Published in: The Globe and Mail, October 19, 2013

My replica Sonic Screwdriver doesn’t necessarily make me a nerd when it comes to Doctor Who, the world’s longest-running TV sci-fi show. But my TARDIS-patterned bathrobe and remote-controlled Dalek are conclusive evidence of a slavish love for all-things Gallifrey.

And if you understood any of those references, you’re likely just as excited as me about the weekend of November 23, when the show’s 50th anniversary special will be simulcast around the world.

Gearing up to toast the Doctor – for the uninitiated, he’s a human-like alien travelling through time and space battling baddies – the UK is stuffed with opportunities for diving into the show’s family-friendly Whoniverse.

On my recent visit, I started in Wales. Cardiff’s regenerated bay area is home to the studios where the show (and spin-off series Torchwood) is filmed. Secrecy shrouds its operations but just a few steps away is the Doctor Who Experience (www.doctorwhoexperience.com). Part interactive adventure and part museum, this is Britain’s top Who destination.

Wearing my bathrobe (just kidding), I wandered a walk-through adventure that started in the TARDIS – the Doctor’s preferred mode of transport, it looks like an old blue-painted telephone box – and encountered some Daleks, those robotic enemies hell bent on exterminating everyone.

The exhibit-area is equally cool. The show has changed radically over the years and it’s fun to peruse the clunky sets and quirky costumes of old alongside images of previous actors who have portrayed the Doctor: he changes every few years and the 12th incarnation has just been announced.

While the Doctor Who Experience is planning birthday celebrations, November’s biggest party will be in London, where thousands of costumed fans are expected at the ExCel convention centre for three days of star appearances and Whovian shenanigans (http://celebration.doctorwho.tv).

But while guided weaves around Cardiff and London filming locations are also readily available – see Brit Movie Tours (www.britmovietours.com) for details – it’s just as easy to create your own solo Who adventure.

Start at Earls Court Underground Station where a TARDIS sits incongruously outside, luring camera-wielding fans. I discovered another one – plus two Daleks – inside the South Bank’s London Film Museum (www.londonfilmmuseum.com). But there’s an even better “secret” museum across the city.

Upton Park’s excellent Who Shop (www.thewhoshop.com) attracts pilgrims with its comprehensive range of must-buy merch, ranging from Cybermen teapots to K-9 T-shirts.

Kevan Looseley, running the shop with wife Alexandra, tells me the show’s original concept came from Canadian TV producer Sydney Newman. In fact, there appears to be nothing Looseley doesn’t know about Who. “We tell people to come in with a trivia question or two – but I haven’t been beaten yet,” he says.

The shop’s backroom museum is a delight. Accessed via TARDIS-like doors, it’s a treasure trove of props, costumes and photos: the kind of place a true Who nut can easily spend a drooling hour.

But if you’re inner Whovian remains hungry – and you’re planning an extended stay – there are additional options worth timing your travels for. On November 12, London’s British Film Institute (www.bfi.org.uk) is screening An Adventure in Time and Space, a docu-drama about the show’s genesis.

Further afield, Bradford’s National Media Museum (www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk) has some kid-friendly November events, while Leicester’s National Space Centre (www.spacecentre.co.uk) is presenting Science of the Time Lords, with appearances by past stars.

I’d also recommend Manchester’s popular Lass O’ Gowrie pub (www.thelass.co.uk). During November, it’s presenting fringe-like performances, Who-themed karaoke and a live on-the-night screening of the anniversary special – plus a chance to sample custard and fish fingers, the current Doctor’s favourite dish.

If that kind of grub doesn’t put you off UK pubs, also consider London’s Fitzroy Tavern. On the first Thursday of every month, its subterranean Writers & Artists Bar hosts a lively gathering of die-hard fans. It’ll be the ideal spot for a post-mortem examination of that much-anticipated anniversary show.

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