Sarner, a leading international creative design and AV installation company, have helped to regenerate The Doctor Who Experience for the Twelfth Doctor.
The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff has welcomed more than half a million visitors since it first opened to the public, originally in London’s Olympia, in 2011. The Experience reopens to the public on October 24th following extensive updates to incorporate the new Twelfth Doctor.
Sarner, who designed, created and installed the original attraction, have updated the experience for the new Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, including creating a brand new immersive show.
Explaining the vision behind the project Sarner’s Creative Director, Michael Bennett (above) said, “BBC Worldwide asked us to take fans to the heart of their own adventure this time round. We needed to take it up a notch on all levels – technology, story, creativity and visitor participation. We’ve tapped into current trends like the impressive lighting technology used at music concerts and festivals as well as some of the interactive thinking at other events in the UK and around the world.
“The biggest challenge for us was ensuring that the guest was participating in the Experience rather than being a passive bystander as well as ensuring there is no barrier between them and the technology. Their senses will be tested as they feel, hear, touch and smell the journey through the six 360° sets. There are no sofas to hide behind at the Doctor Who Experience!”
Visitors to the Experience will star in their very own, exclusive, episode of the BBC show written by Joseph Lidster (Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures) and directed by Paul Wilmshurst (Doctor Who, Da Vinci's Demons). The adventure begins in the Gallifrey Museum and leads visitors to the heart of the TARDIS with powerful production sequences and spectacular set design, combined with the very latest AV technology and special effects.
The Experience has a powerful new storyline which features Peter Capaldi appearing in five TARDIS control rooms from the 1960s right up until the present day. Keen fans will be delighted by other references to classic episodes of the past, including the reappearance of Lalla Ward as Romana.
The Doctor Who Experience can be enjoyed by all visitors, regardless of their familiarity with the TV show. The new attractions and advanced immersive technology feature:
- increasing hands-on participation
- a Time Crystal that creatively involves each guest in the Experience
- costumed hosts
- brand new specially created monsters
- an immersive weeping angels forest that affects all the senses
- a visit to the desolate planet of Skaro
- a breath taking 3D finale with exclusive filmed footage of Peter Capaldi
Stephen Davies, Director of Live Events and Entertainment at BBC Worldwide, says, "As with all of the best Doctor Who adventures, we've undergone our very own regeneration down at the Doctor Who Experience and we're sure Doctor Who fans will be thrilled to take part in a brand new adventure with the Twelfth Doctor."
