Doctor Who: Projections in Time: DWAS 60s Girl Power Screening at Riverside Studios

I love the DWAS events that are held at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. The Doctor Who Appreciation Society lives up to its name by acknowledging and celebrating the history of the series. They recently had another of their “Projection in Time” events, this time to celebrate the 1960s companions.

As part of the event, there were screenings of the William Hartnell episodes The Daleks episode 3, Galaxy 4 episode 3 and the Patrick Troughton episodes The Faceless Ones episode 1 and The Dominators episode 2. Also in attendance were Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Maureen O Brien (Vicki), Anneke Wills (Polly) and Wendy Padbury (Zoe) alongside guest actors Virgina Wetherell (Dyoni in The Daleks), Felicity Gibson (Kando in The Dominators) and Constance Carling (the secretary from Spearhead from Space)

As per previous events, Tony Jordan from the DWAS opened with an introduction. Tony Jordan is part of the DWAS convention organisation team and is responsible for social media and promotions, Tony described it as a joy to have the actresses there and it was nice that there was also an acknowledgement of the absence of Jaqueline Hill (Barbara), Adrienne Hill (Katarina), Jean Marsh (Sara), Jackie Lane (Dodo) and Deborah Watling (Victoria).

Highlights from the panels

I’ve never seen actors Maureen O Brien or Virginia Wetherell before, but they were fascinating on their panel. Virgina Wetherell’s main acting roles were in theatre but also horror films and she has recently finished playing a vampire in a film called Forever Sucks which is in post production presently. Virginia Wetherill, who played Dyoni in The Daleks, looked amazing in a very classic designer trousers suit, which illustrated her career path between acting jobs. Virginia’s mother had been a makeup artist, and as a child, she developed a fascination with clothes. Virginia ended up running an antique shop, and after the untimely death of her husband, the shop became a boutique where she met top models who came into the shop and mixed with designers of the day.

I’ve always liked the character, Vicki. There’s something about her lively nature that makes her quite an attractive foil to William Hartnell’s Doctor. Maureen O Brien talked initially about her Tales of the Tardis experience and reuniting with Peter Purves. She found it a wonderful day, and they both did. Maureen explained she was so nervous about forgetting her lines, but it all came naturally back despite being away from the cameras as Vicki for a long time.

The thing about Maureen O Brien is she comes across as a straight-talking and forthright person and was honest about her thoughts of the new Tardis set, describing it as “curiously huge, empty and unmysterious” when she was shown it in Cardiff. She didn’t like it. The set of the 1960s was smaller, of course, but had a corridor leading off from the console room, which felt more mysterious to her as it could lead anywhere.

Maureen has a great deal of respect for the show now, but admitted that as a younger woman, she only saw Doctor Who as an acting job. The celebrity culture wasn’t as well-known in the 1960s as it is now, so being recognised in the street was a strange, awkward experience for her. Carole Ann Ford agreed that being recognised wasn’t important to her either. It was being recognised for your work.

Carole Ann Ford, of course, has been in two episodes of the recent series and by contrast, there seemed to be a sense of joy coming from her about seeing the new Tardis set in Cardiff and admiring the scale of it. There was a lot of secrecy involved in her reappearance in the TV series, and so she had to stay “locked up” away from prying eyes. Carole Ann was very amused at the shocked audience reaction online when she reappeared.

Maureen and Carole Ann had very fond memories of William Hartnell and both disputed the common misconception that Hartnell couldn’t be a warm, funny person with the people he worked with. They agreed he wasn’t a complex man but was a man of his time, a consummate professional who wanted things done correctly. Virginia remembered getting the giggles on set in The Daleks and William Hartnell not being amused at all!

Its like climbing Everest… Its dangerous. You’ve got these huge slopes.. Its extraordinary, its wonderful – Carole Ann Ford reviewing the Tardis set.

Later in the day, Wendy Padbury, Felicity Gibson and Anneke Wills also discussed their Doctor Who experiences. Anneke Wills made a welcome return to the DWAS events after a bad fall in her garden. Wendy revealed she didn’t like working with director Morris Barry on The Dominators. Wendy found him a strict director who seemed to pick on her and was rather patronising to her as a young woman on set. Anneke Wills agreed he wasn’t a popular director on set when filming The Moonbase.

The auction

I love seeing original items from the series. Margot Hayhoe, an assistant floor manager on Doctor Who in the 1960’s came to the screening with a special item for auction. It was an original costume sketch for the 1977 film The Invisible Enemy by the late Raymond Hughes. He was an Emmy award-winning costume designer, working on many shows for the BBC as well as in American TV and Film.

The family had agreed the item could be sold for charity, and the online bids before the event had gone to £150. Two buyers in the auditorium seemed determined to obtain the sketch, bidding furiously, and the sketch eventually went for around £350-£360. All the proceeds were to be split between the British Heart Foundation & the DWAS Blue Heritage Plaque fund.

The photo studio

Photos were very reasonably priced at the event and very popular. Against the glorious red background of the Cinema One foyer, I couldn’t resist a group photo (£65) with all of our wonderful attendees! Girl power forever!

The Cinema One foyer photo station with all the invited guests[/caption]

These events are truly fantastic, and this event proved very popular, if the long autograph queue for the River Room was anything to go by. I did have some lovely chats with the guests whilst getting autographs, although Carole Ann wouldn’t reveal to me if she was in the final episode of the last series. I do sincerely hope Carole Ann Ford can return in the future with a story dedicated purely to her and not just as a cameo.

The Riverside venue was extremely lively on the day with sci-fi fans, and I’m not sure if the fact that the burlesque parody The Empire Strips Back, which is at Riverside Studios for a few weeks, was playing had anything to do with the atmosphere in the upstairs area. It was brilliant.

Riverside Studios is running another of its series of screenings with Doctor Who writers James Goss and Gavin Rymill musing on the 1960s story The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Further details are at Doctor Who Episode Showcase + Q&A – The Dalek Invasion of Earth | Riverside Studios. Don’t miss out on more adventures in space and time!