AN iconic piece of television science-fiction history will soon be unveiled at Tynedale’s Museum of Classic Sci-Fi.
Museum creator and curator, Neil Cole, received the museum’s new exhibit directly from Mike Tucker, the BAFTA award-winning special effects veteran of shows that included both classic and new eras of Doctor Who and Red Dwarf.
The Allendale-based museum is thrilled to announce the original hand puppet of ‘The Skarasen’ is coming to Allendale. The prop is a throwback to 1975 and the days of The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, who, for many fans of a certain age remains the definitive portrayal.
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The puppet featured in memorable episodes ‘Terror of the Zygons’, where it was mistaken as The Loch Ness Monster.
Neil said: "‘Terror of the Zygons’ has remained a very popular story in the history of the programme and featured some wonderful alien costumes that still stand up to scrutiny today, one of which, ‘Broton’, also resides in the museum.
"‘The Skarasen’ itself was meant to be a large alien dinosaur – this was an incredibly difficult thing to achieve on the Doctor Who budget in 1975.
"The production team made two models - a stop-motion puppet and a more detailed hand puppet of the head and neck. Made from foam and rubber, most of these classic creatures have sadly long deteriorated into dust.
"For this puppet to have survived is remarkable. ‘The Skarasen’ was particularly iconic, featuring as it did as ‘The Lock Ness Monster’ in the show and gracing the cover of the accompanying Target Book novelization in 1976.
"‘Terror of the Zygons’ represents Doctor Who at the height of its powers during the mid-1970s. Surviving artefacts from this time are especially rare and sought after – especially monsters as so many have perished."
Neil was thrilled one of his Doctor Who gurus, Mike Tucker, chose him to restore the model.
"When I was in my late teens, like so many young fans, I wanted to work for Mike and the BBC Visual Effects Department. Now in my fifties, for Mike to think I had the skills to restore this important piece of Doctor Who history was truly an honour."
Mike presented Neil with the puppet at the museum’s recent Monster Men event which featured the premiere of the new Reeltime Pictures’ multiple award-winning documentary about Neil’s restoration work, titled ‘The Monster Man’.
"I’ve been saving and repairing old screen-used Doctor Who monsters for the last couple of decades now. It's quite something to have a short film made about it," he added.
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