Help support a Doctor Who memorabilia museum

Over the last five decades, thousands of pieces of merchandise and other items have been created connected to Doctor Who and its spin-offs – but very few pieces are on display.

Since the 1970s, Who historian David J Howe has been collecting merchandise, magazines, original costumes, artwork and props. He arguably holds the biggest collection of Doctor Who merchandise and memorabilia in the world. His dream: a museum in which to display and share his collection. Can you help?

To try and achieve this aim, Howe has set up an Indiegogo fundraiser to try and get together the funds to bring the premises (which he already owns) up to spec, and to get everything displayed and laid out. “Since I was young, I’ve always wanted to be able to display and share my collection with others,” Howe says. “And a couple of years ago, we got the opportunity to buy the premises, which was always the sticking point … where to house the items!  Now we have that, we need to pay for the floor, walls, ceiling and electrics to be sorted out, as well as some groundworks outside, security, and fixtures and fittings. There’s a lot to do, but hopefully with everyone’s help we’ll be able to get it done!”

The premises are just outside Sleaford in Lincolnshire, and his aim is to be able to launch the Museum in the summer of 2018. ‘It’s a private museum,’ he explained, ‘so people can’t just turn up unannounced. But we intend to hold open days, and special events where folks can book to come and see the collection. We may also be able to accommodate pre-booked showings as well. If this all goes well, then who knows what opportunities might be afforded going forward. I’d love to see merchandise launches taking place at the Museum, and talks by the people who produce the toys and games … there’s all sorts of things we could do.”

The Indiegogo runs until the end of the year, and full details can be found here

As part of the fundraising there are a number of perks which people can buy, which include: exclusive invitations to the Launch Day, complete with special guests and buffet lunch; private dinners with David and his wife, the novelist Sam Stone; dinner with Doctor Who actor Frazer Hines; and even lunch with Star Trek’s Chase Masterson in LA! There are also other perks including special signed proof pages from one of David’s books; bundles of goodies donated by Doctor Who author Richard Dinnick; and there are couples and family perks too! There are more perks being added all the time as friends suggest things which they can provide to help raise the funds.

‘At the end of the day,’ Howe notes, ‘Doctor Who and its merchandise are intrinsicly linked together. They have run hand in hand for fifty three years now, and there have been many tens of thousands of items produced and released tying in with the show. I have a great many of these items and I enjoy sharing my love and passion for the merchandise with others, so being able to have a permanent exhibition is a dream come true!”

Via Sci-Fi Bulletin