Are You Experienced
Oct. 21st, 2011 12:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gervase_fenSo as my days as a bachelor draw to a close, it seemed the right time to try and fulfil some long held ambitions - to fly the TARDIS, get shouted at by Daleks, and not to blink when surrounded by Weeping Angels. A trip to the Doctor Who Experience was needed...
This was ostensibly a stag afternoon, for which I was joined by my Best Man (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
parrot_knight), the only available brother (the other being in Spain), and, as a late substitute for my groomsman (who ended up running a two floor, city centre bookstore that day instead) by my wife-to-be. ( I had been pressing her to come along for weeks, but she only succumbed to my pleas when the groomsman's ticket turned into a spare one.)
x_perdita and myself arrived slightly earlier than expected, thanks to the timing of the Overground trains between Clapham Junction and Kensington Olympia. Text messages kept us informed of the progress across London of parrot_knight and Youngest Fen Brother whilst we had a coffee in a Costa that was populated by delegates from the Brand Licensing exhibition in the main hall of Olympia. I peeked inside somebody's Nickelodeon branded goody bag but couldn't see anything more interesting than a couple of glossy brochures.
Onwards and upwards then to the second floor of Olympia Two (wifi password : spoilers) and then, having been joined by reinforcements, into the Experience.
I don't want to break down the walk-through tour too much - there are lots of eloquent reviews across the web that do that, and youtube videos such as this one capture the excitement of finding oneself in the Museum of Starship UK (more diverting than the episode it comes from) with the TARDIS, the Daleks and the Weeping Angels to follow. The tour is linked by a wonderful piece of single camera acting by Matt Smith - I really can't imagine any other Doctor doing it quite as well, and with some Doctors I don't think it would have worked as effectively. In an alternate universe somewhere Chris Eccleston is linking the Experience with the same script, and when he calls the attendees 'shoppers' the contempt makes them wince.
The Experience continues with the static exhibition after the walkthrough, where we admired costumes from earlier eras better presented and lit than they ever were in the TV episodes they featured in (the Sixth Doctor's ensemble was especially impressive - it's as if it was in HD compared to the version seen on screen in the 80s.)
After watching various family groups have their photographs taken on a special set, we joined in to participate in what must be the default Doctor Who Experience of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, David Tennant et al -- being positioned on floor marks with green screen surrounding us reacting to things that we have to imagine. (Incidentally, seeing the current generation of young viewers be excited, enthralled and terrified was a bonus.)
Because of the unique way Doctor Who has to be funded these days, some of the takings from our visit will go towards paying for an episode (even if it is just an extra latte on location for Arthur Darvill) so I was more than happy to spend some cash in the impressively stocked shop. And even more impressed to find that the Revenge / Silver Nemesis box set that I had bought cost me two pounds less than it would have done online.
We all had a blast, and I think a return visit post Wedding is called for.
This was ostensibly a stag afternoon, for which I was joined by my Best Man (
parrot_knight), the only available brother (the other being in Spain), and, as a late substitute for my groomsman (who ended up running a two floor, city centre bookstore that day instead) by my wife-to-be. ( I had been pressing her to come along for weeks, but she only succumbed to my pleas when the groomsman's ticket turned into a spare one.)x_perdita and myself arrived slightly earlier than expected, thanks to the timing of the Overground trains between Clapham Junction and Kensington Olympia. Text messages kept us informed of the progress across London of parrot_knight and Youngest Fen Brother whilst we had a coffee in a Costa that was populated by delegates from the Brand Licensing exhibition in the main hall of Olympia. I peeked inside somebody's Nickelodeon branded goody bag but couldn't see anything more interesting than a couple of glossy brochures.Onwards and upwards then to the second floor of Olympia Two (wifi password : spoilers) and then, having been joined by reinforcements, into the Experience.
I don't want to break down the walk-through tour too much - there are lots of eloquent reviews across the web that do that, and youtube videos such as this one capture the excitement of finding oneself in the Museum of Starship UK (more diverting than the episode it comes from) with the TARDIS, the Daleks and the Weeping Angels to follow. The tour is linked by a wonderful piece of single camera acting by Matt Smith - I really can't imagine any other Doctor doing it quite as well, and with some Doctors I don't think it would have worked as effectively. In an alternate universe somewhere Chris Eccleston is linking the Experience with the same script, and when he calls the attendees 'shoppers' the contempt makes them wince.
The Experience continues with the static exhibition after the walkthrough, where we admired costumes from earlier eras better presented and lit than they ever were in the TV episodes they featured in (the Sixth Doctor's ensemble was especially impressive - it's as if it was in HD compared to the version seen on screen in the 80s.)
After watching various family groups have their photographs taken on a special set, we joined in to participate in what must be the default Doctor Who Experience of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, David Tennant et al -- being positioned on floor marks with green screen surrounding us reacting to things that we have to imagine. (Incidentally, seeing the current generation of young viewers be excited, enthralled and terrified was a bonus.)
Because of the unique way Doctor Who has to be funded these days, some of the takings from our visit will go towards paying for an episode (even if it is just an extra latte on location for Arthur Darvill) so I was more than happy to spend some cash in the impressively stocked shop. And even more impressed to find that the Revenge / Silver Nemesis box set that I had bought cost me two pounds less than it would have done online.
We all had a blast, and I think a return visit post Wedding is called for.
