BBC tv Special Effects Exhibition The BBC tv Special Effects Exhibition opened on December 1st , 1972 , at the Science Museum in South Kensington , London . It was also known as the " BBC tv Visual Effects exhibition " . One notable aspect of the exhibition ' s title is the lower case spelling of " tv " — using a lower case " tv " was how the BBC ' s logo was written at that time . Like the BBC ' s previous exhibitions of television special effects , in the 1960s , it focused on programmes across the entire range of BBC Television ' s drama and light entertainment output . But this was the first such event to have a significant proportion of its exhibits drawn from " Doctor Who " . The exhibition ran at the Science Museum for six months , until May 1973 , drawing huge numbers of visitors despite the restricted opening hours forced on the Museum by constant power cuts caused by a long running Industrial Dispute ( see " Notes " , below ) . It then went on a very successful tour in the North of England . The great success of the exhibition was adjudged to be due to the " Doctor Who " elements included in it . Although the Science Museum was also exhibiting items from the U . S . space program , and the 1969 - 72 Moon landings , including the Lunar Module and the Lunar Rover , the TARDIS console replica and original monster costumes were the most popular items . This led BBC Enterprises to create two permanent " Doctor Who " exhibitions in 1974 : at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire ( which ran every year until 2003 ) ; and on Blackpool ' s Golden Mile ( running every year until 1985 , from the Easter holidays until the end of the Illuminations in October , and attracting 250 , 000 visitors a year in the 1970s , at the height of its popularity ) . Some elements of the Blackpool exhibition survived , from 1994 until 2003 , on display in the public areas of the DAPOL " Doctor Who " factory at Llangollen in North Wales , which attracted 50 , 000 visitors a year to its exhibition , " The Doctor Who Experience " . Overview . In 1972 the BBC set up an exhibition at the Science Museum in London , showcasing visual effects created by BBC television ' s Special Effects department ( which was then more traditionally known within the Corporation as the " Visual Effects Department " ) . A small , self - contained section of the exhibition was given over entirely to effects , props and monsters which had been created for " Doctor Who " ; but the majority of the exhibition was devoted to visual effects created for the full range of the BBC ' s drama and light entertainment shows . The " Doctor Who " exhibit ' s entrance resembled a Police Box , and within was featured a mock - up of the TARDIS control room , designed as a circular chamber surrounding the many - sided central console . On display around the walls ( which , complete with inset roundels , were modelled on those of the TARDIS interior sets used in the television series ) were a selection of monster costumes from the series , including a Cyberman , an Axon , an Ogron , and a Draconian . In point of fact , at the exhibition ' s opening in December 1972 the Draconians had not as yet been seen in the tv series . And as the series was in full production during 1972 and 1973 , none of these elements - except the monster costumes - were actually from the series , but were all specially built for the exhibition . For many visitors to the exhibit , the star attraction was the display of two Daleks . These were given pride of place , in a static display which simulated a view through the open TARDIS doors , looking out upon an alien world . In December 1972 , with production underway on the television serial Planet of the Daleks , no genuine Dalek props were available either , so new ones had to be constructed for the exhibition . These were built by Charlie Lumm and Tony Oxley of the BBC ' s Visual Effects department , and were slightly smaller - with the front section more pronounced - than a genuine Dalek prop , but otherwise were accurate replicas . They were constructed principally of wood , but with the dome manufactured from fibreglass . Tony Oxley motorised the gun stalk to move , and also the dome and eyestalk ( which could move and pivot ) , and he enabled the gun ' s central core to mimic firing by extending and retracting . The Daleks ' most recent television outing , Day of the Daleks ( 1972 ) - which had been their first ever television appearance in colour - had featured a gold Dalek . One Dalek at the exhibition was accordingly matched to this , being given a gold livery with silver collars and slats , plus black hemispheres . The other Dalek was given a traditional 1960s livery : all - silver , with blue hemispheres . A collection of demonstrations and models created by the Visual Effects department was also on display around the walls ( for details see " Notable Elements " , below ) .