The Cushing Coincidence
Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 by Dean Hempstead
I was on holiday in Canterbury in February 2013 with my wife Katherine and my 5 and a half month old son, William. Whilst we were sitting in Costa’s, with a couple of caramel lattes to help overcome the exertion of exploring, I saw something very exciting on Facebook. It seems that an essay was required for You & Who for the Peter Cushing film Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150.
My excitement was infectious enough for my wife to ask me what the fuss was about. So I explained about how both of the Peter Cushing Doctor Who films were an important part of my childhood. They are also shrouded in mystery. You see, I never actually remember owning a copy of these films but I remember watching them. I recall an occasion where I was too ill to go to school, so I stayed at home, snuggled on my parents sofa and I remember both me and my mum watching both films. An evocative memory of Daleks of every colour, Heinz Tomato soup and bread and butter. So how did we watch them? I can only imagine that my parents owned a copy on VHS, probably recorded when they were on the TV, as I never saw any video covers. These tapes have been lost in the mists of time.
Katherine was agog when I explained that within my considerable collection of Doctor Who stories I still do not own these iconic films. She asked me why not? I took some time to consider and I could not find an answer immediately. I had always enjoyed them, admittedly not as much as the original Hartnell versions, but they always good fun. The only answer I could come up with was that they didn’t quite fit with the established continuity of the TV show that I know and love. The Doctor was called Dr Who. He was from Earth. The TARDIS looked wrong on the inside and the exterior doors opened the wrong way. As these thoughts rushed through my mind, I also remembered all the positive things too. The vivid colours, the wonderfully understated but whimsical performance by Peter Cushing, Roy Castle’s funny walk, Bernard Cribbins – the list goes on. Once I had concluded relating these things to my wife that I confessed that I really should buy them. I didn’t think any more about it as we left the coffee shop to continue our family exploration of the streets of Canterbury.
That evening, having enjoyed a meal at a restaurant that was happy to give shelter and sustenance to a family with a small baby, we made our way back to our hotel. Katherine said it would be lovely if we could find a Wetherspoons pub that would enable us to enter with our little boy so we could have a quick drink before retiring after a busy day exploring. I reached for my phone and searched on the internet for the nearest Wetherspoons pub. There were three – one was 0.2 miles away and another 0.6 miles away. The name of the third one, which was 6.1 miles away was the one that took our breathaway. Based in Whitstable was a pub called The Peter Cushing. Instantly, that two film gap in my Doctor Who collection instantly sprung to mind. Something was telling me that I should really own these films. I had absolutely no idea that Peter Cushing had lived in Whitstable prior to his death.
Of course the following day, we decided to visit Whitstable and located the pub which was on the High Street. Formerly a cinema, the art deco interior is a proud monument to the memory of Peter Cushing. There are photos of him on the walls, movie posters, film cameras dotted about, tangible nostalgic memories of the golden age of film.
Being superstitious of such coincidences, and remembering on my holiday how much I used to enjoy these films, I have now ordered a copy of them.
Of all the lanes we explored in Canterbury, the biggest surprise was to find myself wandering down memory lane once again…
My excitement was infectious enough for my wife to ask me what the fuss was about. So I explained about how both of the Peter Cushing Doctor Who films were an important part of my childhood. They are also shrouded in mystery. You see, I never actually remember owning a copy of these films but I remember watching them. I recall an occasion where I was too ill to go to school, so I stayed at home, snuggled on my parents sofa and I remember both me and my mum watching both films. An evocative memory of Daleks of every colour, Heinz Tomato soup and bread and butter. So how did we watch them? I can only imagine that my parents owned a copy on VHS, probably recorded when they were on the TV, as I never saw any video covers. These tapes have been lost in the mists of time.
Katherine was agog when I explained that within my considerable collection of Doctor Who stories I still do not own these iconic films. She asked me why not? I took some time to consider and I could not find an answer immediately. I had always enjoyed them, admittedly not as much as the original Hartnell versions, but they always good fun. The only answer I could come up with was that they didn’t quite fit with the established continuity of the TV show that I know and love. The Doctor was called Dr Who. He was from Earth. The TARDIS looked wrong on the inside and the exterior doors opened the wrong way. As these thoughts rushed through my mind, I also remembered all the positive things too. The vivid colours, the wonderfully understated but whimsical performance by Peter Cushing, Roy Castle’s funny walk, Bernard Cribbins – the list goes on. Once I had concluded relating these things to my wife that I confessed that I really should buy them. I didn’t think any more about it as we left the coffee shop to continue our family exploration of the streets of Canterbury.
That evening, having enjoyed a meal at a restaurant that was happy to give shelter and sustenance to a family with a small baby, we made our way back to our hotel. Katherine said it would be lovely if we could find a Wetherspoons pub that would enable us to enter with our little boy so we could have a quick drink before retiring after a busy day exploring. I reached for my phone and searched on the internet for the nearest Wetherspoons pub. There were three – one was 0.2 miles away and another 0.6 miles away. The name of the third one, which was 6.1 miles away was the one that took our breathaway. Based in Whitstable was a pub called The Peter Cushing. Instantly, that two film gap in my Doctor Who collection instantly sprung to mind. Something was telling me that I should really own these films. I had absolutely no idea that Peter Cushing had lived in Whitstable prior to his death.
Of course the following day, we decided to visit Whitstable and located the pub which was on the High Street. Formerly a cinema, the art deco interior is a proud monument to the memory of Peter Cushing. There are photos of him on the walls, movie posters, film cameras dotted about, tangible nostalgic memories of the golden age of film.
Being superstitious of such coincidences, and remembering on my holiday how much I used to enjoy these films, I have now ordered a copy of them.
Of all the lanes we explored in Canterbury, the biggest surprise was to find myself wandering down memory lane once again…