‘Doctor Who’ fanatic shows off impressive collection from across the decades

By Tom Bevan via SWNS

A "Doctor Who" fanatic has shown off his 30-year collection - including Daleks from across the decades.

Phil Stevens. 55, has amassed a huge haul of memorabilia from the show and said he is now struggling to find room to store it.

The sci-fi superfan has been building and restoring models since he was a child and now has an army of Daleks, Cybermen and patrol robots living in a storage unit just minutes from his house.

Phil, of Stratton, Wilts., says he has lost count of how many life-sized models he has amassed - and tells his wife he has no idea where they are coming from.

He said: "I’ve just been collecting stuff for years and years.

“I have no idea how many models I have currently. They just keep on appearing out of nowhere and I don’t know how it happens. At least, that’s what I tell my wife anyway.”

Phil said he has long been a fan of the iconic tv series and his favorite item is a full-size replica of the Golden Emperor Dalek from the 1960s TV21 Comic.

He added: "With my Dr. Who collection, my interest is more in the production side of the show. I have tended to concentrate on props, models and paperwork, like scripts, designs and production office items, like letters, memos, location planning rather than memorabilia, like autographs, posters or toys.

"I’ve been collecting for over thirty years as I’ve been a fan of the show, both the “classic” and the new series, for as long as I can remember.

"Everything has been built up slowly over time. It’s a mix of original and replica items. Certainly the larger items, like the monsters, are replica ones - original ones are pretty rare and very expensive."

Phil said his collection had grown so much he has struggled to find space - and on his wife's orders, nothing is kept in the house.

He added: "I don’t keep anything in the house, the collection takes up a lot of room.

"Something like a Dalek is only about five feet tall, which may not sound like much … but the amount of floor area 'footprint' it takes is about the same as a double wardrobe.

"One Dalek would certainly “exterminate” most of the space in an average-sized room. That’s why it’s all in a storage unit.

"It’s secure and the temperature is controlled, very important with some original items that are quite fragile and sensitive to temperature changes.

"The highlight of my collection is a full size replica of the Golden Emperor Dalek, which is from the “Daleks” strip in the 1960s TV21 Comic. I built it myself, as I make and restore props and models and make things for exhibitions.

"I’m not quite old enough to have read the strips when they were first published, but they’ve all been reprinted subsequently and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading them."

And Phil said model making had become more than just a hobby.

He added: “It’s also become my job too. I do restorations and exhibitions and conventions and building stuff for people. I love it."

“I can remember building my first model kit when I must’ve been about five or something like that. I built it very badly, I must add.

“We’ll build it first, then find space for it. That’s what I always say. And if there’s still space on the ceiling for things to be nailed, then you’re never out of space are you?”

As his collection keeps growing, Phil’s next challenge will be deciding exactly what to do when his army of robots take over.

"I really don't know what I'll do when I run out of space, but I just hope I can keep going forever.

"My wife is very pleased that my collection is in a storage unit, I don’t think she would like weird creatures lurking around the house."

Phil’s impressive collection of Daleks and Cybermen has gained widespread attention on social media, but he also has a passion for collecting items relating to Blake’s 7, a BBC science fiction series that ran from 1978 to 1981.

He said: “I love it. I’ve also got quite a few costumes, big props and models from that lying around.”

“Then when you add that to the five-foot-tall Daleks and a couple of big cybermen lurking about too, plus the smaller other models, well I’ve lost count."