A TOUR guide has taken inspiration from Doctor Who and dressed up as a time traveller to make history come alive.

Dressed in a straw hat, rainbow-coloured waistcoat and red bow tie Peter Hart tells Oxford’s historical story from Saxon-era riots to tales of student debauchery.

The 42-year-old from Weyland Road, Headington, said the bow tie was an “homage” to former Doctor Who actor Matt Smith and the hat a nod Tom Baker.

Self-confessed Doctor Who fanatic Mr Hart started his tours in June after working for a year as an open-top bus tour guide.

He said: “I have loved Doctor Who since I was eight years old.

“It’s the idea of someone who is a hero but does not use weapons but his mind and intellect to solve problems.

“I also find the time traveller aspect fascinating as well.”

For the tour, the former Oxford Brookes University student presents himself as a time traveller who can recount Oxford’s history from the ninth century to present day.

Mr Hart said: “Being a time traveller is a way to keep the kids engaged so it’s not just a history lesson.

“Keeping kids interested for an hour can be enough of a challenge but I thought using Doctor Who as inspiration helps to teach them but also keeps them interested.”

The tour includes accounts of the 1355 riots, which claimed the lives of 63 students, and from the 1230s when students tried to bribe a Vatican envoy sent to investigate their lewd behaviour.

The father of two said: “The envoy stayed in Osney Abbey and the students tried to bribe him with alcohol and other temptations but he was not having any of that.

“The situation became quite aggressive and the students besieged the abbey, but the envoy escaped when the students got drunk.”

Elsewhere in Oxford, Doctor Who fans can feast their eyes on a life-size Dalek at Jericho’s Phoenix Picturehouse before it screens the first episode of the new series with new Doctor Peter Capaldi in a live simulcast with BBC One at 7.50pm on Saturday.

The 5ft 6in tall pink and blue model will go on display at the Walton Street cinema to help raise money for the Sue Ryder charity.

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