Above: a gallery of images from the exhibition

I was seven when Doctor Who materialised at Saturday tea-time back in 1963. 

The first series wasn't up to much - for no apparent reason a girl and her doddery grandad took a couple of teachers back to the Stone Age and messed around with cavemen. 

I was no fool - this stuff was meant to be educational, and I'd had plenty of that between Monday and Friday. What's more, my dad was a police officer and the blue boxes he used were basically telephone kiosks that never vanished while making an intense wheezing noise. A police box as a time machine? Daft.

But then came series two and the scaries from Skaro, the Daleks. Who knew that a drain plunger appearing at the end of episode one could inspire such terror? Who dreamt that the plunger was operated by a mutant created by fallout from an atomic bomb? Our air raid sirens were tested regularly and on telly we watched mushroom clouds forming as H-bombs were detonated in the Pacific. I knew the word 'radiation'. I knew it was bad. The world was frightening, and so were the Daleks.

This was more like it.

When the Daleks invaded Earth...

59 years later Doctor Who is still with us, regenerated and reinvented, a very British TV show with global appeal, and the longest running science fiction show in the world.

And from today the 'blockbuster' exhibition Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder has its world premiere at Liverpool's World Museum until October 30th.

And guess what? It's kind of educational - which, now I am no longer seven, is absolutely fine.

Worlds of Wonder explores the science behind Doctor Who and gives fans a chance to experience the Doctor's adventures from a scientific perspective.

Produced by leading experiential design experts Sarner International under license from BBC Studios, this new exhibition helps fans of all ages explore the ways in which science has played many parts in Doctor Who. 

The eight zones set within the exhibition cover a diverse selection of exciting scientific topics while drawing in content from across the full canon of the TV show.

Through a range of hands-on immersive experiences and interactive content, visitors can journey through Cosmic Curiosities, discovering more about the Doctor's time machine in the TARDIS Tech Room; learn about the science behind time travel and whether it really is possible; or get up close with some of the weird and wonderful characters that have graced our screens in the Monster Vault. 

Fiona Philpott, Director of Exhibitions at National Museums Liverpool, said: "We're thrilled to be welcoming the world premiere of Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder to World Museum. We're so lucky to be the first museum in the world to host this must-see experience, which offers exclusive insight for Doctor Who buffs, science fiction fans and anybody else with a curious mind.

"Visitors to the exhibition can also travel through space and time at World Museum's immersive Planetarium and continue their explorations into the biodiversity of our planet with our Natural History & Sciences galleries. Come to Liverpool to experience this exhibition before anybody else!"

Adult tickets are priced at £14 in advance or £16 on the day - concession rates apply. Tickets for members are free.

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder

Exhibition images by Robin Clewley