David Turnbull
David Turnbull is an accredited guide with the Lambeth Tour Guides Association. A former chef, he has worked in the kitchens of many restaurants, clubs, and casinos in London’s West End. He was, for many years, a national officer for a major UK trade union, with responsibility for hotel, restaurant, and bar workers. As part of this role, he also held office in both the European and global trade union bodies for hospitality and tourism.
He is a writer of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy fiction with over 150 short stories published in magazines and anthologies. He is the author of “Husks,” a near-future dystopian novella set in London, and “The Dragon Breath Chronicles,” a middle-grade fantasy featuring dragons and airships. His collection, “One Hundred Predictions,” consists of one hundred flash fiction pieces of one hundred words or less in the sci-fi, horror, and fantasy genres. He was the 2023 winner of the Wilson’s Tales of the Borders flash fiction competition.
His stories have been performed at live events in London such as Liar’s League, Solstice Tales, and Virtual Futures. He is a founding member of the Clockhouse London group of genre writers and a regular non-fiction contributor to the online horror and paranormal magazine Spooky Isles. As a regular contributor to Gravestone Press Horror anthologies, he hosts “Tales from the Gravestones,” an online event that combines talks about London’s magnificent seven Gothic cemeteries with readings from Gravestone Press authors. His associated blog is called “Things That Go Bump in My Mind.”
He is keen to explore the many connections between London and fantastical fiction, whether novels, TV series, or movies. His monthly blog, “Lambeth Fantastical,” looks at the connections between the borough and the various strands of these genres.
A huge fan of Doctor Who since its first episode in 1963, his Doctor Who guided walk of Waterloo and the Southbank takes you on a journey through the times and relative dimensions of the series and the area itself. Come with him to discover strange new worlds.
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Private Tours with David
David's Blog Posts:
- The Evolution of the Blue Police Box in Doctor Who
- The Time Traveller and the London Eye
- Flicker Alley and Film Row – The Birth of British Cinema
- The Dalek Invasion of London: Doctor Who Filming Locations 1964
- Strand Magazine: Celebrating Classic and Modern Works
- The Wandering Lion of Waterloo: The Southbank Lion’s 188‑Year Journey Through London
- Harlequin, Phantasm and Wax: Uncovering Theatre Secrets
- Classic Cars & Vintage Vehicles: A Retro Ramble Through Waterloo
- West Square: A Georgian Treasure South of the River
- The Beetle – London’s Lost Horror Classic
- Robert Burns Statue in London
- One Tree Hill, Honor Oak: History, Views and a South London Walk
- Dracula’s Theatrical Renaissance in London
- South London and the Birth of British Rock ’n’ Roll From the Festival of Britain to Teenage Rebellion
David Podcasts:
Read David's Reviews
Very informative. It brought back memories of when I was a child. I can remember the opening of the Festival Hall. I had no idea that a brewery on the site had to be knocked down to make way for the Festival hall. You learn so much from these walks.
This walk was so interesting. David is a very knowledgeable guide, and he led us deftly through the crowds to show us all the important sites from that wonderful exhibition of 75 years ago. And, incredibly, 2 of the people on the walk went to the exhibition as children, which added even more to the experience for the rest of us! And even more amazing, David’s main source for planning this walk was an original copy of the programme for the Exhibition, original price 2/6, that he’d picked up for just £2 from a charity shop – just wow!!
Really enjoyable walk around Waterloo and South bank. Our guide David had lots of information about the festival of Britain which I had not known and it was good to see the things that remain which you would not know about without the help. Would recommend given this year is the 75 th anniversary.
I found the tour very interesting and enjoyable .David was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Would recommend this walking tour!
I learned a few new facts about the FoB. David kept the walk and the information coming at just the right pace. Very enjoyable.
Excellent walk with a really good guide. David was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his subject.
We were excited to do a guided walk on the Festival of Britain, marking 75 years since this historic event. Our guide was engaging and informative, bringing to life what the festival visitor would have seen as they walked around the site. Personally speaking, we would suggest adding more about the Festival’s architectural and design legacy. But it was a very interesting tour; highly recommended.
I thought this was a very interesting and enjoyable walk. David is very knowledgeable and shared his knowledge in an approachable and friendly way. The weather wasn’t the best but the rain wasn’t too bad until near the end, when there was a cloudburst with torrential rain! We all agreed that it was time to end the walk then, we only missed one last stop due to the weather. Actually the weather was quite appropriate to the topic, just as we stopped at one of the points of interest to hear about Dracula and his ilk, there was a dramatic huge clap of thunder! Overall a good evening stroll with plenty of interest.
We hugely enjoyed our walk, led by David, giving us insights into the life of Robert Louis Stephenson and the Victorian culture of Duality he was immersed in. The talk was amazingly well researched and put together. After it I felt sufficiently educated to write a graduate level essay on Victorian gothic literature! The interesting places we stopped along the way added to the atmosphere of the story. Also, I’m a slow walker, and am grateful to David for pacing the walk for my speed. Also thank you to the lovely group for tolerating this and always parting to give me line of sight to David when I took a breather perched on a wall. All in all a super experience!
Thank you David for a most pleasant and informative afternoon stroll around waterloo and its environs. Although familiar with the area in and around Southbank it was fascinating to discover the number of connections with the filming of the Dr Who tv series. David’s knowledge of the area along with his in depth knowledge of Dr Who made this walking tour so very educational and most enjoyable indeed. Would definitely recommend.
Such an interesting walk delivered by a great guide. Lots of very interesting facts delivered interestingly by David. Thoroughly enjoyed. Recommend this walk.
David is a great host. He was very knowledgeable and engaging on our tour around Waterloo, allowing us to see it through Jack London’s eyes. Highly recommended!
Chrissy & Mike
Great tour which took us to unfamiliar sites in a familiar area. Informative & enthusiastic guide, we had a thoroughly good time & I’ve returned home to watch some of the old familiar episodes! Thank you, David.
I took this tour with my adult daughter a huge Doctor Who fan. I’m less of a fan but coupled that with loving walks and hearing stories about London. We both really enjoyed this tour. David the tour guide was great and the info shared combined Doctor Who facts with related history around Waterloo. He showed us photos from Doctor Who episodes etc to further illustrate what he was explaining. Very enjoyable 90 mins!
Absolutely excellent waking tour for even the most knowledgeable Whovians, we heard so many incredible stories and facts as we strolled around pockets of London, and Waterloo. My son is a huge fan but afterwards, even I wanted to start watching the TV series again for all the facts and locations we saw today. David Turnbull is a wonderful guide with amazing knowledge and a passionate sci-fi writer himself who really captured us all. My 14-year-old son is a huge fan but the facts that he learnt today and the ability to stand in so many famous locations made it the best immersive experience.
Although the guide had no no first hand experience of the 1951 event his knowledge and research wasunparalleled and it was a pleasure to hear his anecdotes.