RARE Doctor Who memorabilia worth thousands of pounds has been put up for sale by the parents of a cancer victim.
Pensioners William and Valerie Low were left with the huge collection, thought to be worth more than £4,000, after their son Christopher, 45, died of cancer in November.
Mr Low, who grew up in South Shields and was a member of the town's Doctor Wh
o Club, started collecting memorabilia after watching the very first episode with his family.
His mum said: "Everything to do with Doctor Who – anything at all – he wanted to get.
"He never wanted anything else for his birthday."
The collection started with a tin robot given to him by his grandmother, but the majority of the items were bought over the last decade.
Although the tin robot was lost, the collection includes models of many Doctor Who villains, posters, books, masks and annuals, including the very first one.
Mr and Mrs Low have almost run out of space to store the Daleks and huge posters that used to decorate their son's flat.
His collection is so extensive the BBC offered to show it off on a morning TV programme a few years ago, but Chris decided against appearing.
Mrs Low said: "Chris was a very private person. He enjoyed his quiet life and his collection.
"It kept him going during his illness, so he still had something to look forward to.
"He always knew where everything was. If you moved anything in his flat, he knew if you hadn't put it back in the right place."
When Mr Low died, his parents had his collection moved up from London, where he had been living, to their home in Newcastle.
His brother and sister, Philip and Francine, who live in the capital, are not such keen fans of Doctor Who, and they did not want to keep the collection.
Mr and Mrs Low are now looking for a new home for their son's collection and would like all the items to stay together for someone else to enjoy.
The money the couple make from selling Christopher's collection will be shared between his brother and sister.
Although they are not avid Doctor Who fans, Mr and Mrs Low plan to watch the show's new series when it starts on Saturday.
Anyone interested in buying the collection can call 236 7010.
angela.taggart@northeast-press.co.uk
