Go Figure
Doctor Who action figures are highly collectable – and they’ve spawned a community of customisers, too.
The cover of Dapol’s first catalogue from 1988, featuring Mel, the Doctor and a five-sided TARDIS console.
Denys Fisher’s Doctor Who action figure (1976).
An example of Philip Lawrence’s Action Figure Theatre stories.
Industry research published in January 2023 suggests that a quarter of all toys and games sold in the UK are purchased for adults and teenagers, rather than the more traditional child recipients. Doctor Who toys have been sought after by grown-up fans for almost as long as the programme has been on air, and the various action-figure ranges have become some of the most collectable items of all. But what exactly is it about miniature plastic versions of our favourite heroes and villains that continues to excite full-grown human beings as well as younger fans?
“I think it has a lot to do with nostalgia,” says Philip Lawrence, creator of the Action Figure Theatre website. “I grew up with Star Wars figures, which were hugely popular, and I think it’s just a habit that a lot of us have never been able to kick. With Doctor Who, we spent so long just wishing for these things.”
Viewers who grew up with the series in the 1970s were treated to a handful of toys inspired by the Fourth Doctor era, produced by Denys Fisher. But, beyond that, the Who fan’s action-figure shelf remained rather bare for most of the show’s original 26-year run. “I wrote to Palitoy in 1985 and said, ‘Can you please make Doctor Who figures?’” recalls Philip. “I sent them all my designs!”