Gay Dallas couple’s ‘Doctor Who’-themed engagement photos go viral
CARRYING A TORCHWOOD | TJ Mundell and Timmy Patterson became Internet sensations this week after their photos turned the nerd world into full geek-out mode. (Photos by Shaun and Shannon Menary)
SCOTT HUFFMAN | Contributing Writer
For young guys — 24 and 28 — TJ Mundell and Timmy Patterson, are, to say the least, enthusiastic fans of the 50-year-old BBC television series Doctor Who.
The sci-fi series, which reinvents itself with new actors and style every few years, borders on obsession for the two. Consider this: every Oct. 31, Mundell and Patterson celebrate Who-lloween … wool duster, waistcoat and all.
It was therefore no surprise to friends of the Dallas couple when they decided to pay tribute to the fictional Time Lord in their engagement photos — complete with a custom built TARDIS, the time machine disguised as a 1960s London police call box. Mundell and Patterson hired local photographers
Shaun and Shannon Menary and chose a Deep Ellum warehouse location for appropriate ambiance. They thought it would be a hoot, something their circle of well-wishers would appreciate.
But in the Internet age, you never know when something will go viral.
Certainly the process wasn’t without its challenges. The photo shoot, which took place earlier this month, was sweltering. Temperatures in the warehouse exceeded 100 degrees (worse than it sounds, since they were clad in costumes), and electrical problems — the facility had recently been hit by copper thieves — required connecting extension cords to the building next door. Such setbacks were ultimately deemed minor and did not dampen the couple’s excitement.
“The easiest aspect of the photo shoot was TJ and Timmy,” says Shaun Menary, who specializes in theme photo shoots (he’s also done similar shoots for Mad Men and Alice In Wonderland for other clients). “They were immediately in character with their costumes and sonic screwdrivers. It was awesome.”
With the project complete, Mundell and Patterson were eager to share their photos with fellow Whovians. They posted them on a fan page. The timing of their release conveniently coincided with the new season of Doctor Who, which premieres Saturday in the U.S. on BBCAmerica. The two were a bit shocked, however, when the photos quickly became the subject of multiple online news stories.
Over the past week, Mundell and Patterson have received congratulatory messages from around the globe. The responses have been overwhelmingly gay-positive — a fact that the couple attributes to the show’s futuristic and inclusive nature. One especially touching message came from a 15-year-old girl who sent them an email stating that the photos had “changed” her life.
“I have been struggling with wanting to come out to my mom,” the girl said, “and I wasn’t going to because I was scared. But then I saw your pictures and it was like The Doctor was telling me that it was okay. So I came out to her and everything went perfectly. So thank you.”
Mundell and Patterson met and began dating four years ago while they were students of massage therapy. Today, the two have added to their relationship the element of professional partnership as co-owners of the Green Lotus Spa & Retreat in Uptown. Though they originally planned not to marry until Texas legally recognizes same sex unions, they became engaged last November during a trip to Japan.
“[Timmy] proposed while we were hiking on a mountain,” Mundell recalls, describing the breathtaking mountaintop vista. But the couple’s romantic reverie was cut short when two giant Japanese hornets, insects whose stings can sometimes be deadly, began circling overhead.
Despite their recent Internet fame, the announcement is probably as far as their fanboy enthusiasm goes — they do not feel pressure to have a Doctor
Who-themed wedding. They did, however, hint that the ring bearer at the ceremony might not be human.
They plan to marry Nov. 8 at Hakone, a century-old Japanese estate in Saratoga, Calif. They’ll get there by commercial airliner.
Sadly, the TARDIS will not make the trip with them.
Nerd alert! Visit DallasVoice.com to see a slideshow of additional photos featuring the couple … and the TARDIS.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 22, 2014.