Exhibit Interview: Curator Steven Swaby on ‘Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder’

Props and costumes galore arrived at the Comic-Con Museum in a new exhibition called Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction. It’s scheduled to run in its new San Diego home through March 14, 2026. In addition to the fandom element, Doctor Who fans will also be able to explore fascinating topics on the educational side, from modern-day technology including artificial intelligence and space exploration.

Doctor Who continues to capture the imagination of an ever growing fanbase since it premiered back in 1963 on the BBC. The Doctor travels through time and space in the TARDIS, encountering all sorts of surprises and problems to unravel. I spoke with Steven Swaby, who curated the exhibition, about all things Doctor Who and what else fans can expect when they visit the museum.

Swaby’s Ideal Adventure

For Swaby, there are so many great villains in the series. If he had to pick a favorite, he’d go with the Cybermen. He said, “They had such a profound effect on me as a child. There’s something about the design of them, and what they represent, that is really chilling.”

After all his years studying and curating Doctor Who material, Swaby has yet to land a role in an episode. His ideal format would be a TV series adventure rather than an audio production so that he can participate in the action. “I like the idea of a historical adventure for a change, rather than going to the far flung corners of the galaxy. I think going back in time somewhere would be interesting.”

There are a few notable individuals in the Doctor Who universe that Swaby would still like to meet. One person is actor Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor. Swaby said, “He was my childhood Doctor for such a long time. He was in the role for seven years, longer than anybody else. For a big chunk of my early life, he was the Doctor.”

Designing with the Visitors in Mind

To Swaby, it’s essential to remember your visitors when you plan out an exhibition. In this case, the focus was to be entertaining and educational. “What makes it worth their while? Why should visitors spend their time and money on something like this?”

Swaby wanted to include experts from all eras of Doctor Who. He pulled in Mike Tucker and Mat Irvine from the classic era, in the time “way before CGI and Disney budgets.” And from newer era, sometimes referred to as the revival, he brought on Paul Franklin from MFX as well as special effects staff from DNEG. While they span different seasons and story arcs, “they have a unified love and understanding of the show.”

While working on Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder, Swaby was particularly excited about encountering actor Zoë Wanamaker. She memorably played Lady Cassandra, the last living human. “She did a new voiceover for us from a script that I wrote and Russell T. Davies edited. It was a nice collaboration. I think she really enjoyed revisiting the role. We had a very entertaining day with her.”

On the Logistical Side

When curating exhibits, Swaby also enjoys seeing the items in the warehouses. One amusing day involved the Face of Boe, which looked “forlorn shoved in a corner with loads of stuff in front of it. His face was turned to the wall, looking very sorry for himself at that point. We managed to dig him out and restore him for the exhibition. Hopefully, he is a bit happier now!”

Swaby marvels at the size and scale of world tour installations, because the logistics are complicated and important. Luckily, his job is “easy” because he’s mostly writing and organizing it. However, his colleague, Andrew Davies, faces more of the physical challenges as the project manager in supervising the tour. “This time, it came from New Zealand all the way to the West Coast of the [United] States. The logistics of making sure things are safely transported and reinstalled in the next venue is quite an involved job.”

For these exhibitions, Swaby maintains close contact with the BBC, who are always keen to refresh and include newer items from recent episodes. “We’re particularly excited that it’s the first time ever that all 17 Doctor’s costumes have been on display together. That’s a new thing for the fans at Comic Con.”

For more information about Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction, visit the Comic-Con Museum website.