Enter Wondrous World of Dr. Who at Comic-Con Museum – TARDIS Not Required

The Comic-Con Museum now has a doctor in the house.

Dr. Who, the fictional time traveler in one of the longest-running television series in
history, is the focus of the newest exhibit at the pop culture museum in Balboa Park.

Making its U.S. debut on Saturday, “Doctor Who: World of Wonder” is an exhibit that takes over the main floor of the museum and provides fans with a deep exploration of the historic show and its impact on the scientific community.

“We’re bringing one of the largest exhibits in the museum’s history to fans, members
and visitors, and we can’t wait to connect Whovians and newcomers alike to the
wondrous world of Dr. Who,” said museum Executive Director Rita Vandergaw.

The television show, launched by the BBC in 1963, built a rabid following among
fans. It still airs on the British broadcasting system and is shown every week on
Disney+.

The show has been around so long that Dr. Who has been played by a number of
different actors over the years. Those actors, and the show’s episodes and out-of-this-
world characters and creatures, are showcased throughout the exhibit.

Visitors enter the exhibit through a British telephone box, which, as fans know, is the
TARDIS, a time machine/spaceship that Dr. Who uses to travel to different worlds. From
there, fans will see all the different doctors in the show’s long history, and their
costumes too.

The rest of the exhibit features life-sized robots and creatures that Dr. Who has
encountered, props from the shows and re-creations of sets.

Although the exhibit will delight Dr. Who fans, attention was paid to making it
approachable, said Steven Swaby, the curator.

“You don’t have to know everything about the show to enjoy this exhibition,” Swaby said.
He added: “Making it accessible and inclusive is really, really important because we
know museums and science centers have a very broad audience. So, it’s not just for Dr.
Who fans, but you certainly get a lot out of it if you are fan.”

Because it is a science fiction show, the exhibit includes several displays, including
some that are interactive, that link the show’s storylines to real-world science issues,
like the concerns over the use of robots and the rise of artificial intelligence. It also
explores topics like time travel, teleportation and wormholes, and what is possible in the
real world.

“There are many questions that Dr. Who has posed over the years.” Swaby said, citing a couple – “our relationship with robotics and various forms of technology.”

The exhibit is scheduled to run through March 2026.