In July 2025, I had the opportunity to visit the Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder exhibit at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego, CA. Inside, you could not only get an up close look at many aspects of the Doctor Who television program, but also some insight into the real life science that inspired the science fiction of the show.
The first section ot the exhibit wasn’t so much about science as it was about the Doctor, the actors that portrayed them, and their outfits. Plus, they had the Tardis console that was used on-screen recently as the 1st console. The original, you might say. As you can see in the video below the gallery, the rotor only spun without moving up and down. I was very tempted to touch a button or flip a switch, but I also wanted to be allow to see the rest of the exhibit without the aid of security.
Mark Gatiss was sort-of a tour guide through the exhibit. In this first video, which is actually the first thing you see when you enter the “Tardis,” he introduces the Doctor, and the exhibition.
In the next section we see some of the “tech” used on Doctor Who. First up was the display of all the sonics, including screwdrivers, a cane, sunglasses, and a trowel. Plus, there were some other goodies as well.
Next up was robots, including the Robot suit from the aptly titled episode, “Robot.” And, of course, K-9!
Then some of the spacesuits used in the series, one of which contains the remains of a victim of the Vashta Nerada.
Next up was a display showcasing some of the models used in the classic series, before CGi was a thing. The actual pieces they had on display were from the 4th Doctor story “Shada.”
Then it was time for the villains, old and new. In this area, there was also a voice changer set up to let you talk like a Dalek, but it was out of order. The bronze Dalek was open in the back to allow you to move the “arms”, but you could not move the eye-stalk. The Silence were actually hanging upside-down from the ceiling near the end of the exhibition.
After surviving the villains, and not blinking, Mark Gatiss returns to introduce the next section, which focuses more on the real life science stuff.
Next there was another Tardis for some reason (I kinda thought the idea was that we were in the Tardis already…), and some spider inspired aliens. Then you turn a corner and you get The Face of Boe. There were absolutely no signs around, so I don’t know if this was used on-screen. And, of course, who could forget Lady Cassandra. She actually notices you when you first walk in.
Finally, we reach the end, but the moment has been prepared for, as Mark Gatiss brings the experience to a conclusion.
And that was pretty much it. During the exhibit there were some videos of real life scientists talking about the possibility of time travel, radio waves in space, the possibility of life on other planets, etc. Finally, there was a wall panel showcasing the history of the Doctor Who logo, and then you were done.
Downstairs there was a display of several cosplay outfits worn at Comic-Con over the years, and donated by the fans who made them. The Doctor Who related ones reimagined the 4th, 10th, and 11th Doctors as female, can-can dancers.
In the gift shop, there were plenty of overpriced Doctor Who related items available for purchase, including the 4th Doctor’s scarf, some t-shirts, comics, Target novelizations, original novels, Tardis keychains, and more.
Hopefully, this has given you a bit of an idea of what the experience is like, in case you aren’t able to make it to the exhibition yourself.
