With, sadly, no Amy Pond in sight it was left to entertainment writer WAYNE SAVAGE to save the Doctor and the day on his recent trip to London. You may want to get behind your sofas now.

I’VE just been shot by a Cyberman, but let’s start at the beginning. Can a story spanning space and centuries even have a beginning? Tricky this timey, wimey stuff.

Anyway, it began with a distress call.

The Doctor needed my help to get out of a teensy trap and close the crack in time I and a dozen other shoppers stumbled through while visiting the Olympia Two exhibition centre.

If I didn’t, every monster he’d ever fought would come crashing through.

Scary; although not as scary as him shouting at me if I sonic-ed things up. He’d already told me off earlier after I fiddled with the TARDIS’ console consoles when we landed.

Unlike the awestruck, well-behaved children with me I couldn’t stop myself throwing another lever. Come on, you’d do the same.

With some help from the Doctor I gave some Daleks the push and didn’t blink when faced with the deadly Weeping Angels only to be deleted by a lucky shot from a Cyberman’s blaster.

Unlike the Doctor I can’t regenerate; if I could I’d want his hair.

BBC Worldwide’s Doctor Who Experience gives you the chance to step into his companion’s shoes and travel through time and space, encountering some of the best-loved and scariest monsters from the hit international television series.

It starts with an interactive, walk- through adventure putting you right at the heart of the action and features special, exclusive scenes filmed with current Doctor Matt Smith combined with amazing special effects.

To say any more would spoil the adventure awaiting visitors; although I will say the 3D finale is breathtaking.

Not as breathtaking as the brisk walk we took from Earls Court station to the Olympia after abandoning finding a train that would actually get us there.

The station seems to exist outside of normal space and time, with the train for the exhibition centre apparently leaving multiple platforms at multiple times. “The whole concept of the Doctor Who Experience, which will give fans a chance to star in their very own Doctor Who adventure, is massively exciting,” says Smith.

“I hope as many people as possible enjoy boarding the TARDIS to embark upon an exhilarating and sometimes terrifying adventure through time and space.”

After saving the day there’s a truly out of this world exhibition charting the success of the show from the first series in 1963 to the most recent episodes starring Smith and Karen Gillan.

It includes items never seen before including original costumes, the Tom Baker TARDIS police box and two authentic TARDIS sets from the David Tennant and Peter Davison eras.

You can also get up close and personal with iconic sets from recent series, including the Pandorica Box and Chair and confront numerous aliens including several generations of the Daleks and Cybermen as well as Silurians, an Ice Warrior and a Zygon.

There’s even a little shop where people can, you know, shop.

The experience - which opened in February and moves to Cardiff next year - is constantly changing throughout its stay in London. The most recent addition are the Silence, the terrifying memory erasing monsters from the start of series five. Make sure to do what I did and take a picture, otherwise you’ll forget you saw them.

“The Doctor Who Experience is a fan’s dream come true - a fully interactive adventure that will allow viewers of the show to get as close as possible to some of the scariest monsters from the series,” says executive producer and show runner Steven Moffat.

“It’ll also be the first time Doctor Who artefacts from all the show’s 47 year history - classic and new - will be on display together, many of them being seen for the first time.

“Never mind that, this is the day the Doctor teaches you how to fly the TARDIS through time and space and takes you into battle with all his deadliest enemies in a brand new adventure. So steady your nerves and bring your own sofa - the Doctor needs you.”

The Doctor Who Experience is at the London Olympia Two, Hammersmith Road, London, from 10am-6pm daily. For more details visit www.doctorwhoexperience.com