1st Black Time Lord expands universe for Indiana’s ‘Doctor Who’ store
CAMBY, Ind. (WISH) — Keith Bradbury started the Who North America Store in Camby in 1998 because of his love for the hit BBC sci-fi show, “Doctor Who.”
“When the PBS station near me starting showing ‘Doctor Who,’ I fell in love with the program immediately,” Bradbury said.
On Sunday, the BBC announced Rwandan-born actor Ncuti Gatwa will take the mantle from Jodie Whittaker as the next regeneration of the iconic Time Lord called The Doctor. Gatwa, 29, will be the first Black actor to helm the quintessential British sci-fi show. Whittaker was the first woman in the role.
As the popularity of the show has grown, the popularity of the Camby museum has grown as well. Bradburg says it’s the unique ability of the show to recast the main character has made the show last for more than 50 years.
Bradbury talked Wednesday about how the museum began. “I talked to my wife, and we decided to bring over this ‘Doctor Who’ product. Within two weeks, we had to order more because it just got bought up immediately. There was just this kind of vacuum at the time in the United States. There wasn’t a lot of product over here.”
The store owner also talked about the main character, the Time Lord called The Doctor. “It’s sort of like how James Bond is portrayed by different characters, but unlike James Bond, each doctor has it’s own personality, and because he’s an alien from a different planet he regenerates.”
“You’re always looking forward to the new Doctor because ‘how is it going to be different?’ ‘How is this new actor going to portray the character, and what’s he going to bring in his personality to the show?’ So, it can take a big turn depending on the actor.”
Bradbury says the museum is so popular because it’s fun to just get to be a kid again. “There’s something about growing up and being a fan of something that when you walk into a place that’s really dedicated to it, it’s like your eyes pop open like, ‘Wow, this is incredible because I’ve never seen so much.’ I’ve always felt like on the outside I’m the only person who likes this show to now where it’s like there’s a whole world for me to explore and walk inside, and that’s what we always wanted to have, a destination,” Bradbury said.
The store is at 8901 S. State Road 67. That’s in Hendricks County, about a mile west of the southwest corner of Indianapolis.