IAN O’Brien used to watch Doctor Who with his parents as a child and was ecstatic when they treated him to a yellow Dalek toy.

Forty years on and that Dalek has plenty of company.

Last year Mr O’Brien became the official Guinness world record holder for the largest collection of Doctor Who memorabilia.

His staggering haul of 1,573 items — which cost up to £5,000 to accumulate — comfortably exceeded the 1,000 cited by Guinness for a record to be created.

Next month, Mr O’Brien is a special guest at a Bolton sci-fi fair at The Last Drop Village in Bromley Cross and will be taking along some of his beloved collection for a special display.

Mr O’Brien, of Old Trafford, Manchester, who lives with his two cats, Millie and Cola, said: “It took me about two weeks to itemise everything for Guinness.

“Doubles do not count - there are even more if they were included.

“I was surprised by how much I’ve got.

“I’m not stopping now by any means. I bought something new last weekend.”

The Sci-Fi Comic Book Fair on Sunday, November 16, will feature life-size C3P0 and R2D2 characters from Star Wars, as well as dozens of exhibitors selling merchandise from sci-fi films and superhero comic books.

The first 100 fans through the door will receive a free Star Wars poster and comic, while a competition for those who dress up as characters and an art competition for best superhero picture will also be on offer.

Mr O’Brien, whose started watching Doctor Who in 1974, said of his love for the show: “It is unique, British and there is nothing else like it.

“It is escapism isn’t it? He is travelling through time in a police phone box.

“There have been 12 doctors as well and it is always explained when there is a new one.

“We’ve had plenty of James Bonds but they could never all be together.”

Admission for the Last Drop event costs £2.

For more information, visit mseevents.co.uk.

50 YEARS OF DOCTOR WHO

  • Dr Who first aired  in 1963.
  • There have been 12 actors who have played The Doctor in the show’s 51-year history. The first was William Hartnell 
  • Daleks, Cybermen and The Master are arch enemies of The Doctor, who travels through time in the Tardis, which resembles a 1960s police phone box.
  • The series ran from 1963 to 1989 and episodes were traditionally 25 minutes long.
  • The show was revived in 2005 and there have now been more than 800 episodes screened.
  • Ninety-seven episodes filmed during the first six years of the show have gone missing after reportedly being destroyed by the BBC to save space.