Doctor Who Prop Hunt

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...

One year ago this statue kick started my interest in looking for reoccurring props in Doctor Who. It had always been something of an interest and I had covered the topic on my Instagram many times. But when I initially found this prop at the very beginnings of Who it sparked a little  bit of an obsession. In the intervening 12 months I’ve uncovered this lady (and 5 of her Sisters) in a variety of places. Presented here is all of my research so far. This has been previously published on my Instagram, @doctor_who_60s_70s_80s but includes a couple of new finds. STEP AND SON, 1962-65 Before Doctor Who, our statue lived in the front room of the Steptoes. She’s in this spot for pretty much all of Step and Son’s initial run.  DON SMITH RADIO TIMES PROMOTIONAL PHOTO, 1963 BBC TELEVISION CENTRE Radio Times photographer Don Smith was tasked with taking the initial publicity stills of the regulars on the 20th September 1963. However at this point the sets for An Unearthly Child had yet t...

Season Eight opener, Terror of the Autons, features a nifty new laboratory for the Doctor. And lurking in the back is a rather interesting spiral staircase. Interesting because it seems to turn up in all manner of other shows.  TERROR OF THE AUTONS, 1971 STEPTOE AND SON, 1962 The earliest I have been able to find the stairs is from the original run of Steptoe and Son, from 1962-65. They can be regularly spotted in the Steptoe’s junkyard, just next to their front door. READY STEADY GO!, 1965 Scottish pop pixie Lulu starts her performance of ‘Shout’ on a familiar set of stairs in a 1965 edition of Associated-Redifussions music show Ready Steady Go! In truth, I’m not 100% certain this is the same staircase. The shape of the steps and the balusters is correct but this staircase feels longer and sturdier than the other examples I have found. Lulu is actually able to walk down half of it and not kill herself. So the jury is out on this one. ADAM ADAMANT LIVES!, 1966 ‘So clever…but oh so ...

The prop that featured as The Master’s ‘Iron Maiden’ TARDIS had a long and illustrious career on British TV and even appeared in a classic of British cinema. Here is a look at all of the occasions I have been able to spot this prop to date. ADAM ADAMANT LIVES!, 1966 This is the earliest I have been able to find the Iron Maiden. The episode is called Death Has A Thousand Faces. To be totally honest the jury is out on this one. The face of the prop is a match but the AAL example has its doors open so you can’t see the Maiden’s errr…charms. There are also a couple of alternative versions of this prop that I’ll look at later which muddy the waters a bit. Still I’m pretty confident it’s the right one. THE AVENGERS, 1967 From the season 5 episode Murdersville. CARRY ON HENRY, 1971 Yes, our Maiden is a film star. In this scene there is a gag with the engaged sign from a toilet. It’s filmed in close up to appear attached to the Iron Maiden. However it can’t be seen in the medium shots like thi...