One of the first fans to ring through on the Doctor Who exhibition hotline has been Neil Cole, artist and head of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) at Ovingham Middle School , who it seems has turned his lifelong love of the Doctor Who series into a creative and ambitious educational project which is benefitting his pupils.
Neil, 39, from Haydon Bridge, has taught at Ovingham for ten years and sees Doctor Who as "a wonderful character and concept for education. I often show clips of historical settings, or cosmological vistas shown in the programme." He says, "the fact that the pupils are watching Doctor Who makes them really enjoy learning, and basically adds to a subject's fun!"
Neil started the school's successful Doctor Who Club several years ago: "What started as a handful of pupils having their packed lunch over an episode of Doctor Who, turned into a much bigger affair and now boasts 30 plus members. In the course of the club we built several props including our Dalek, the Tardis (with Deputy Head Ian Lakey) and sculpted and cast Cybermen helmets. As a middle school we didn't have access to some of the equipment, but we made up for it with determination" he says.
His creative efforts are given full blessing by his peers and headmistress Mrs. R Williams:"The Doctor Who club has become an important and very valued part of our enrichment programme with the school. Friday lunchtimes wouldn't be the same with the Doctor Who club...and the club's events at our annual open evening have proven very exciting for both new starters and the pupils taking part. (On a typical open evening visitors enter the classroom through the Tardis, which has a false back, to be met by a dramatically lit Dalek and live Cybermen within a swirling blanket of smoke...)Of especial note was the 'Build a Dalek' evening where Year 3 and 4 pupils visited the school and all helped paint and varnish parts of the Dalek. It has since appeared in may school events, from plays to fashion shows!" she says.
Neil says he first got into Doctor Who, as a small child. "My earliest memories" he says "are of 'Jon Pertwee (Whom I was lucky enough to meet) and a nasty Sontaran. I grew up with Tom Baker collecting Weetabix monster cards and devouring the Target book novelizations and made Papier Mache masks and created comics about the then monsters." As a burgeoning artist Neil drew covers for the Doctor fanzines and eventually had one of his pictures printed in the Doctor Who magazine. "It was in my 30's that I started to make and collect props and costumes more seriously. After successfully making a Dalek at home I was able to repeat the process at school and integrate it into teaching programmes. "
New pupils are often caught out by the reality of the props...what appeared to be a tall blue 'Police Box' box standing in a corridor completed foxed a New Year 5 pupil. He'd seen over 40 other children go into the box without being squashed and asked the dinner supervisor how that could that happen? Answer: It's the Tardis, Its magic!