Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf

While in Cardiff, C and I decided to add to the whole Doctor Who experience by seeing Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf. It’s a show both of us had wanted to see, but so far had never managed to catch. But it was worth the wait.

We joined the crowds in the Weston Studio, managing to grab some front row seats and waited excitedly for the show to begin. Well, I was excited – on the stage was a sofa with various books including a 500 year diary and the very first Target novelisation I owned, Arc of Infinity. I could see that I was in for a treat. And the fact that there were more blokes wandering round with long scarfs (there was even a season 18 one) than I have ever seen I felt in good company.

The show began with Toby Hadoke appearing from behind the sofa, where he had been hiding for the past half hour! He proceeded to take us through some of his life with the Doctor, how it had influenced and educated him in the ways of the world. It was incredibly funny. It was also quite strange to hear someone else talk about what they’d thought and felt about things like the 1980s hiatus and eventual ending of the show, the wilderness years of the 1990s when fandom was something you didn’t speak of, to the excitement and build-up to the series returning in 2005. Many time I was chuckling along because I remembered that, and I remembered thinking or feeling the same things.

Although very heavily infused with Doctor Who, the show was supposed to be aimed as much at non-fans as it was at fans. I’m unsure about this, but I’ve been absorbing Doctor Who for so long that it’s impossible for me to see things from a non-fan point of view. There’s no explanation needed for the jokes about the Myrka!

The show ended with the very poignant story of Toby watching an episode of the new series with his son. A hush had descended over the whole audience as we listened to his tale. And I think that almost everyone had a tear in their eye by the end, whether through the beauty of the father/son moment or the recollections of the episode in question – School Reunion.

Overall it was a fantastic show which I would recommend everyone goes to see. Although if you can’t get to see it there is a very reasonably priced CD of the recording which was done for BBC7.

After the show I hung around trying to spot some of the KInDA lot from the Doctor Who Forum. After much debate as to whether some of the faces were familiar from my memory of their avatar, I went over to ask. Soon we were all chatting and much discussion of the show and the Doctor in general pursued in the very pleasant surroundings of a nearby pub.