DUBAI - A red bus used in the recent filming of a Dr Who episode became the target of a “feeding frenzy” when it made an appearance at a school for two days.
The speedometer, steering wheel, seats and headlamps were ripped out by over-zealous students desperate for memorabilia.
The bus, used in the recent filming of an episode in Dubai, was taken to Dubai English College on Tuesday, where it became the focus of attention.
“They fell on it like a pack of piranhas,” said Frank Murray, General Manager of AAA, who was called to tow the vehicle away early because it had become a health hazard. “It was like a feeding frenzy.”
“They wanted memorabilia from the bus. Anything they could take from it, they did take from it.”
Dr Who screenwriters were forced to rework the script after the bus was damaged in transit to Dubai by a shipping container falling on the roof.
In the filming in the desert, a large crater was dug into the sand to simulate the bus having fallen from outer space, Murray said. After the filming was complete the bus was due to be scrapped but beforehand it was taken to the Dubai English College, which has an active Dr Who fan club.
Teacher at the college, Maria Cottram, said that students were well behaved and she had allowed them to take things from the bus.
However, she had forbidden students from taking parts from the driver’s area, such as the steering wheel, which would be needed in removing the bus from the school. “The bus was going to be scrapped anyway so it wasn’t like they were damaging something that was going to be used again,” she said.
However, she said that she had called Murray to tow away the bus because she had seen over-enthusiastic parents participating in an impromptu salvage operation.
“I went out there and saw a parent with a brick trying to take the steering wheel off, and I was horrified,” she added. “I can stop kids from doing stupid things, but not parents, ” she addes.
However she said that students were “absolutely thrilled” that the bus had made an appearance at the school.
“We don’t have a big film making industry in Dubai so it’s really fantastic when things like this happen.”