Doctor Who community speaks out in support of young fan after criticism of his Dalek costume

Andrew Dobson received a wave of support from Doctor Who fans after posting a message he received criticising a picture of his son in a homemade Dalek costume.

Dobson, who regularly posts photos of his son dressed up as one of Doctor Who's most fearsome villains, tweeted on 18th May that he had received a "charming DM from a 'true fan'."

He added: "It wasn't so much the criticism that upset me, more the incorrect use of 'your'. I do get the distress caused by the whisk being in the wrong hand - but my son was only 18mths old and is much wiser now."

The 'true fan' had told Dobson to "stop posting photos of that kid in his crap Dalek costume - he's not even holding the energy weapon in the right hand. Your embarrassing proper Doctor Who fans. Get off Twitter and leave fandom to the true fans who care about the show. "

Following his tweet, Dobson received an outpour of support from the fandom, including from American Gods and Good Omens author Neil Gaiman (who also wrote two Doctor Who episodes, The Doctor's Wife and Nightmare in Silver).

"True Doctor Who Fans know you can hold the whisk in either hand. As long as you remember to say 'Exterminate' or something vaguely like it, you are a real Dalek," Gaiman tweeted.

Actor and Dalek operator Barnaby Edwards also chipped in with his insistence that Dobson's son would "make a good Dalek".

The wholesome exchange led Dobson to thank fans for supporting the young fan.

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"Blimey, that's blown up," he tweeted. "Thank you all for the kind words - that's the real fandom. I certainly didn't take the DM personally and you never know what the sender is going through in the real world to feel so angry or upset."

Dobson added that "there will be more pics" of his son and his "house Dalek" in the future.

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