Doctor Who meets his match in Worthing (From The Argus)
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Doctor Who meets his match in Worthing
2:00pm Monday 3rd August 2009 in News By Paul Holden
Oliver Chenery, of Lancing, enjoys the Doctor Who event in Worthing
Daleks and Cybermen almost met their match at the weekend – in the form of a typical English summer.
Domination of the Universe was a pushover compared to the incessant torrential rain which left Doctor Who's arch enemies soaked.
But there were no leaks in the Tardis which appeared at the junction of Montague Street and Montague Place, Worthing, during a dalek day out by the sodden seaside.
The attraction was organised by Worthing Town Centre Initiative to boost visitor numbers and despite the deluge people flocked from Eastbourne, Burgess Hill and even Surrey to see the five Daleks on parade.
They also rubbed shoulders with a Cyberman, Sontaran, and Doctor Who's trusty, or should that be rusty, metallic dog K9.
Events included a competition, quiz and Doctor Who book readings at Waterstones in Montague Street.
Lorraine Hawkes, assistant town centre manager, said: “It was really good despite the weather.
“At one point you couldn't move for people around the rotunda (bandstand) even though it was raining.”
One of the Daleks was built by Alex Scutt (crrt), proprietor of Type 40 Toys, Rowlands Road, Worthing.
He spent four months constructing the Dalek, after salvaging its middle section from a skip.
Alex jumped inside the Dalek and went for a trundle along the promenade and pier.
He said traffic came to a standstill in Marine Parade as he passed over a pedestrian crossing while saying “Exterminate”.
Alex said: “It was a shame about the weather but dozens of people stopped me for photographs.
“You should have seen the looks on people's faces as they peered out of shop windows to see a Dalek going past.
“One woman on the pier, who didn't see or hear me coming, jumped out of her skin and screamed.
“Children wanted to touch the Dalek. They may look indestructable but they are in fact quite fragile.”
Alex said he now planned to enter a Doctor Who float in Worthing's Rotary Carnival on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31.
He hoped to have every past Doctor aboard, in full costume, plus Daleks, Cyberman, a Tardis, K9 and other characters from the cult BBC show.
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