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Sydney Doctor Who Festival A Hit With Fans

Thousands of Aussie Fans Descend On Doctor Who Festival

Video by Emily Verdouw

For most people the words Davros, Autons, Dalek and Tardis may sound like a foreign language.

But that's not so for the thousands of Aussie Doctor Who fans who turned out on Saturday for a behind-the-scenes look at how the iconic British sci-fi television series is made.

The city's Royal Hall of Industries was transformed into a festival of all things Doctor Who-related for the event that included a writers' masterclass, cosplay competition, a special effects display and "meet the monsters" experience.

Of course, there was also The Doctor himself.

Or more accurately, there was actor Peter Capaldi, who plays the 12th incarnation of the eponymous lead character, and is also long-time fan of the show.

Brandon Webb, 22, was at the event dressed as the 10th Doctor - David Tennant.

Webb said he liked the show's focus on science and fantasy.

Webb's favourite doctor is the 10th actor to play the role, David Tennant

"A lot people get very attached to certain doctors - Tom Baker, Matt Smith as well as David Tennant (and) I think they do love the stories," he told the Huffington Post Australia.

"A lot of the females also find the younger doctors to be very attractive."

For 23-year-old Zoe Mure, the show's appeal is that it's constantly evolving.

"It's always changing, there's new doctors, the whole show is just regenerating every time you watch a new episode, which I love," said Mure, who was dressed in a hand-made Dalek skirt.

"It used to be a dress, but now it's just a skirt held together with safety pins ... it took many, many hours."

Mure's love for the show runs in the family

She says being a fan of the show runs in the family.

"When my mum was growing up she used to watch it and she used to run around the house with us as kids saying 'exterminate'. I didn't know what she was talking about, then the new show came out and I started watching it. Now I love Daleks as much as my mum," Mure said.

Along with Capaldi, the two-day festival is also hosting executive producer and writer Steven Moffat, the 7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy and writer Mark Gatiss.

One the doctor's former "companions", actress Billie Piper, pulled out of the festival this week, angering some fans who had forked out $200 for tickets.

However, nothing could take the gloss off the event for 28-year-old Stuart Prime, who was dressed up as 5th Doctor Peter Davison.

"It's just great to see how many people are here," he said.

Prime likes meeting other Dr Who fans dressed up for the event

"When you see people putting in the effort, showing off what they love about the things that they care about, it's one of the most amazing things in the world."

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