Pop-up Doctor Who store in Liverpool smashes retail sales records for National Museums Liverpool. Tony McDonough reports

A Doctor Who exhibition hosted by National Museums Liverpool triggered record sales at a pop-up shop set up for fans of the BBC TV show.

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder landed at the World Museum in May. It revealed the science behind the iconic programme. To meet the demand for memorabilia National Museums Liverpool (NML) opened a pop-up show at William Brown Street venue. 

It also offered items online and the response has been overwhelming. More than 11,000 items have been sold since the launch. This makes it NML’s fastest selling retail range ever.

Karen O’Connor, NML’s director of commercial enterprises, said: “Bringing the world premiere of the Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder exhibition to Liverpool has been an amazing experience.

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“It is proving very popular – attracting fans from around the UK, as well as international visitors to the city. We have created a special Doctor Who shop for the duration of the exhibition. We hadn’t anticipated how much demand there would be for exclusive items, classic memorabilia and gadgets.

“Our retail team has been extremely busy over the summer – in our shop and with online sales. it’s made history as our fastest selling range.”

Memorabilia designed especially for the exhibition and classic gadgets are among the most in-demand items. They include the famous sonic screwdriver and an exclusive Gallifreyan alphabet artwork.

As well as hosting the world premiere of the exhibition, NML’s venues have also starred as the backdrop for Doctor Who series 13. This follows filming at the Museum of Liverpool with cast members John Bishop and Nadia Albina in 2021.

Helen Dickey, from the retail team at NML, added: “Bringing with it nearly 60 years of TV history, Doctor Who spans generations. It’s been hard to keep up with demand from both kids and adults for many of our products.”