WHO’S MONEY?

THE 15th Doctor Who, played by Ncuti Gatwa, steps into the Time Lord’s shoes for his first adventure on BBC One on Christmas Day – and experts are predicting the arrival of this 31-year-old Rwandan-Scottish actor will raise the value of time-traveller collectables by attracting new fans.

The adventures of Doctor Who began 60 years ago, when the first doctor – played by William Hartnell – popped his head out of the Tardis. Children would hide behind the sofa when enemies such as the Daleks and Cybermen first appeared on our TVs. But once the show ended they were then eager for parents to buy them Doctor Who toys and merchandise.

Now grown up, many with children or even grandchildren of their own, Doctor Who fans – known as Whovians – are snapping up the memorabilia they grew up with.

Many are swept up by a wave of nostalgia for items that got lost, broken or were coveted as treasures only the neighbours’ well-heeled children could afford. Younger fans are also getting involved as they want to go back in time to share in the Time Lord’s earlier collectables. Props from the notoriously wobbly sets are also in demand as enthusiasts are keen to own a piece of its sci-fi history.

Doctor Who author and collector David Howe says: ‘Interest in the time-traveller ebbs and flows. But while the previous doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, was not a hit with everyone, there are high hopes for this latest incarnation. It will have a knock-on effect for collectables.’

He adds: ‘But although it will revitalise the market it is mostly only older pieces – from the first heyday of the 1960s and 70s – where investments rise in value. This is due to increased rarity and demand for collectables that are all part of the Time Lord history of the new Doctor Who.’

Hartnell was at the helm from 1963 until 1966, after which Patrick Troughton travelled in the Tardis until 1969. The third regeneration Jon Pertwee arrived in 1970 to cement the Doctor’s appeal. But Tom Baker, from 1975 through to 1981, is the most popular Doctor for many.

HOWE, 60, runs the website Doctor Who Toybox, which lists thousands of pieces of related merchandise – everything from ice cream wrappers to fullsize Daleks. He also has a private museum at his Doncaster home.

He says: ‘Obviously, anything to do with the first doctor has historic appeal, but it is only when he first encountered the Daleks that interest really took off. It is related merchandise from this era that is the most sought after.’

Among Howe’s favourites is the mid-1960s Louis Marx Dalek that cost ten shillings (50p) when new but boxed can now fetch £400. There is also a Cowan de Groot Dalek that cost 16 shillings and five old pence (82p). These often fell apart, and survivors can cost £800.

Oddities include Dalek soap – where survivors can go for £500 – and Dalek Death Ray ice lolly for £2,000. Howe says: ‘The Wall’s ice lolly is a great example of how investments can be found in the most unlikely places. It is often not the so-called limited editions that make money but pieces that were once thought to be relatively worthless.’ Doctor Who family games are also increasing in value as parts often got damaged or lost over time. The 1965 Dodge The Daleks board game can sell for £300 if it is complete but has been well played with – or £800 if in mint condition.

Doctor Who fan and collector Mark Stammers, 58, says the association with Christmas remains strong for him and many other collectors. Stammers says: ‘On Christmas Day as a child I would be given a stocking with a Doctor Who annual. As with many other households across Britain, the idea was to keep me quiet for a while, as the main presents would not be opened until after lunch.’

The first Doctor Who annual did not come out until 1965 and cost nine shillings and six old pence (47.5p). It can now change hands for £100. The second Hartnell annual is even more valuable as it came out a couple of months before he regenerated into Troughton – and can cost £150. Battered examples scribbled in without the price tag sell for £30. There is also a trilogy of 1960s Dalek annuals – The Dalek Book, The Dalek World and The Dalek Outer Space Book. These can sell for £100 each.

STAMMERS says: ‘When most people think about Doctor Who they imagine a man with a hat and scarf – Tom Baker. Props occasionally pop up from reputable dealers and fans. An original scarf worn on set selling for £2,000 two decades ago might change hands for £20,000.’

Alexandra Looseley-Saul, who runs The Who Shop in London, says the value of props, such as a £1,000 blouse worn by the late Elisabeth Sladen – who played the assistant Sarah Jane Smith in the 1970s – have tripled in the past decade.

But the biggest money still goes on a 1960s original Dalek, when sink plungers and Morris Minor indicator lights were used as part of the costume that can fetch £35,000. But Looseley-Saul says the shop can also get a modern fullscale Dalek made under licence from the BBC for £4,000.

Howe says: ‘The secret of investing in Doctor Who memorabilia is to have fun. If you love a particular model, chances are others will too. Hopefully a new generation of Doctor Who fans won over by the latest regeneration can share in this timeless appeal.’