WebFinds: The Space Museum

By John Freeman on April 2, 2017

When an account titled @spacemuseum63 starts following you on Twitter, you need to double check they aren’t Dalek agents. I’m glad I did, because it led me to The Space Museum web site – dedicated to cataloging Doctor Who collectibles from 1963 to 1989— the original run of the BBC TV series.

The items in the galleries – so far, only the 1960s features are live – come from the collection of Christopher Hill, who has approached the subject with an eye to simple design, offering a year by year guide to Who merchandise and accompanying photo galleries. The navigation is simple but effective and the articles offer a fascinating snapshot of the items for sale down the years that have been inspired by the show.

While inevitably there might be the occasional foray into considerable detail of particularly rare items, the features are well written and will surely spark plenty of nostalgia for those of us who may remember owning some of the items on show, or anyone curious to know if there really was a Dalek bath sponge!

TV Comic Issue 674, cover dated 14th November 1964 – the first issue with a Doctor Who strip

Christopher’s collection focuses on toys and games, books, magazines and other printed material, and promotional, advertising and point-of-sale items.

Doctor Who's Space Adventure Book - Walls Sky Ray 1967

The album for your Doctor Who Sky Ray lolly card collection, released in 1967

The Space Museum, which includes many rare newspaper cuttings is extensive and impressive. Work on the 1970s and 80s galleries is still in progress, and Christopher is also still searching for a number of items to add to the collection. These are listed on the WANTED page.

A gossipy Doctor Who item from the magazine Reveille (22nd – 26th December 1966)

Take a plunge back into Doctor Who‘s past as the BBC starts pushing new series. The Space Museum is well worth a visit and will certainly grow over time.

• You can find The Space Museum at thespacemuseum.net | Follow the Space Museum on Twitter or Facebook for updates to the site

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.