A Piece of TV History at Dorchester’s Dinosaur Museum

Dr Who has encountered his fair share of monsters and baddies over the years, and this weekend’s episode saw the Doctor come face to face with huge dinosaurs let loose on a spaceship. Long time fans of the show will know that this is not the first time the Doctor has crossed paths with dinosaurs – nearly 40 years ago, John Pertwee’s Doctor foiled a plot by scientists to transport dinosaurs through time and unleash them on London.

One thing fans may not know is that one of the life size dinosaur models used in that famous 1974 episode is currently on display in the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester!

The museum’s curator, Tim Batty, is a huge Dr Who fan, and jumped at the chance to get his hands on this wonderful piece of TV history when the opportunity arose. “The reconstruction is of a Cotythosaurus and it was designed so that a person can get inside and make the dinosaur walk, and operate its arms and head”.

The dinosaur has been given the affectionate nickname ‘Dina’ by the museum staff, and on special occasions it is still taken out on ‘walkabouts’ to meet more of its fans.

Tim has been re-establishing its links with the show by teaming up with the official Dr Who Adventures magazine to offer prizes for a special Dr Who and the Dinosaurs competition, which will feature in this week’s edition of the magazine.

If you’d like to see ‘Dina’ in all her glory she can be found at the Dinosaur Museum, which is open daily all year round. Don’t forget to head to the website first, to download and print a voucher for 50p off the price of each ticket you purchase.

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