Flybe / November 2018

39 / 116

NOVEMBER 2018 / Flight Time / 39
Real Life
of Babylon 5, Beneath the Planet of
the Apes, Dredd, the Alien franchise,
Ender’s Game, Edge of Tomorrow,
Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct and
a personal favourite, HGWells’ The
Time Machine (both the 1960 and 2002
versions). A yellow flight chair and
suit from the live-action Thunderbirds
film occupy an alcove in the stone
basement, historically used as the
householder’s business premises. Next
to them, among his Marvel superhero
exhibits, is his most expensive
souvenir; part of Chris Hemsworth’s
Thor outfit from The Avengers. “That
cost a couple of grand. I sold my bass
guitar to get it.”
Lisa appreciates the boyish
devotion. “We’re both arty, so she
understands the passion,” says Neil.
“She kind of likes sci-fi as well – she’s
not an enthusiast, but she likes it.
When we met, I was living by myself.
I had a normal house and one of the
rooms was my man cave, full of sci-fi
stuff. As an artist, I like displaying
things properly, so I always had a nice
display – it wasn’t good enough just to
shove it on any old shelving, it had to
be nicely done.”
Years later, having bought their
home in Allendale, the couple had
a flooded cellar to contend with. “It
was a mess, it was appalling. You
couldn’t put anything in it.” With the
carpentry skills of Lisa’s dad, Chris,
however, it’s been transformed into a
visitor attraction.
Neil imagines interest will build
gradually. “There’s a sci-fi museum
in Bromyard near Birmingham
which is like this, stuck out the way.
It’s been open for 12 years. I’m not
stupid enough to think I’ll live off
this completely but I think you’ve
got several audiences. You’ve got the
North East sci-fi community, which is
quite a few. You’ve got people who will
travel to see things, so I’ve already got
bookings from the Dutch Doctor Who
society, who want to come over and
stay. I want to start pushing the village
as a weekend destination. I hope in
time, the museum will become a
niche, quirky little place to visit.”
The day that Flight Time drops by,
he and Chris are hard at work, gearing
up for the October opening. Not every
exhibit is ready, the fantasy art and
It was in 1976, on a visit to
Blackpool’s Doctor Who Exhibition,
that he fell in love with imaginative
TV props, aged six. “That blending
of fantasy and reality blew my mind.
We were quite a poor family, we didn’t
have a camera and so there was no
record of it, but ever since, I thought
I’d love to have a little exhibition of
my own.”
For many years, Bonhams has held
memorabilia auctions in London, but
because Neil can’t use the internet at
his school during the day, the best he
can do is place bids online in advance.
It’s not ideal, but one way or another,
he’s acquired more than 200 items.
Along with his Doctor Who props –
some of them painstakingly restored
over months because the rubber
was disintegrating – his museum
boasts bits and pieces from the likes
spaceship-like wall panels still need
installing and the glass cases have
yet to be delivered. These cases are a
necessity, unfortunately. “With the
best will in the world, people want to
touch things. It’s just human nature,”
says Neil.
At one sci-fi show, he exhibited
the prosthetic mask of the Fantastic
Four ’s Ben Grimm, better known as
the Thing. Beside it, in clear view,
was a ‘do not touch’ sign. “And the
reason it has a flat nose now is that
a guy, probably in his 20s, who was
obviously a serious fan, went up and
touched the end of the nose with
his finger and pushed it in. Aaargh!
Its foam rubber and it just collapsed
underneath. The glass is a massive
expense, but at least I’ll be able to sleep
at night.
“At the minute I’m getting calls
from everywhere,” he continues.
“I’ve even got a couple coming from
Australia, who are big Whovians. My
gut feeling is if it’s done well, this will
become known as a place where the
classic show is loved.”
The best-case scenario, as he sees
it, is that interest in the museum takes
off, paving the way for mini Doctor
Who conventions at the venue. He
intends to open it four days a week –
more in the school holidays.
“I am obsessed, I guess, but Lisa
knows I’m not so far gone.”
“The reason it has a flat
nose now is that a guy,
probably in his 20s, who
was obviously a serious
fan, went up and
touched the end of the
nose with his finger and
pushed it in. Aaargh!”