The first ever Doctor Who convention took place on Saturday 6th August 1977, and is now regarded as the first ‘Panopticon’. Since then, PanoptiCon has welcomed many guests who have contributed to the long history of Doctor Who: from in front of and behind the cameras, from television, film, radio, book and magazine publishing.
PanoptiCon was part of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society for many years, and the society's legacy became richer because of it. Although the event ceased to be a DWAS one some time ago the Society has continued as an event organiser and ours remain important fixtures in the Doctor Who conventions calendar.
> Back to categories
Inter-face 1: Event programmeView Article
The Doctor Who Appreciation Society has been organising conventions since its creation. This Inter-face 1 programme describes the events of an early event in 1980.
Publication: Inter-face 1: Event programme
, Year: 1980
David Maloney was a guest at two DWAS events and this is his letter agreeing to appear at the first ‘Time’ in Birmingham 2003.
Publication: Letter
, Year: 2003
The Doctor Who Appreciation Society in the early days of convention organisation were always keen to go back to its earlier days when the programme was black and white and when William Hartnell was the Doctor. Hartnell was sadly deceased but his wife, Heather, continued to deal with his requests until her death.
Publication: Letter
, Year: 1980
Letter: John Nathan-TurnerView Article
John Nathan-Turner (born Jonathan Turner; 12 August 1947–1 May 2002) was the ninth producer of Doctor Who, from 1980 until 1989. He was the longest-serving and, at the time, the most widely known Doctor Who producer. Given the amount of time he worked on the programme, he was until his death, a popular convention guest.
Publication: Letter
, Year: 1980
Maureen O'Brien is an actress who worked on Doctor Who but spent very few subsequent years talking about the programme. Although she enjoyed the work and the company she worked with, the idea of conventions still alludes her. A successful writer, fan appearances usually link with a discussion about her latest book.
Publication: Letter
, Year: 1980
Letter: Stephanie WhitakerView Article
David Whitaker (18 April 1928 – 4 February 1980) was a screenwriter and novelist best known for his work on Doctor Who. David served as the series' first story editor working on the programme's first fifty-one episodes in this capacity. This letter is written by his wife.
Publication: Letter
, Year: 1980
Panopticon VI Programme - Part 1View Article
Panopticon VI took place in Brighton in 1985, during the Grade-inspired suspension period for the show. It was to be the Society’s most ambitious event to date, but for a number of reasons the numbers were not forthcoming.
Publication: Panopticon VI - Programme
, Year: 1985
Panopticon VI Programme - Part 2View Article
Panopticon VI took place in Brighton in 1985, during the Grade-inspired suspension period for the show. It was to be the Society’s most ambitious event to date, but for a number of reasons the numbers were not forthcoming.
Publication: Panopticon VI - Programme
, Year: 1985
Squalls, Stalls and old Church HallsView Article
In this article from Celestial Toyroom back in 2004, one of the founders of the Society, Jeremy Bentham, remembers what it was like being part of the team that organised the world’s first ever Doctor Who convention, back in 1977.
Publication: Celestial Toyroom
, Issue number: 319
, Year: 2004
