30th August 2024 - 5th January 2025
Dr Who Illuminations
What’s new
After the success of the 2007 switch on ceremony when Dr Who, David Tennant threw the switch on the Illuminations, Blackpool Illuminations Department decided to enhance the Dr Who section of the Lights.
On the 10th July Blackpool Illuminations Department held an open day at its Rigby road works. Here we were treated to a wonderful tour by Richard. The tour went through the departments within the Illuminations works, these departments included, metal fabrication, fiber glassing, pattern making, lamp and cable testing, and painting. More details can be found on the construction page.
The Dr Who section of the Illuminations runs from Central Pier to New Bonny Street next to Coral Island. It is parts of this section that are being updated with new Donna Noble and the Dr images. But that's not the best bit!
Not only are full sized Tardis being constructed but also 7ft high Daleks!
From my tour of the Illuminations Works it appears that the Tardis is constructed of 4 fiberglass sides, a fiberglass floor and roof, the blue light at the top, the internal steel work and the electrical lighting system.
Our tour guide, Richard took us to see Sarah, one of the artists responsible for painting the Illuminations. Sarah described the process of creating the tardis and the daleks, they start by being given either photos or a model of the subject. In the case of the tardis and the daleks they had models of both. From there they produce scale drawings.
During the tour we saw quite a few of the new features either being constructed or completed awaiting installation
The image on the left is a 7ft high dalek waiting to be painted!
It was suggested on the tour that 3 daleks and 3 tardis are to be constructed and sited within the existing Dr Who feature outside the Dr Who exhibition. They are to be lighted to enable an effect to be created to show the tardis zooming through time and space to re-emerge further along the promenade.
Some more images of the new Dr Who features
Dr Who and Donna Noble
Sontaran - Dr Who's enemy
The Ood
Donna Noble - Dr Who's Assistant
