'Doctor Who' - The Auction

The chance to own a piece of television history arrived on Wednesday last week, when auction house Bonhams staged a massive sale of props spanning several decades of Doctor Who. Everything from a Brontosaurus from 1974's 'Invasion Of The Dinosaurs' to a pair of Rose Tyler pyjamas was snapped up, with often mindwarping prices. Cult Spy looks at the highlights from the auction…

For many fans, the temptation to own a genuine prop from the show is irresistible. Plastic toys and latex replica masks were a nice substitute - and as I type this I am overlooked by full-size Silurian and Davros masks that have scared plenty of ladies away from my bedroom - but the real deal cannot be beaten. Unsurprisingly, it was those dreaded creatures from Skaro that led the way in the bidding wars.

An Imperial Dalek from 1985's 'Revelation Of The Daleks' went under the hammer at £20,400 – a huge sum considering the absence of its original plunger and eye, plus being repainted black. That's enough money to buy plenty of shares in Davros's dubious food business on Necros. Another Imperial model, this time from 'Remembrance Of The Daleks', was sold for £15,600 despite its fairly battered nature. Ace's pimped-up baseball bat might well have something to do with it. A Dalek 'Battle Chair' from the same story, memorably used by a devious schoolgirl to co-ordinate the Renegade faction, was bought for £6,600.

Sandwiched in between those Daleks in terms of value was the SUV from Torchwood. A curious lot indeed, this flashy Land Rover came equipped with a valid MOT and no doubt plenty of suspicious stains from Captain Jack's activities in the back seat over the years. Sold for £18,000, the proud owner can now pretend to be the reincarnation of Ianto Jones and cruise around Cardiff picking up pizza for his colleagues.

Remember how a handful of bitchy Daleks were enough to 'pest control' hordes of Cybermen in the 2006 episode 'Doomsday'? A similar fate befell the silver Mondasians in the bidding stakes, as their top earner was a complete costume from 'Silver Nemesis' at £9,600. A partially destroyed model from 'Earthshock', with hardened foam emerging from the mouth and chest unit, picked up £2,800. Presumably, it laughed itself to death watching Adric speed towards a collision with our home planet.

Monsters from the 1980s were well represented at Bonhams, too. Nope, that didn't include the sale of Spandau Ballet, but instead the likes of a Marshman from 'Full Circle' (£2,040), a Sil costume from 'Vengeance On Varos' (a mere £384) and a Haemovore head from 'The Curse Of Fenric' (£1,080). Two Plasmatron costumes from 'Time Flight' went for under £500 each, which reflects that story's standing as a total dud. And the same applied to a Nimon costume.

Some rather cute smaller items that were purchased included a Mara snakehead from 'Snakedance' (£312), a Queen Bat head from 'The Caves Of Androzani' (£432) and a miniature, moveable Malus from 'The Awakening' (£1,920). Many eyes were on the oldest prop from the series, though – a well-preserved little Brontosaurus model from 1974's 'Invasion Of The Dinosaurs' which was used for stop-motion sequences that were composited into the action. That piece of history went for £1,320 - £600 less than the controversial Kandyman from 'The Happiness Patrol'!

Who would believe that Nyssa is more popular than Kylie? The early '80s companion from Traken enticed one fan into paying £3,360 for her 'Castrovalva' costume – which is £240 more than the Astrid Peth maid's outfit from 'Voyage Of The Damned'. Plenty of costumes were available to bidders, with poor 'tin dog' Mickey Smith's outfit from 'School Reunion' only scooping a measly £264. He won't be happy that his ex Rose Tyler's 'Army Of Ghosts' jacket amassed £1,800!

As for rumours that a certain Cult Spy writer snapped up Rose's pyjamas for almost a grand – not true. Those funds are only worth splashing out for Peri's pink skin-tight spandex top from 'Attack Of The Cybermen'! The mind boggles...