What do daleks, cybermen, a tardis, an 80-piece orchestra and a choir all have in common?
They're all on stage Friday night in Wellington as part of the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular, which kicks off the New Zealand Festival.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is performing composer Murray Gold's music from the re-imagined TV series that celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
The original percussion-heavy theme was written in 1963 by Australian composer Ron Grainer and, like the Doctor, it too has been regenerated many times.
Conductor Ben Foster has been working with Gold for the past eight years.
Friday's show will include material from the modern Doctor Who featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant as the Doctor.
But he says it will also travel back in time and across the galaxy to classic Time Lord periods.
He says this includes music from episodes such as Logopolis from 1981, when Tom Baker was farewelled as the Doctor and regenerated into the fifth Doctor.
Foster says that is the era he grew up with and to arrange and conduct this music 30 years later is a professional career highlight.
Peter Davison was Doctor Who number five on the BBC TV series from 1981 to 1984, and is the host of the show which will feature specially filmed links with Doctor Who number four, Tom Baker, who was known for his very long scarf.
The show is fresh from touring Australia with both the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony orchestras.
He says the reaction to him as the Doctor has been overwhelming considering he played the role 30 years ago.
Davison says he is grateful that people know who he is, and the cheers make him feel like a rock star.
Doctor Who fanatics are often referred to as Whovians.
They study, decipher and know everything about the many faces of Doctor Who, the aliens he encounters, and any perils the Doctor must face while hurtling through the universe in the blue police telephone box, known as the tardis.
The BBC show's writer, producer and director, Paul Bullock completely understands this obsession, saying he has a dream job.
He says after loving the show as a child, his eight-year-old daughter also became hooked on the series.
Along with big screens playing various snippets of Doctor Who episodes while the orchestra performs the scores, there'll be daleks, cybermen and assorted other alien creatures on stage creating an intoxicating science fiction atmosphere.
Conductor Ben Foster says while he is leading the orchestra, one of his personal highlights is an attempt to save the audience from the daleks with his sonic conductor's baton.
He says as a child he regularly dressed up as a dalek and chased his brother around their family property.
Peter Dykes is the associate principal oboe player for the NZSO, and also a big Doctor Who fan.
He is expecting the audience to span several generations and says it will be a nostalgic moment playing the original theme.
The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular takes to the stage at the TSB Bank Arena Friday and Saturday night.
Ben Foster conducts the Dr Who Symphonic Spectacular. Photo: Supplied