Difference between revisions of "Doctor Who USA Tour"

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[[File:USA Tour.JPG|center|200px|Doctor Who USA Tour]]
  
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For a more detailed summary of the various Tour stops, dates, the guests travelling with the truck and admission prices, visit our [[List of Celebration & Tour stops|DEDICATED PAGE HERE]].  For newspaper clippings, visit the [https://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Category:Celebration_%26_Tour Doctor Who Cuttings Archive].
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==1986==
 +
===8 May===
 
[[File:USABus.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Doctor Who USA Tour Trailer leaves Elstree Studios, UK, to begin its voyage to the US...]]
 
[[File:USABus.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Doctor Who USA Tour Trailer leaves Elstree Studios, UK, to begin its voyage to the US...]]
[[File:USA Tour.JPG|right|200px|Doctor Who USA Tour]]
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Controller of BBC One, [[wikipedia:Michael Grade|Michael Grade]], and Peter Davison appear at the inauguration, as the '''Doctor Who USA Tour''' truck and trailer sets off from [[Washington DC]] to begin its two-year, multi-city journey... 
  
'''1986''':
+
It is hoped that most of the markets where '''Doctor Who''' is screened in America will be visited; some reports cite as many as '''181''' cities, while others state '''185''' - although it's clear that the actual number of stops made in the two-year period fell well short of that ambitious target.
  
'''8 May 1986''': With BBC One Controller, Michael Grade, and Peter Davison at its inauguration, the '''Doctor Who USA Tour''' trailer "bus" sets off from [[Washington DC]] to begin its two-year, multi-city tour (two cities per week). It is hoped that most of the 185 markets where '''Doctor Who''' is screened across America will be visited. Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sarah Sutton all take part at various legs of the journey during the first year. Some of the city visits coincide with [[List of Conventions in the United States|organised conventions]].  
+
Some of the city visits also coincide with [[List of Conventions in the United States|organised conventions]] and other fan events.  
**Interviews with Grade and BBC representative, Brian Sloman appear in Starlog 113
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*Interviews with Grade and BBC representative Brian Sloman appear in [http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_Tours_U.S._During_Hiatus Starlog 113].
* '''May to August 1986''': On its first leg within New England, the tour visits (in roughly this order) [[Pennsylvania]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]] and [[Maine]].
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{{Google Docs Viewer|url=http://gallifreybase.com/w/images/6/67/USA_Tour_flier_rotated.pdf|height=325|width=550|float=left}}{{clear}}
** '''13-28 September 1986''': The Tour heads south, visiting (in no particular order) [[Massachusetts]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Maryland]],  [[Washington DC]], then north west, to [[Illinois]]. (The two Bakers travelled together during September, attending various Whovent 86 [[List of Conventions in the United States|conventions]] along the way.)
 
**'''4 October 1986''': Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton travel on to [[Minnesota]]
 
*** [http://www.michaell.org/who/conclips/whotour86.phtml USA TOUR in MINNESOTA, October 1986 1]
 
*** [http://www.michaell.org/who/conclips/whotour286.phtml USA TOUR in MINNESOTA, October 1986 2]
 
**'''5 October 1986''': The tour reaches Madison, [[Wisconsin]], again with Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton.
 
<table>
 
<tr>
 
  <td>[[File:Wisconsin State Journal 19860914.JPG|thumb|200px|Wisconsin State Journal, Sept. 14, 1986]]</td>
 
  <td>{{Google Docs Viewer|url=http://gallifreybase.com/w/images/6/67/USA_Tour_flier_rotated.pdf|height=325|width=500}}</td>
 
</tr>
 
</table>
 
*'''October to December 1986''': The Tour moves south through [[Tennessee]] with Jon Pertwee, who falls ill; he is accompanied by Paul Darrow and Michael Keating from '''Blakes 7''' for part of the journey.
 
  
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===May to September===
 +
[[File:Wisconsin State Journal 19860914.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Wisconsin State Journal, Sept. 14, 1986]]
 +
On its first leg, the Tour (without any guests from the series) visits [[Pennsylvania]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Maine]], [[New Hampshire]], then back to [[New York]].
 +
*On '''25 May 1986''', the Tour stops in New Brunswick, where the Whovent 86 convention is taking place. The Doctor Who guests take time out from the event to visit the travelling exhibition. While there, they also take part in the [[wikipedia:Hands Across America|Hands Across America]] event.
 +
*From September, the Tour now regularly features one or more actors from the series, but several stops are without a guest traveller. (It's not until 1987 that every stop includes a guest.)
 +
* '''13-28 September 1986''': The Tour heads south, visiting [[New York]], [[Massachusetts]] and [[Ohio]]. (The two Bakers travelled together for some of the time during September, attending various Whovent 86 [[List of Conventions in the United States|conventions]] along the way.)
  
----
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'''1987''':
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===October to December===
[[File:USATour8788.JPG|right|200px|Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88]]
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*'''4-5 October 1986''': Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton travel on to [[Minnesota]] and [[Wisconsin]].
 +
*The Tour moves south through [[North Carolina]] and [[South Carolina]] with Jon Pertwee, who falls ill; he is accompanied by Paul Darrow and Michael Keating from '''Blake's 7''' for part of the journey.
 +
*The Tour takes a break from '''mid-December''' for six weeks.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==1987==
 +
*During the hiatus period, the name and branding for the Tour is changed to '''Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88''' (although the trailer retains its "Doctor Who USA Tour" signage).
 +
*For the second year of its travels, it is hoped the trailer will visit over '''70''' cities in '''36''' States. It is also planned for the Tour to visit Toronto at the end of May, but ultimately that trip over the border to [[Canada]] does not eventuate.
 +
*While only some of the trips made during 1986 feature guests, all the stops in 1987 include at least one star from the series. 
 +
[[File:USATourMap.jpg|left|thumb|600px|Map showing the States and main cities to be visited during the second year of the tour]]
 +
{{clear}}
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 +
 
 +
===January to February===
 +
*'''Late January''': The trailer makes its first appearance of 1987 in [[Louisiana]], at the annual NATPE Television showcase event held at the New Orleans Convention Centre, with Peter Davison on board.
 +
*Davison and the trailer move on to [[Florida]], where Jon Pertwee takes over.
 +
*'''21-21 February 1987''': The Tour comes to Walt Disney World in [[Orlando]].
 +
*Prior to its arrival in Alabama, the trailer's roof is damaged when it passes under a low bridge.
 +
*'''22-28 February 1987''': The trailer heads northwards again: Pertwee makes stops in [[Louisiana]], and Birmingham, [[Alabama]], before heading to [[Georgia]] later the same day.
 +
**[http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/19870228/index.asp USA TOUR in ALABAMA, 28 February 1987]
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*'''28 February 1987''': That evening, at Mercer University in Atlanta, [[Georgia]], Pertwee is joined by new Doctor Sylvester McCoy, and producer John Nathan-Turner. McCoy is interviewed by Eric Luskin.
 +
**Interview with Sylvester McCoy in [http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Sylvester_McCoy,_The_New_Doctor_Who Starlog 120].
 +
<table><tr>
 +
<td>{{YouTube table|BnmnpKHNQoI|McCoy, Pertwee, Nathan-Turner interviewed by Eric Luskin}}</td>
 +
<td>[[File:USATour8788.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88]]</td>
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</tr></table>
 +
 
 +
===March===
 
[[File:GA 19870301.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Live from Atlanta, 7 March 1987]]
 
[[File:GA 19870301.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Live from Atlanta, 7 March 1987]]
*By early 1987, the Tour has been renamed the '''Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88'''.
+
The Tour heads north east.
*'''February 1987''': The trailer reaches [[Florida]].
+
*'''1 March 1987''': Pertwee's stopover in Atlanta is recorded by [[GPTV]], and the '''[[Live from Atlanta]]''' TV special airs on '''7 March'''.  
**'''8 February 1987''': The trailer stops in Tampa, [[Florida]], with Peter Davison.
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*'''26-27 March 1987''': Anthony Ainley and Janet Fielding call in at [[Baltimore]].  
**'''21-21 February 1987''': The Tour comes to DisneyWorld in Orlando, [[Florida]], with Jon Pertwee.
+
*'''27-28 March 1987''': Sylvester McCoy returns to the US, and joins the trailer as it heads to [[Virginia]].
**'''22-28 February 1987''': The trailer heads northwards again: Pertwee makes stops in [[Louisiana]], and Birmingham, [[Alabama]], before heading to [[Georgia]] later the same day.  
+
 
***[http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/19870228/index.asp USA TOUR in ALABAMA, 28 February 1987]
+
 
**'''28 February 1987''': That evening, at Mercer University in Atlanta, [[Georgia]], Pertwee is joined by new Doctor Sylvester McCoy, and producer John Nathan-Turner. McCoy is interviewed by Eric Luskin:
+
===April to June===
{{YouTube|float=left|id=BnmnpKHNQoI}}
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McCoy continues to [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Massachusetts]]. John Nathan-Turner is picked up in [[New York]]. Janet Fielding joins in [[Ohio]], while Sarah Sutton accompanies the Tour through [[Pennsylvania]] and back through [[Ohio]] to [[Indiana]].
{{clear}}
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*'''16-17 May 1987''': The Tour stops at the [[WGBH]] studios in Boston with Sylvester McCoy (who has just completed recording [[Time and the Rani]]). On the night of '''17 May''', a special '''"Dinner With the Doctor"''' is held.  
***Interview with Sylvester McCoy in Starlog 120
+
<!-- gone and not archived: [http://mittenthief.tumblr.com/post/8451828067/my-program-from-the-doctor-who-celebration-tour May 15, 1987 program]-->
**'''7 March 1987''': Footage from Pertwee's visit aired with the '''[[Live from Atlanta]]''' TV "Special".
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{{YouTube table
*'''March 1987''': The Tour heads north east.  
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|nybQ8xX7TYw|McCoy on [[WVIA]]
**'''26-27 March 1987''': Anthony Ainley and Janet Fielding call in at Baltimore, [[Maryland]].  
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|jABs0MtbWGI|TV commercial on [[WGVU]]}}
**'''16-17 May 1987''': The Tour stops at the WGBH studios in Boston, [[Massachusetts]], with Sylvester McCoy (who has just completed recording [[Time and the Rani]]). On the night of 17 May, a special "Dinner With the Doctor" is held.  
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[[File:Bus tour ticket.jpg|250px|frameless|right]][[File:Bus tour flier.jpg|250px|frameless|right]]
*** [http://mittenthief.tumblr.com/post/8451828067/my-program-from-the-doctor-who-celebration-tour USA TOUR 15 MAY 1987 PROGRAMME]
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**'''4-5 July 1987''': Heading north west, the Tour stops again at [[Chicago]]. (There are no guests during this leg of the tour.)
 
**'''1 August 1987''': Westbound, the Tour arrives in [[Iowa]], with Janet Fielding.
 
{{YouTube|float=left|id=aYRN5EFc_ZA}}<br/>'''CLIP: USA TOUR in IOWA 1 August 1987'''
 
{{clear}}
 
*'''August to September 1987''': The trailer heads north west, stopping in [[Washington]] state.
 
**'''9 September 1987''': His work on season 24 completed, Sylvester McCoy rejoins the tour, and the trailer travels south, and arrives in Los Angeles, [[California]]
 
**'''3 October 1987''': Jon Pertwee visits San Jose, [[California]].  
 
*'''October 1987''': Heading east again, [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Colorado]] (Denver), [[Texas]] are visited.  
 
*'''November 1987''': The Tour stops in [[Oklahoma]] and [[Arkansas]] (with Pertwee).
 
**'''5-6 December 1987''': The Tour reaches Jackson, [[Mississippi]].
 
  
 +
===July to August===
 +
*'''2 July 1987''': The Tour visits west [[Michigan]]; Janet Fielding makes an appearance at locally-sponsored events.
 +
*'''4-5 July 1987''': Heading north west, the trailer stops at [[Chicago]]. (There are no guests during this leg of the Tour.)
 +
*'''9 July 1987''': Sylvester McCoy returns, visiting [[Illinois]], [[Wisconsin]] and [[Minnesota]].
 +
*'''25 July to 1 August 1987''': Westbound, the Tour arrives in [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]] and [[Iowa]], now with Janet Fielding.
 +
{{YouTube table|aYRN5EFc_ZA|Iowa, Aug. 1, 1987}}
  
----
 
'''1988''':
 
  
*'''1988''': The Tour once again heads north.  
+
===September to December===
**'''Early 1988''': The Tour takes Sylvester McCoy to Urbana, [[Illinois]], and north to [[Maine]].
+
The trailer heads west, stopping in [[Missouri]], [[Kansas]] and [[Colorado]] with John Nathan-Turner on board. 
**Eventually, the bus heads towards the east coast again, where, after two years on the road, and having visited some 180+ locations, the Tour comes to an end.  
+
*'''5-9 September 1987''': His work on season 24 completed, Sylvester McCoy rejoins the Tour, and the trailer travels to [[Washington]] state, then south to [[Los Angeles]].
**The trailer itself is eventually returned to the UK - and left to rot in a junkyard...
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*'''September to October 1987''': Jon Pertwee returns, and visits Portland, [[Oregon]], then Sacramento (and possibly also San Jose?) in [[California]].  
 +
*'''October to November 1987''': Heading east again, the trailer passes through [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Arkansas]], [[Texas]] and [[Mississippi]] with Pertwee for the latter leg.
 +
*'''5-12 December 1987''': The Tour moves through [[Mississippi]], [[Florida]] and back to [[Louisiana]] with Jon Pertwee.
 +
*'''19-20 December 1987''': The Tour makes its final-ever stop in [[Miami]], [[Florida]] at the [[WPBT]] studios. Producer John Nathan-Turner is joined by Nicola Bryant, Eric Luskin, and Brian Sloman from BBC Enterprises (who was one of the chief planners and organisers of the Tour) for a special event and screening.  
 +
  
 +
==End of the Road...==
 +
*Although the Tour had been intended to continue into 1988, the December 1987 leg is to be its final stretch.
 +
*After some 20 months on the road with over 90 locations visited (less than half the originally planned 180+) the trailer and exhibits are shipped back to the UK.
 +
*The trailer is later sold to the owner of a fair-ground in New Mills in the High Peak district of central England - and used as a workshop shed!
 +
*The rusting shell of the vehicle stood on the property for nearly 30 years, but when the land was sold for a new housing development in 2018, the wreck was removed and sold for scrap. 
  
  
==General Coverage of the Tour (External links)==
+
==General coverage of the tour (External links)==
 +
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/doctorwhousatour/ FACEBOOK Group dedicated to the trailer Tour]
 
* [http://www.banningathletics.com/doctorwho/id18.html USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 1]
 
* [http://www.banningathletics.com/doctorwho/id18.html USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 1]
 
* [http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/1986/index.asp USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 2]
 
* [http://www.richardwho.com/exhibitions/USATour/1986/index.asp USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 2]
* [http://whona.realtvboard.com/t5499-dr-who-usa-tour-in-the-80s USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 3]
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131117013558/http://whona.realtvboard.com/t5499-dr-who-usa-tour-in-the-80s USA TOUR 1986 PHOTOS 3]
* [http://www.drwhoexhibitions.co.uk/usatour.htm USA TOUR OVERVIEW - and the sad fate of the Trailer...].
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160325124619/http://www.drwhoexhibitions.co.uk/usatour.htm USA TOUR OVERVIEW - and the sad fate of the Trailer...]
 +
 
 +
 
 +
{{US nav}}
 +
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 10:05, 22 May 2024

Doctor Who USA Tour


For a more detailed summary of the various Tour stops, dates, the guests travelling with the truck and admission prices, visit our DEDICATED PAGE HERE. For newspaper clippings, visit the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive.


1986

8 May

The Doctor Who USA Tour Trailer leaves Elstree Studios, UK, to begin its voyage to the US...

Controller of BBC One, Michael Grade, and Peter Davison appear at the inauguration, as the Doctor Who USA Tour truck and trailer sets off from Washington DC to begin its two-year, multi-city journey...

It is hoped that most of the markets where Doctor Who is screened in America will be visited; some reports cite as many as 181 cities, while others state 185 - although it's clear that the actual number of stops made in the two-year period fell well short of that ambitious target.

Some of the city visits also coincide with organised conventions and other fan events.

  • Interviews with Grade and BBC representative Brian Sloman appear in Starlog 113.


May to September

Wisconsin State Journal, Sept. 14, 1986

On its first leg, the Tour (without any guests from the series) visits Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, then back to New York.

  • On 25 May 1986, the Tour stops in New Brunswick, where the Whovent 86 convention is taking place. The Doctor Who guests take time out from the event to visit the travelling exhibition. While there, they also take part in the Hands Across America event.
  • From September, the Tour now regularly features one or more actors from the series, but several stops are without a guest traveller. (It's not until 1987 that every stop includes a guest.)
  • 13-28 September 1986: The Tour heads south, visiting New York, Massachusetts and Ohio. (The two Bakers travelled together for some of the time during September, attending various Whovent 86 conventions along the way.)


October to December

  • 4-5 October 1986: Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton travel on to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
  • The Tour moves south through North Carolina and South Carolina with Jon Pertwee, who falls ill; he is accompanied by Paul Darrow and Michael Keating from Blake's 7 for part of the journey.
  • The Tour takes a break from mid-December for six weeks.


1987

  • During the hiatus period, the name and branding for the Tour is changed to Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88 (although the trailer retains its "Doctor Who USA Tour" signage).
  • For the second year of its travels, it is hoped the trailer will visit over 70 cities in 36 States. It is also planned for the Tour to visit Toronto at the end of May, but ultimately that trip over the border to Canada does not eventuate.
  • While only some of the trips made during 1986 feature guests, all the stops in 1987 include at least one star from the series.
Map showing the States and main cities to be visited during the second year of the tour


January to February

  • Late January: The trailer makes its first appearance of 1987 in Louisiana, at the annual NATPE Television showcase event held at the New Orleans Convention Centre, with Peter Davison on board.
  • Davison and the trailer move on to Florida, where Jon Pertwee takes over.
  • 21-21 February 1987: The Tour comes to Walt Disney World in Orlando.
  • Prior to its arrival in Alabama, the trailer's roof is damaged when it passes under a low bridge.
  • 22-28 February 1987: The trailer heads northwards again: Pertwee makes stops in Louisiana, and Birmingham, Alabama, before heading to Georgia later the same day.
  • 28 February 1987: That evening, at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, Pertwee is joined by new Doctor Sylvester McCoy, and producer John Nathan-Turner. McCoy is interviewed by Eric Luskin.



McCoy, Pertwee, Nathan-Turner interviewed by Eric Luskin
Doctor Who Celebration & Tour 87-88

March

Live from Atlanta, 7 March 1987

The Tour heads north east.

  • 1 March 1987: Pertwee's stopover in Atlanta is recorded by GPTV, and the Live from Atlanta TV special airs on 7 March.
  • 26-27 March 1987: Anthony Ainley and Janet Fielding call in at Baltimore.
  • 27-28 March 1987: Sylvester McCoy returns to the US, and joins the trailer as it heads to Virginia.


April to June

McCoy continues to Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. John Nathan-Turner is picked up in New York. Janet Fielding joins in Ohio, while Sarah Sutton accompanies the Tour through Pennsylvania and back through Ohio to Indiana.

  • 16-17 May 1987: The Tour stops at the WGBH studios in Boston with Sylvester McCoy (who has just completed recording Time and the Rani). On the night of 17 May, a special "Dinner With the Doctor" is held.



McCoy on WVIA



TV commercial on WGVU
Bus tour ticket.jpg
Bus tour flier.jpg


July to August

  • 2 July 1987: The Tour visits west Michigan; Janet Fielding makes an appearance at locally-sponsored events.
  • 4-5 July 1987: Heading north west, the trailer stops at Chicago. (There are no guests during this leg of the Tour.)
  • 9 July 1987: Sylvester McCoy returns, visiting Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
  • 25 July to 1 August 1987: Westbound, the Tour arrives in North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, now with Janet Fielding.



Iowa, Aug. 1, 1987


September to December

The trailer heads west, stopping in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado with John Nathan-Turner on board.

  • 5-9 September 1987: His work on season 24 completed, Sylvester McCoy rejoins the Tour, and the trailer travels to Washington state, then south to Los Angeles.
  • September to October 1987: Jon Pertwee returns, and visits Portland, Oregon, then Sacramento (and possibly also San Jose?) in California.
  • October to November 1987: Heading east again, the trailer passes through Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi with Pertwee for the latter leg.
  • 5-12 December 1987: The Tour moves through Mississippi, Florida and back to Louisiana with Jon Pertwee.
  • 19-20 December 1987: The Tour makes its final-ever stop in Miami, Florida at the WPBT studios. Producer John Nathan-Turner is joined by Nicola Bryant, Eric Luskin, and Brian Sloman from BBC Enterprises (who was one of the chief planners and organisers of the Tour) for a special event and screening.


End of the Road...

  • Although the Tour had been intended to continue into 1988, the December 1987 leg is to be its final stretch.
  • After some 20 months on the road with over 90 locations visited (less than half the originally planned 180+) the trailer and exhibits are shipped back to the UK.
  • The trailer is later sold to the owner of a fair-ground in New Mills in the High Peak district of central England - and used as a workshop shed!
  • The rusting shell of the vehicle stood on the property for nearly 30 years, but when the land was sold for a new housing development in 2018, the wreck was removed and sold for scrap.


General coverage of the tour (External links)