Look Whos There (from East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

TIMELORD enthusiasts get to battle Daleks and Cybermen and take a trip inside the Tardis in this much-anticipated show at Earl's Court's Museum Hall.

Current Doctor David Tennant steps into role to welcome visitors on a giant screen and there is a corridor detailing all of the nine time travelling doctors, starting with William Hartnell in 1963.

The exhibition, running until September 18, boasts big screens which show people exactly what goes into making each episode of the hit BBC series.

Another big screen details monster making and the steps taken in creating the monsters, including the terrifying Oods, Witches and Slitheen.

A special effects area, called Ultimate Effects, shows how the explosions and bullet shots are put together, and visitors can step into a virtual reality Tardis.

Exhibition director Martin Wilkie said he anticipates more than a quarter-of-a-million visitors over the next seven months, from as far away as Japan and Australia.

He said: "This is the biggest exhibition of anything and everything to do with Doctor Who ever held in the UK. It is a must-see for any Doctor Who fan.

"We are hugely excited about the exhibition and anticipating record numbers of people through the doors. It is an awesome exhibition and we are delighted with it.

"We were already busy over the Easter weekend and we are expecting the crowds to come in over the Easter school holidays."

Colin Baker, 74, the oldest surviving doctor, who was the fourth Doctor in the series, opened the exhibition on March 20 and praised the display.

He said: "I never did stop being Doctor Who, I just grew old and people who are Doctor Who have never failed, so they remain this figure of nostalgia.

"When I go to a Doctor Who convention - which I do about four or five times a year - there are people introducing me to their own children or there are grandparents there because I go back 36 years."

Even pop princess Kylie Minogue's waitress costume she wore in the 2007 Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, can be seen at the exhibition.

And visitors can enter an interactive world where they will battle Daleks and Cybermen and experience what it is like to be 'exterminated'.

Fans can also step into a real-life Dalek and speak in a mechanic Dalek-like voice and there is the actual-size 6-metre-wide model of the Empress of Racnoss, the biggest monster ever created for the show.

The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989, when the last doctor was Sylvester McCoy.

A television film featuring Paul McGann hit the screens in 1996 and in 2005 Doctor Who returned to TV, played by Christopher Eccleston and, currently, David Tennant.

Doctor Who is believed to be the longest-running science fiction TV show in the world.

To book tickets visit the site in related links or call the box office on 0871 230 1092.

The nearest tube station is West Brompton, across the road from the entrance, on the District Line.

To access the Museum Hall enter via the West Brompton foyer which is directly opposite the exit to West Brompton station.

Visitors can also get to the entrance from Earls Court underground station, on the Piccadilly Line. Follow signs along the left hand side of Earls Court One.

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