UPDATE - My collection of impossible things! Circa January 2017.

A long overdue update of my collection of impossible things!

Doctor Who pocket props:

3-D movie glasses (several cardboard 3-D movie glasses with red and blue lenses, as worn in a cinema whilst watching a vintage 3-D film. The 10th Dr used a pair of these to observe temporal residue not usually visible to the naked eye).  
Abacus (a small, black Abacus that is of a similar size to the one that the 7th Dr used to carry).
Alien translator (a couple of CO toy replicas of the Alien translator from the Sarah Jane Adventures, complete with sound and light effects).
Banana (Bananas are a good source of potassium. This one is from the groves of Villengard. Bananas are good!)
Batmobile toy car (one of the most unusual objects to emerge from the 4th Drs pockets was a 1960s era Corgi toy Batmobile car, as seen in The Talons of Weng Chiang.  Unfortunately, the 1960s, 1970s, and even the 1980s Corgi Batmobiles in a mint condition are expensive.  So I bought instead two of the cheaper Eaglemoss versions, complete with their original display cases).
Books as read by the Doctor:
Doctor in the House by Richard Gordon (the same hardback edition as read by the 7th Dr in Remembrance of the Daleks).
"Juggling for the Complete Klutz" by John Cassidy and B C Rimbeaux (1984 edition of the book, as read by the 7th Dr in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy).
"The Time Machine" by H G Wells (1931 limited edition by Random House, the same hardback edition as read by the 7th Dr in the 1996 TV movie series pilot).
"The Doctors Dilemma" by George Bernard Shaw (the same paperback edition as read by the 7th Dr in Dragonfire).
Calling card (a fan-made replica of the 7th Drs calling card; not entirely screen-accurate, but suitable until I get around to making my own one).
Catapult (useful for lobbing gold coins at Cybermen).
Chalk (various pieces of chalk for writing on blackboards, or to draw chalk circles on the ground to prevent being attacked by an evil witch and her pet alien from alternative dimensions).
Chameleon Arch Pocket Watch (a fan-made screen-accurate replica of the 10th Doctors Chameleon Arch Pocket Watch).
Cricket ball (high quality, red English cricket ball).
Diary, River Song's (a fan-made replica of River Song's diary, as seen in Silence in the Library; it contains replica pages of notes, photos, drawings and inserts; and aged to give it the same appearance as the one in the story).
Diary, River Song's (a fan-made replica of River Song's diary, as seen in Silence of the Library; with blank artificially aged pages and artificially aged cover).
Diary, River Song's (a fan-made replica of River Song's diary, as seen in Let's Kill Hitler; as new with blank crisp white pages, complete with a red ribbon tied around it).
Diary, The 11th Dr's (a fan-made replica of the 11th Drs diary; as new with blank crisp white pages).
Diary, The 11th Dr's (a fan-made replica of the 11th Dr's diary; with blank artificially aged pages).
Etheric Beam Locator (also useful for detecting ion-charged emissions!  But in reality, it is a Varian Klystron VA220 valve used as oscillators in microwave transmission equipment; one of these doubled-up as the 4th Dr's Etheric Beam Locator in Genesis of the Daleks, The Planet of Evil, and The Talons of Weng Chiang.  I have four VA220 valves and a couple of the similar shaped VA221 valves which differ only in colour).
Etheric Wave Detector (a fan-made replica of the 2nd Drs Etheric Wave Detector, as seen in Tomb of the Cybermen, to check whether the entrance doors to the tomb were still electrified).  
Everlasting matches (waterproof/windproof matches and strikers, being used to mimic the everlasting matches used by the Doctor in some of the novels).
Farrahs Original Harrogate Toffee tin (in the Planet of Evil, the 4th Dr uses an empty toffee tin to scoop up some anti-matter; as you do!  This vintage tin is as close as I could find to the screen-used original).
Handkerchiefs, Paisley (two fancy-looking, cotton handkerchiefs, in a Paisley style that is remarkably similar to, if not the same as, the one carried by the 7th Dr in seasons 24 and 25).
Jammie Dodgers (three replica Jammie Dodgers).
Jelly babies (several bags of the candies that are much favoured by the Doctor, as well as a pack of small paper bags.  By coincidence, I discovered that if you leave Jelly Babies to become stale, they harden and thus become more durable as a static hero pocket prop, whereas other candies such as boiled sweets can become sticky and soft over time).
Jelly Babies in a cigarette case (a replica of the cigarette case of the 12th Dr, complete with ten Jelly Babies).
"Journal of Impossible Things" by John Smith (a fan-made full size, leather-bound replica of John Smith's journal of dreams, as seen in Human Nature).
"Journal of Impossible Things" by Verity Newman (a fan-made replica of the fictional book, as seen in The End of Time).
Juggling balls (multi-coloured juggling balls).
Library card (a fan-made, screen-accurate replica of the 1st Dr's Shoreditch Library card, as briefly seen in The Vampires of Venice).
Loupes (jewellers loupes of varying magnifications, such as 2.5x, 5x, 10x and 12x).
Lunch box, River Songs (a Sigg Aluminium Food Box MAXI, coloured silver, version 01.  Screen-accurate, this is the same make and model as the one used by Professor River Song in Silence in the Library.  Inside the tin she had a lunch of cooked chicken legs and some salad).
Magnifying glasses (replicas of 1941 Hughes and Son magnifying glasses; two large and two small. They come in their own leather pouches.  I also have a couple of more modern style magnifying glasses).
Marbles (a drawstring bag of glass marbles, various colours).
"Melody Malone novel (a fan-made replica of the novel that the 11th Dr and Amy read in The Angels Take Manhattan).
Money, English pre-decimal coins in a drawstring bag (inspired by the drawstring bag of coins that the 7th Dr gives to Ace in Remembrance of the Daleks, this drawstring bag contains genuine pre-1963 pre-decimal English coins that were the currency in London, circa 1963, including Crowns, Half Crowns, Six pence coins, Three pence coins, One pence coins, Half Pence coins, Farthings, Half Shillings and Shillings).
Money, Five Pound coins (three English £5 coins, dated 1990, 1993, and 1996; these were minted by the Royal Mint in commemoration of Royal events.  The Doctor paid for drinks with one of these coins, in Battlefield).
Money, Ten Pence coins and Fifty Pence coins dated 1991 (two proof coins issued by the Royal Mint as part of its annual collectable coin packs.  The Doctor paid for a mug of tea with what appeared to be a 1991 Ten Pence coin in a deleted scene in Remembrance of the Daleks.  I originally thought it was a 1991 Fifty Pence coin, but I have subsequently concluded that it was most likely a Ten Pence coin).
Money, Gallifreyan Zonk coins (these fan-made, silver-coloured, metal coins have the Great Seal of Rassilon on one side and a Nu-Who style symbol on the other side.  I thought these might be the type of coinage used on Gallifrey; Gallifreyan Zonks, as John Culshaw would say).
Money, miscellaneous; in drawstring bags (replicas of various methods of making payment including coins of varying currencies and eras, gold coins, silver coins, gold dust, replica precious cut gemstones, etc., inside various drawstring bags).
Nano Recorder (a couple of CO toy replicas of the gun-type Nano Recorder, as used by the 11th Dr).
Opera glasses, two types:
9th Dr style Opera Glasses (three types; a replica 1800s Fords Theatre pair, a 1941 W Ottway and Sons pair that may be vintage or a replica, and another pair of an unknown European origin; the latter pair are screen-accurate).
11th Dr style Opera Glasses (one type; late 1800s / early 1900s French pair by La Mignonne).
Owl, Sarah-Janes (a cuddly toy belonging to Sarah-Jane Smith, it could briefly be seen at the conclusion of The Hand of Fear.  It is believed to have been made by Alresford Crafts of Hampshire, England, as this company sold a similar-looking cuddly owl in the 1970s.  I own one of these Alresford Crafts owls).
Paint palette brooch (a fan-made replica of the 4th Dr's paint palette brooch).
Pen torches (several different pen torches).
Philips dual-deck radio cassette recorder, model D8478 (the same make and model of tape deck that Ace had with her in Remembrance of the Daleks, before it got exterminated into silicon heaven).
Playing cards (a pack of playing cards).
Pocket watch on a chain (several pocket watches and pocket watch chains).
Psychic paper inside a black ID wallet (a screen-likeness replica of the 9th Drs black ID  wallet, containing a piece of psychic paper).
Question Mark Umbrella (a fan-made replica of the 7th Dr's distinctive umbrella).
Question Mark Umbrella (the official replica, by Abbyshot, of the 7th Dr's distinctive umbrella).
Recorder (a recorder styled and painted to look similar to the 2nd Dr's recorder).
Realtone 6 transistor radio, model TR-1645 (a 6 transistor radio, circa early 1960s; the same radio as listened to by Susan in An Unearthly Child).
"S&G - The Dr: here to help" badge (several replicas of the shop assistant badge worn by the 11th Dr in "Closing Time").
Scarfs and pullovers:
4th Dr, season 12 scarf (an unofficial replica sold by Galaxy Four),
4th Dr, season 12 scarf (the official replica by Lovarzi; one scarf in its original bag),
4th Dr, season 15 scarf (the official replica by Lovarzi; one scarf in its original bag),
4th Dr, season 18 scarf (the official replica by Lovarzi; one scarf in its original bag),
7th Dr, seasons 24 and 25 paisley scarf (an unofficial replica),
7th Dr, seasons 24 and 25 paisley silk scarf (the official replica by Lovarzi; two scarfs in their original boxes),
7th Dr, seasons 24 to 26 question mark pullover (the official replica by Lovarzi; one medium-size pullover in its original bag).
Stethoscope (medical instrument, commonly used to listen to heart and lungs, but equally useful for listening to other sounds such as evil weed inside metal pipes).
Sonic Screwdrivers, several types:
2nd Dr Sonic Screwdriver (several metal pen torches; although not screen accurate, they are of a very high quality metal build, unlike some of the easily breakable plastic versions.  The actual screen-used original is very rare and has been identified as a blue and silver Ever-Ready Slim Penlight),
4th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (a fan-made metal replica with working spring mechanism, but no sound),
4th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (a fan-made, high-quality metal replica with working spring mechanism and sound chip),
4th Dr Sonic Screwdriver in a display case (a professionally produced limited edition replica by Sixteen Twelve, with working spring mechanism but not sound; complete with its display case and brass plaque),
4th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (several CO toy replicas, with sound effects),
8th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (a fan-made metal replica, with a spring-loaded retractable and locking mechanism, but no sound),
9th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (a fan-made replica, with unique crackle paint finish, working LED light and sound chip).
9th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (several CO toy replicas, extendable, with light and sound effects, etc),
11th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (several CO toy replicas, extendable, with light and sound effects, etc),
12th Dr Sonic Screwdriver (several CO toy replicas, extendable, with touch-activated light and sound effects, etc),
The War Dr's Sonic Screwdriver (several CO toy replicas, with light and sound effects, etc),
The War Dr's Sonic Screwdriver (a fan-made metal replica with working spring mechanism, but no sound or light),
Several of the CO Build your own Sonic Screwdriver sets,
Several of the CO Trans-Temporal Sonic Screwdriver.
"Sounds from the Inferno" - 7 inch vinyl record (a limited edition vinyl record published in the UK in 2013, featuring Three Guitars Mood 2; the instrumental that doubled as John Smith and the Common Men in "An Unearthly Child".  The Inferno was the fictional London nightclub frequented by Ben and Polly).
Soviet Union uniform badge (the same uniform badge that Captain Sorin gave to Ace in The Curse of Fenric).
TARDIS De-Materialisation circuit (a high-quality replica by Mooncrest Models of the TARDIS De-Materialisation circuit, as seen in Day of the Daleks).
TARDIS Food Machine 24 hour food ration - flavoured food bars (I obtained several of these from old Royal Air Force and Royal Navy survival packs. They are packets of 8 quantity cubes of flavoured carbohydrate food, such as chocolate and fruit flavours. Vacuum sealed in laminate foil packets, they closely resemble the TARDIS Food Machine food blocks).
TARDIS key on a chain, three types:
4th Dr era: three replicas by Mooncrest Models
7th Dr era: three replicas by Mooncrest Models
8th Dr era: three replicas by Mooncrest Models
Yale-style type, as used by the 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th and 11th Drs.
Telescope (extendable brass telescope, bound in leather).
"The Runaway Bride" banknotes (one David Tennant and one Philip Collinson banknote, as seen in "The Runaway Bride".  I believe these are high quality replicas, professionally printed on quality paper, and not BBC originals).  
Tie, Paisley (a red paisley tie that is of a similar design and colour as the 7th Drs tie, circa seasons 24 and 25).
Time Lord psychic message cubes (two official replica psychic message cubes, with light effects; one with the snake design and one with a Time Lord seal on it).
Torch (vintage red and white Ever-Ready torch, as used by the 4th Dr in The Robots of Death).
UNIT ID card in leather ID wallet (a fan-made UNIT ID card for the 3rd Dr).
Vortex Manipulator (three official replicas of Captain Jack Harkness Vortex Manipulator, which includes a built-in digital watch and a blue LED light and sound effect button).
White Pointed Star diamond (several replicas of the White Pointed Star diamond).
Yo-Yo (a Yo-Yo is a toy that was used by the 4th Dr to take a simple gravity reading.  I have several types of Yo-Yo, as well as spare strings.  But the most significant are my Lumar Yo-Yos. My yellow Lumar Championship Yo-Yo is the same make and model as the 4th Drs Yo-Yo in Genesis of the Daleks.  My blue Donald Duck Lumar Yo-Yo is the same make and model as the 4th Drs Yo-Yo in Robot).
Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 6x9 version D photographic stills camera, with Compur shutter (a German-made photographic stills camera, circa 1938, as used by the 7th Dr in Remembrance of the Daleks.  It briefly appeared on screen in the transmitted version, but it can also be seen in a deleted scene that was included as an extra on the DVD video release.  The Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 version D photographic camera comes with different shutters, but I am sure the one that appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks had a Compur shutter.  In addition to the one that I own which is screen-accurate, I also have another screen-accurate Compur, as well as a Telma, and a Kilo.  In addition to these cameras, I also have a copy of the original instruction manual, a Zeiss Ikon (London) business card and envelope, circa 1938/1939.  Additionally, I have a couple of Zeiss Ikon leather camera cases, a genuine Zeiss Ikon Nettar viewfinder in its original packaging, a genuine Zeiss Ikon shutter release cable in its original packaging, a genuine Zeiss Ikon Nettar 6x9 packaging box, a reproduction of a Zeiss Ikon 1938 promotional catalogue, and a genuine vintage Zeiss Ikon promotional catalogue which dates to the late 1930s).

 Other relevant collector's items:

Casio AE-21W Twin Graph ii digital watch (this vintage digital watch is the same make and model as used by SFX artist and props maker, Mike Tucker, for the 7th Dr's digital pocket watch.  I currently have two of these in a working order, which I am keeping as collectables).
Helix Home File (briefcase-size metal filing cabinet, as used for the case of the TARDIS toolkit).
Pocket watch on a chain, rabbit hunter design (I have two gold tone pocket watches of the same rabbit hunter design that Mike Tucker used for the case of the 7th Dr's digital pocket watch.  I also have the same silver tone snake pocket watch chain that Mike also used).
Viners Studio salad serving spoons (two sets of salad serving spoons, including two fork spoons of the same type that were used to make the alien-looking spoons pilfered by the 7th Dr in Time and the Rani).
"Zoids" toy - Saicurtis (this is the same Zoids toy that was used for the construction of the 7th Dr's very valuable piece of coin collection in "Battlefield". I have two still in kit form in their original boxes).

"...Until we meet again, Sarah” – Sarah-Jane Smith’s Owl by Alresford Crafts

In episode four of The Hand of Fear, Sarah-Jane Smith and the Doctor (in his fourth incarnation) are forced to part company after the Doctor is summoned to Gallifrey. Unable to take her with him, he takes her back home to South Croydon, in Surrey, England; or at least he thinks he does. (The TARDIS actually lands in a residential street in Aberdeen, Scotland!) They then part company.

Sarah-Jane carried with her some possessions, which included a cuddly toy owl. This cuddly toy owl has been identified as having been made and sold in the 1970s by Alresford Crafts of Hampshire, England.

These owls occasionally appear on eBay and I recently bought one to add to my Doctor Who pocket props collection.

(Apparently, the same make of cuddly toy owl appeared in the 1982 film, “ET – The Extra Terrestrial”. It is said to be amongst the cuddly toys in Elliot’s wardrobe, amongst which ET is hiding. Coincidentally, as a child in 1982, my grandparents took me to see ET at the cinema. They would later buy me a cuddly toy ET, which became my favourite childhood toy and I still own it to this very day.)

* * * * *

Back to Sarah-Jane Smith…

Sarah-Jane Smith, played by the late Elizabeth Sladen, is one of the most popular, most loved and most fondly remembered of all the Doctor’s many companions.

Elizabeth Sladen, who sadly died a few years ago from cancer, was pivotal in the success of Sarah-Jane. It was her portrayal of the character, and her excellent rapport with actors Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Ian Marter, et al, both on screen and off, that made the character so special. Elizabeth Sladen’s good looks and wide grin also helped win over the hearts of many a fan!

Elizabeth would remain friends with all three of her leading co-stars.

In the 1970s, Tom Baker and Ian Marter wrote a Doctor Who story called “Doctor Who meets The Scratchman”. It was intended to be made for the cinema and would have featured Tom, Elizabeth, and Ian reprising their characters. However, due to a lack of funding, as well as competition from high-budget, special effects-laden movies like Star Wars, the film was never made and the idea abandoned.

Sarah-Jane Smith returned to Doctor Who in 1983, in the 20th anniversary story “The Five Doctors”. She also had a starring role in the spin-off TV programme pilot “K9 and Company”, but this was not commissioned as a series.

In the 1990s, Elizabeth recorded two new Doctor Who stories for BBC Radio, alongside her former co-stars Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney, entitled “The Paradise of Death” and “The Ghosts of E-Space”.

In the 2000s, she would record some original Sarah-Jane Smith audio stories for Big Finish Productions.

In 2006, Elizabeth Sladen would return to play Sarah-Jane Smith in Doctor Who on television, appearing alongside the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). She would later return for the 2008 season finale, and had a cameo appearance in David Tennant’s swansong.

Due to the successful return of both Doctor Who and Sarah-Jane Smith, a spin-off BBC children’s television series was produced, entitled “The Sarah-Jane Adventures”. It ran for several successful series and only ended when Elizabeth Sladen died. Doctor Who characters, the Tenth Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) all guest starred.

When she was terminally ill, Tom Baker regularly sent little greetings cards with kind messages written inside, which she appreciated enormously.

After Elizabeth Sladen died, her daughter Sadie Miller described how comforting it felt to know that her mother was loved and admired by so many, including by people she hardly knew and had not even met!

Youtube user and Doctor Who fan, Babelcolour produced a lovely tribute video to Sarah-Jane / Elizabeth Sladen. (He also produced an equally moving tribute to Nicholas Courtney, after he too lost his own battle against cancer.)

Some newer fans suggested that the BBC could simply recast Sarah-Jane Smith. But myself and many other fans from the 1970s and 1980s would have none of it! There was only one Sarah-Jane Smith and only one Elizabeth Sladen. So when Elizabeth died, so too did her character in the metaphorical sense.

“Goodbye, my Sarah-Jane!”

Little Time Lords - Big Chief Studios

In 2012, Big Chief Studios Ltd (UK) announced the start of a new line of 1:6 scale collectable action figures of The Doctor. These would be high quality replicas, akin to Hot Toys and Sideshow.  

The first to be released was the 11th Doctor. This was followed shortly after by his companion, Amy Pond. The next to be released was the 10th Doctor and the 4th Doctor. There was also a 10th Doctor variant on sale at the official Doctor Who anniversary convention in London, sporting his Day of the Doctor attire. The latter is the most exceptionally rare.  

Big Chief Studios have recently started taking pre-orders for Sherlock and Watson, as played in the 21st century BBC 1 reworking of Sherlock Holmes by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.  

All have been released as 300 quantity signed editions and 1000 quantity unsigned editions. They are identical, with the only difference being one comes with an autographed plaque and the other does not. The 10th Doctor signed edition sold out in 30 minutes of the pre-order webpage going live! Both the 11th Doctor and 4th Doctor signed editions have now sold out, although at the time of typing, Big Chief Studios still had some signed Amy Pond figures in stock.  

Additionally, Big Chief Studios have released a more cartoony-looking statue of the 10th Doctor, and a series of 50th anniversary prints.

(In pre-production are a replica of the 1st Doctor, a replica of a Weeping Angel, and accessories packs.)  

Although I do not own one of the 11th Doctor figures (although I may at some point purchase one from a seller in Germany who still has some in stock), I did purchase the signed edition of the 4th Doctor and the unsigned edition of the 10th Doctor. And mighty fine they look too! So good are they that I do not want to take them out of their packaging and display them; instead preferring to keep them in their packaging as collectables.  

Both come with some of the props that were synonymous with their eras. For instance, the 4th Doctor comes with his hat and scarf, his Sonic Screwdriver, his bag of Jelly Babies, his yellow Lumar Championship Yo-Yo, the Hand of Fear/Eldrad, the Key to Time locator, and the Key to Time itself. The 10th Doctor comes with his signature long coat, his spectacles, his 3-D spectacles, two versions of his Sonic Screwdriver, his Psychic Paper, and his water pistol. Each comes with a light-up base to stand the figures on, alternative hands, spare hand and foot joints, and a hardback cardboard TARDIS console room backdrop.  

If there is any justice in this world, I hope they release the 7th Doctor, Ace, Captain Jack Harkness, The War Doctor, the Kandy Man…

* * * * * * 

A few years ago, toy company Character Options released a range of 1:6 action figures of the 10th Doctor, the 10th Doctor in his orange spacesuit, Martha Jones, Sister Hame, Dalek Sec (in human-dalek hybrid form), Cybermen, a Clockwork android, and a Judoon. These were within the £20 range. Although cheaper than Big Chief Studios, most were very good for their price! Sadly, the 10th Doctor did not come with his trademark long coat (despite being advertised with it in pre-release publicity photographs), although I did later purchase a couple second-hand that came with high-quality fan-made replica long coats.  

Also a few years ago, a collectable dolls company in the USA (whose name I have completely forgotten) released 18 inch tall dolls of the 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, Gwen Cooper, and Captain Jack Harkness. Unfortunately, the likenesses were poor and they did not come with all their trademark accessories. Also, if memory serves me correctly, one had to buy the Doctor’s long coat separately!  

In the 1970s, toy company Denys Fisher released a small range of Doctor Who 1:6 scale (approx) action figures of the 4th Doctor, Leela, the K-1 robot (from Robot), a TARDIS, and a Cyberman.   

* * * * * 

Speaking of collectables, in 2000, I became obsessed with the Nintendo 64 video game “Perfect Dark”. In addition to owning two copies of the game (one to play, the other as a collectable), I bought all the player guides (including the one that came with its own comic), and religiously read the RARE games web site.  

A couple of years later, in 2002, Blue Box International (BBI) released 1:6 scale collectable figures of the lead character, Joanna Dark; one in her distinctive blue and silver livery, and another in her leather catsuit. Both came with some of her signature guns and alternate set of hands. I bought two of each, one set for display and the other as collectables. I think they cost approximately £45 each.  

I also own two 18 inch tall Captain Jack Sparrow collectable figures, complete with his trademark accessories. These were released in 2004 by NECA. I also have a complete set of the first wave action figures, which were also released in 2003, which includes both Captain Jack variants.  

Somewhere in a cupboard at home, I also have a Predator which stands approximately 12 to 18 inches tall. I believe I also have a couple of MacFarlane Predator action figures and a MacFarlane Leatherface action figure in a cupboard at home.  

(Do you want to know the difference between adults and children? In relation to toys, adults “collect them” whereas children “play with them”. Or at least that is what us big kids tell ourselves! 37 years old going on 12, me!)

"Just a simple gravity reading" - the Doctor's Yo-Yos

Above: The Doctor's Yo-Yos, as they appeared on screen.  

Left: his Lumar blue Donald Duck Yo-Yo (Robot), Right: his Lumar Championship yellow Yo-Yo (Genesis of the Daleks).

Above: My own, with new strings added to them.

"...Your clothing is a little anachronistic for this time period; and that doesn’t help!” – Ace’s tape deck

The Philips dual-deck radio cassette recorder, model D8478 is the same make and model of tape deck that Ace had with her in Remembrance of the Daleks, before it got exterminated into silicon heaven (where all the dead calculators go).

More commonly referred to as a Ghetto Blaster, it has two tape cassette decks, a radio with FM, MW, LW, and SW frequencies, a graphic equaliser (little levels which go up and down, apparently, and increase or decrease the treble, bass, etc), detachable speakers, and takes a whopping eight quantity D size batteries (no wonder Sophie Aldred complained that it was heavy to carry!). And if it was not heavy enough for you, it had a line-in socket for connecting a separate CD player!

Ah, the days before CD players were commonplace! I remember them well! I have a little saying, which is “You can judge how old a person is by whether they collect vinyl records, or buy vinyl records to listen to!” My generation bought records to listen to, as I am old enough to remember an era before CDs, when all we had were cassette tapes and vinyl records. The youths of today buy records to collect!

“Twelve pennies to the shilling, twenty shillings to the pound, right?” – The seventh Doctor’s drawstring purse of coins: Remembrance of the Daleks

(From top to botttom, left to right: first row features a Crown, Half a crown, and a Florin; the second row features a shilling, six pence and three pence; the third row features a penny, half a penny, and a farthing.)

…So says Ace to Sargent Mike Smith, trying to grasp 1963 English pre-decimal currency. To pay for some refreshments in Harry’s Café, the seventh Doctor gives Ace a drawstring bag of coins in episode one of “Remembrance of the Daleks”.

In 1963, the UK still had a pre-decimal system of currency, whereby twelve pennies equalled one shilling and twenty shillings equalled one English pound. The pre-decimal English coinage consisted of the following coins:

Farthing:
A Farthing was one-quarter of a penny

Half-Penny:
A half-penny was one-half of a penny

A Penny:
Worth a penny, or 1D (two pennies would be referred to as Tuppence)

Three pence:
Worth three pennies or pence, or 3D, (also known as a Thrupence, or a Thrupenny bit)

Six pence:
Worth six pennies or pence, or 6D

A Shilling:
Worth 12 pennies or pence, or 1/- (also known as a Bob)

A Florin (or two shillings):
Worth 24 pennies or pence, or 2/-

Half Crown:
Worth 30 pennies or pence, or two shillings and six pence, or 2/6 or 2&6 pence

Crown:
60 pennies or pence, or a quarter of an English Pound

There was also a Sovereign coin (worth 20 shillings or £1.00, or One English Pound) and a Half Sovereign coin (worth 10 shillings or half an English Pound). But as these were and still are made from 22 carat gold, the face value was worth less than the precious metal itself. Thus, Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns are now sold as gold investments and collector’s items, rather than as day to day currency.

In addition to these coins, there were also Bank Notes issued by the Bank of England for amounts One English Pound and larger.

These coins confused Ace, but she would be even more confused by Harry’s Café price list!

(I will make some screenshots of Harry’s Café menu board and also the coins that so confused Ace, and add these to this blog entry at a later date.)

If Harry’s bacon sandwiches cost one shilling and two pence, this would be written on his menu as 1/2D, also known as one Bob and Tuppence. If they cost one shilling and three pence, then it would be written as 1/3D, also known as One Bob and Thrupence. Two shillings would be known as two Bob.

Their conversation would likely have gone like this…

“Four bacon sandwiches and a cup of coffee; that’ll be two Bob and Thrupence, Miss, if you please.” - Harry
“Yer what!?” – Ace

Considering that The Doctor is an alien from another planet, it begs the question how does he manage to get hold of relevant currency to pay for goods and services on the occasions when he has a need to. Does he use hypnotism to “encourage” people to give him money!? Does he go into a bank with a drawstring bag, hypnotise the cashier into filling up the bag, and then do a runner!? Does he have slightly psychic coinage!?

He could have a supply of 24 carat gold, which he exchanges for currency. (Indeed, in the TV Movie series pilot, we see The Master extract drawstring bags of gold dust from a drawer in the TARDIS library.)

It's the UKIP Shipping Forecast!

Fellow Doctor Who fan (and Dalek operator) Nicholas Pegg produced this SUPERB satirical spoof of the UK Independence Party.

UKIP are a bunch of White British, little Englanders, racists, fascists, anti-Semites, homophobes, xenophobes, holocaust deniers, and an assortment of other extreme-right wankers!  And this audio spoof sums them up PERFECTLY!...

https://soundcloud.com/nicholas-pegg/ukip-shipping-forecast