Doctor Who Prop Hunt

The name’s Bond, James Bond. Yes that’s right, this week’s prop is from the world of that famous fictional British spy, James Bond. It’s this control panel here and it’s found in the underground lair of Dr. Kananga from Live and Let Die. LIVE AND LET DIE, 1973 Here it is on screen. In the film Bond taps on a tombstone with a sword and that signals to the henchman to give him access to the lair. THE ARK IN SPACE, 1975 Two years later this control panel starts to turn up in Doctor Who. You can see it on the right of this screen grab from The Ark in Space. PLANET OF EVIL, 1975 The following season two of these panels turn up in Planet of Evil. One wall mounted and the other on a table. The one on the wall has been positioned upside down, at least compared to its other appearances. Here is a better look at the one on the table. THE INVISIBLE ENEMY, 1977 It’s another couple of years before we see this again. This time it’s in season 15’s The Invisible Enemy.  SPACE FALL, 1978 Blakes 7’s...

International Electromatic Company. State your business! This week I take a look at the ‘stupid primitive machine’ from the reception of IE. The Doctor and Zoe may not appreciate this ‘brainless tin box’ but it is a distinctive prop and one that turns up a bit in sixties TV. And it’s not alone as there are a few variants to look for. THE INVASION, 1968 Let’s start with its memorable appearance in The Invasion. We get a good look at the whole thing so we can see what to spot in its other appearances. There are two panels at the top which have handles and almost look like they can open. Under that we have the standard whirly tapes and then in the body of the machine is a wedge shaped control panel. SOMETHING IN THE CELLAR, 1969 Something in the Cellar is an episode from the seminal 60s anthology series Out of the Unknown. It’s from OOTU’s third season and was broadcast in February 1969. In the episode a Professor, haunted by the memory of his Mother, builds a computer in his basement. TH...

It’s guns galore this week as I look at pairs of pistols, matching muskets, and coupled cannons! Each gun featured appears in either two Doctor Who stories OR Doctor Who and something else. Enjoy. GALAXY 4, 1965 The long energy weapons of the Dravhins turn up ten years later in…. GENESIS OF THE DALEKS, 1975 …and the clear cube thing on the end turned out to be green. Who knew! EARTHSHOCK, 1982 The Eighties Cyber-guns, created by freelance costumes and effects company Imagineering, were later cannibalised to appear in….. WARRIORS OF THE DEEP, 1984 Careful Tarpok! You’ll have your hand off! INVASION OF THE DINOSAURS, 1974 The Doctor’s dino stun gun actually first appeared in…. MADAME SIN, 1972 …. a fairly obscure British thriller starring Bette Davis, Robert Wagner, and Denholm Elliott. Interiors for this movie were completed at Pinewood and it seems likely the gun ended up in their prop store after filming was complete. Studios like Pinewood and Elstree would often rent out props to oth...

Hey guys. I’m a bit tight for time this week so I thought I’d just provide a few updates on props I have looked at in the past. Probably the best place to start is with the prop I looked at last week .  COLONY IN SPACE, 1971 David Brunt  let me know that four of the pill shaped props from my last post can be seen at the conclusion of Colony.  THE MOONBASE, 1967 I first wrote about the unusual stools from The Sensorites  here and again here . I was watching The Moonbase the other day and I spotted a very brief cameo I’d previously missed. One of these stools can be found hiding out with the Cybermen in the shadows of a store room. THE MUPPET SHOW, 1976-81 In the top left of this Pigs in Space screen grab are the vac formed cupboards from Peter Evan’s Studios. I wrote about their Doctor Who appearances here . In a follow up post I mentioned their appearances in Blake’s 7 and Red Dwarf but I wasn’t aware of any other shows. Well here is another one to as to the list. R...