Ruth Madeley and Simon Naylor chat to Andalucia Armstrong-Squires about a rather unique piece of Doctor Who history…

“One of the issues we’ve had is people not believing it’s real,” says Simon Naylor, artistic director at 53two, with Ruth Madeley – aka UNIT’s 56th scientific adviser, Shirley Bingham – nodding next to him. The it in question is a clapperboard, used during filming of Season 2 of Doctor Who. Instead of being filled with technical details regarding the shoot, this one is decorated with nine – yes nine – signatures belonging to the cast. The brainchild of Ruth, this unique piece of history could belong to you! This wonderful piece is being raffled off to raise money for 53two.

For those who don’t know, 53two is an arts venue located in Manchester, housing a bar, theatre and rehearsal space, as well as a café. As a charity, 53two aims to make theatre accessible for everyone, and this starts with the venue itself. This is a space where the disabled community can thrive and enjoy quality time together as well as hosting theatre that everyone can access.

“Everything we do is about access,” says Simon. As theatre patron, Ruth is incredibly passionate about the work Simon and the team at 53two do, which is why receiving the clapperboard is such a huge deal. But how did the idea for raffling the clapperboard come about?