Quote from: chancellorgoth on Sep 13, 2009, 08:08 pm
Anyone fancy building a replica?

Someone on this forum has it and is restoring the missing panel.

the original in blackpool was never protected by the barriers.  I can recall as a little boy quite easily having access to play with the controls on the console.  The barrier must have been a later addition.  I can also recall the original exhibition never had a police box entrance as many think.  It was just an open entrance and the entrance corridor was directly to the left from the payment kiosk and there were three large glass cases and the 1st contained a giant spider and the next i recll contained the giant robot.  the original console was not barrierd off like it is in these pictures.

There were a lot of changes and additions later on to Blackpool, if I remember correctly, the Police Box doors were only added about halfa year before it's closure, and there were some other monor changes. I don't ever recall seeing a giant spider, or the giant robot either, and, if a variation on that was ever seen, I think it was probably a replica, as my Doctor Who Experience guide book says the original prop was pulled out of storage and refurbed before being put on display.
I think the barriers, if indeed a later edition, were added very early on, on all my visits, I recall they were present.

Real shame Blackpool closed down, I think in many ways it completely trumps the Experience, because it covered, and was themed on all eras of Doctor Who, whereas at the Experience, it is almost like they are trying to make you forget about Who's past by bombarding you with Moffat era pictures, TV clips, music, and colour schemes. They have exhibits covering a lot of Who history, yeah, but I hope when they set it up permantently in Cardiff they will learn the lesson Blackpool learned when moving from Longleat: to make sure they theme is on a broder spectrum of Who, and not just one and a half years' worth.