Passion for TV show Doctor Who brought to North East school

Dec 21 2009 By Nicola Juncar, The Journal

IT'S not the teachers the pupils need to watch out for at this North East school... but the life-size Dalek roaming the corridors.

Teacher and Doctor Who fan, Neil Cole, has kitted out his classroom with props and characters from his favourite TV show.

Neil, who is head of ICT at Ovingham Middle School, near Prudhoe, Northumberland, has no trouble making sure his pupils behave in his lessons.

But with Doctor Who’s most threatening enemy looming in the corner, that’s hardly surprising.

When he’s not teaching, Neil, 39, from Haydon Bridge, is an artist and has been using his creative talents to produce accurate models and costumes.

He’s also been passing on his enthusiasm for the programme to his pupils after setting up a Doctor Who club. Meanwhile, some of his props, including a home-made Tardis, have been used in school productions.

Neil said: "I first got into Doctor Who watching it as a small child. My earliest memories are of Jon Pertwee, whom I was lucky enough to meet, and a nasty Sontaran.

"I grew up with Tom Baker, while collecting Weetabix monster cards and devouring the popular Target book novelisations. I always dreamt of making a full size Dalek; as a child I regularly made paper mache masks and comics about the current monsters.

"I never lost my interest in the show and in my 20s drew covers for fanzines and even had a small picture printed in Doctor Who magazine.

"It was in my 30s that I started to make and collect props and costumes more seriously.

"I built a highly-accurate Dalek at home and then repeated the process at school for an upcoming musical we were producing."

He added: "I started the Doctor Who club several years before the new series and many children had no idea what a Dalek was.

"What started as a handful of pupils having packed lunch over an episode of Doctor Who turned into a bigger affair.

"In the course of the club we have built several props, including Cybermen helmets. As a middle school we didn’t have access to some of the equipment, but we made up for this with determination.

"Doctor Who is a wonderful character and concept for education. The fact the pupils are watching Doctor Who makes them really enjoy learning and adds to a subject’s fun."

Neil has also become one of the first Doctor Who enthusiasts in the region to gets his hands on tickets for a new exhibition which is being held at Newcastle’s Centre for Life next year.

Opening on May 22, the Doctor Who Exhibition coincides with the centre’s 10th anniversary celebrations and is a departure from previous attractions, which have been science-led.

In addition, Neil will be exhibiting some of his own work during the 2010 Art Tour, which is taking place in the summer.