Doctor Who event in Upminster celebrates show's 60 years

Now you won't have to travel through time and space for your chance to get a picture with these nasty metallic extra-terrestrials as one Doctor Who buff is bringing them to Upminster.

This Sunday (April 30), a ‘Madame Who'sauds’ exhibition celebrating 60 years of the iconic show will display Doctor Who items at St Laurence Church Hall in Upminster.

Three Tardis models and four Daleks will be among the featured exhibits. Costumes of all of the 14 Doctors that have existed so far will be presented too.

James builds the props himself, or gets them sourced from show's original makers. (Image: James Lowe)

Actor John Levene, who played Sergeant Benton from 1968 to 1975, will make an appearance and fans will have a chance to get a photo with him.

James Lowe, a full time gardener and an avid fan of the show, decided to put together the event to showcase his proud Doctor Who collection.

Some of the items, like the Daleks, have been built by him costing more than £1,000 each.

Others he has sourced from the show’s original makers through auctions and other means.

When none of that was possible, he got prop-makers to create replicas for himself.

James Lowe pictured with one of his Doctor Who possessions (Image: James Lowe)

On his love for the show, James told the Recorder: “I first started watching it (the show) when I was a kid back in like 2005, so I have grown up watching it. It’s always been a British staple for television.

“Nearly everyone I speak to knows what Doctor Who is, so it is something to bond over. It’s the longest running sci-fi series in the world after all.”

Luckily for him, his job enables him to fund his passion. Otherwise stored in the sheds of those he works for, these props will be out in public for the first time and James is thrilled.

While James has grown up watching David Tennant as the lead of the show, his favourite Doctor is John Pertwee from the 70s. (Image: James Lowe)

He added: “I have been to some of the fan events myself like the one in ExCeL, and I thought I could probably do this myself.

“I think it's something I've always wanted to do, display my stuff ever since I could remember really”.

The entry fee to the exhibition is priced at £5 and a picture with John Levene will cost £20 each. All proceeds will however go to Dementia UK.

James decided to tie up with the charity after having personally seen people around him be affected by the condition.

James is excited for the next season of the show that will bring David Tennant back to screens as the Doctor (Image: James Lowe)

He said: “The programme itself is 60 years old this year. The only people that will remember that are people over 60 and they're the most affected by dementia."

The exhibition is open from 9am to 4pm and fans can meet John Levene between 12.30pm to 1pm.