the tube to South London. It didn't take us long to find the towering apartment blocks where they had filmed many scenes of Doctor Who. 

It was wrong in all the right ways as Tiff and I kept saying. It was a tough area and we could tell that there were no other tourists in sight, but it felt amazing (and a little scary) to be on the streets of the (fictional) Tyler family. 

It's so difficult because I would love to live there but also know that if I had been placed there as an American student it would not have gone well. I just wish I could somehow be a part of a community like that, but that would mean I would have had to have grown up in it...and that's impossible. 

Sounds about right.

I went to the Doctor Who Experience...alone...on Valentine's Day.

And it was perfect and fantastic (see what I did there, Doctor Who fans?)!!! 

So, to explain the experience's set up (because I was a bit confused before going), it is half museum and half interactive guided tour. Since I got there early, I went to the museum part first. As you walk in you see number Ten's Tardis set first thing. I was a bit star struck to be honest. This is going to sound nerdy but honestly I have had so many memories in that Tardis and to see the real set in person was surreal. 

Next, I looked around at all the costumes of the characters (including all 12 Doctors)! I got photos of nearly everything (check out my Facebook for more)! About half way through I realized that I wasn't in any of my photos and this made me really sad (and I missed my brother-in-law who loves Doctor Who). But then I just asked a member of staff to take one of me....and she took a photo of me in front of almost everything in the area she was looking over! I couldn't believe how nice she was, and in every room that I went to the other employees were the same! Doctor Who fans really are the nicest, I've got to say.

After looking at all the costumes and accessories, I went upstairs to find all of the Doctor's most popular enemies. Cybermen, scarecrows, Zygons, weeping angels, and my favourites, the Silence (pictured below) and Daleks (pictured above)! It was amazing but a little scary, too. I have watched episode after episode of these things being horrible and then I had to just walk along and take photos of them all in one room (wow, my nerdy-ness is really showing in this post).

After the museum section, I had my guided tour at 2:30pm so I came out early to get in line. At this point I still wasn't too sure what I was waiting for. After a few minutes the line was super long and there were people of all ages. Families, college students, couples...everyone!

I don't want to give too much away in case someone wants to visit, but let me just say that the interactive 'experience' was phenomenal! Matt Smith guides you through an adventure that feels almost real (if you ignore the other 25 people on the same adventure, haha).

Above are my favourite two pictures of the day! The top one is all of River Song's belongings including her Tardis diary. She is my favourite character and I might even go as far as being a role model because she is just so strong (and sassy)! Below is a photo of me in Ten's Tardis! I just kept walking back to it throughout my time in the museum and staring at it.

All in all, it was an experience I will never forget and I now understand why they call it the 'Doctor Who Experience' because that is the only way to describe it...quite an experience!

The best day of my life...actually.

I don't know where to begin or how to describe this night. As I mentioned before as a Christmas present my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew got me a ticket to see David Tennant in Richard II. I had planned to leave the show early and try to meet David on his way out but then I realized that once I was in there, I wouldn't want to leave.

SOOOOOO....

I decided to go to the stage door on Thursday (the day before my show)!

I thought that with David Tennant being as famous as he is, it would be super difficult to get a photo with him...but honestly it could not have been easier. My friend and I got there about a half hour before the show let out and were in the second thin row of people. After the show got out there were around 100 people there (I think but I am actually really bad at estimating these things). Then about another half hour later, a car pulled up to the end of the crowd of people and he came out of the stage door. He started taking pictures and signing play bills for everyone in the first two rows. Not only that but be was laughing and chatting as he did it!

By the time he got to my side of the line I was freaking out! I was so nervous...I just couldn't believe he was standing there. My doctor, my favourite actor, my favourite person....after asking him to sign a picture of my nephew (which he explained he was only allowed to sign Richard II items), I asked for a photo. He laughed and said of course but I was so nervous I couldn't get my finger to press the button! We both laughed as I finally got it to work and thanked him for being so amazing!

Then after finishing the line of people, he thanked everyone, got in the car and left!




Then, after that I still got to spend a whole three hours watching him act perfectly as witty, dramatic Richard II the next day. And let me tell you...It was fantastic! I was five rows back..I could see the spit coming from his mouth every time he talked! I didn't realize it but the character of Richard II is a bit similar to the tenth Doctor. The character was hilarious and he played him perfectly. Not only that, but the rest of the cast did phenomenal jobs as well!

AHHH...I still can't believe it even as I scrolled passed the photo while writing this. It is something that I never would have thought could happen to me and I will never be able to thank my sister and brother-in-law enough!