Today’s planet is experiencing many tragedies and global disasters.
In response a collection of Doctor Who fans are working to help out some of the victims of the Australian wildfires by holding a Doctor Who fundraiser. G’Day of the Doctor is a one-day event held at the The Royal Vauxhall Tavern from 1pm – 6pm on Saturday 9th May.
Richard Unwin of LGBT Doctor Who The Sisterhood of Karn, Anthony Townsend of Diva Loka – the Brighton Doctor Who Social Group, Beth Axford of The Time Ladies, and Michael Snooze of The Quiz of Rassilon, have all pitched in together with the incomparable Katy Manning to host this one-day event.
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, an iconic LGBT+ venues will feature Doctor Who royalty to raise money the people and animals affected by the Australian wildfires. Featuring (subject to work commitments) Katy Manning, Nicola Bryant, Lisa Bowerman, Janet Fielding, Mark Gatiss, Ian Hallard, Peter Purves, David Benson, Joe Lidster, and Nev Fountain, the event will provided 100% of the revenue to:
WIRES – NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service: https://www.wires.org.au/
BLAZE AID – Helping Communities Rebuild After Natural Disasters: https://blazeaid.com.au/
Organiser Richard Unwin said “I toured Australia with a play a couple of years back, and fell completely in love with the country. The people, the animals, the scenery – it was simply a joy to exist in such a beautiful land. While I was there the Doctor Who Fan Club of Australia invited me along to be a guest speaker at one of their meetings in Sydney, to discuss my work as an actor with Big Finish. I was flattered and amazed – to receive such a warm and generous welcome whilst so far from home – on the other side of the world! But that’s the Doctor Who community for you – full of warmth and generosity and kindness.”
“So when I first saw the pictures of that country burning – the place that had stolen my heart, in literal flames – I instantly knew that we could rally the troops of fandom and organise something to help in some small way. And in the past several months I’ve been blown away by the amount of support that we’ve received already. I run a London based group for LGBT Doctor Who fans called The Sisterhood of Karn, and we’ve teamed up with Anthony Townsend of Diva Loka – the Brighton Doctor Who Social Group, Beth Axford of The Time Ladies, and Michael Snooze of The Quiz of Rassilon, to put on a one day fundraiser – G’Day of the Doctor. The legendary London Cabaret venue The Royal Vauxhall tavern have very kindly offered to host our event on the 9th of May – our huge thanks to Dave Cross the events manager there for this generosity.
“What’s perhaps unusual about our organising Committee is that we have an actual Doctor Who legend helping to plan and direct. When Katy Manning heard about what we were doing, she not only offered to appear at the event, but also to be a key part of the planning committee – attending meetings and undertaking research and admin. She’s been invaluable!”
Also featuring:
- The UK premiere of the colourised Day of Armageddon: Episode 2 of The Daleks’ Master Plan!
- Cabaret from The Vixens – stars of the Edinburgh smash-hit ‘Doctor Whosical’!
- Stand-up comedy from Charlie Ross!
- Auction
- The Quiz of Rassilon ON TOUR!
But that’s not all. There will be Doctor Who drag queens, stand-up comedy, a new adventure performed LIVE!
Katy Manning said:
“I arrived in Australia in 1982 with two sickly children, two suitcases, and one telephone number. Australia gave my children their health, it gave me friendships across the vast beautiful country, it gave me my partner of 28 years – the legendary Aussie Barry Crocker CBE. It gave me the opportunity to travel to almost every tiny corner of that diverse island – from the Sydney Opera House to the outer Barcoo and everywhere in between. It gave me the beauty of the Aboriginal people & their dreamtime. It gave me the joys of Banjo Paterson. It gave me mind blowing night skies, exotic flowers, rainforests, deserts, sweeping plains, snowy mountains, blue seas, white sands, and incredible wildlife.
“I have seen many fires and floods during my years, but being there during these fires will remain with me for life. Even the most resilient Aussie spirit was momentarily broken, and the wildlife devastated. The firefighters worked tirelessly to quell the fires devouring whole towns, while others worked relentlessly to save the unique wildlife. For this country I love, that gave so much to me and so many, I now want to be part of giving something back during this their time of real need, to help bring back the heart to this extraordinary land.”
Tickets and info:
For more information and ticket details, you can find any of our organisations on Twitter, along with a dedicated event account at: @GDAYOFTHEDOCTOR. There’s also an event page on Facebook, just search for: G’Day of the Doctor. Strictly limited tickets will be available to purchase via vauxhalltavern.com from 8pm (UK time) on Monday 9th March.
