If you’ve never been to a convention before (and I’ve only been to a few) then I can tell you there’s not much more fun to be had than hanging around fellow
Who-lovers and chatting with stars of your favourite television series. It’s quite a sight to pop into the hotel bar and see Canton himself (actor
Mark Sheppard) sharing a coffee with a group of fans, Madame Kovarian (
Frances Barber) comparing eye-patches with cosplayers and Alaya/Restac/Vastra (the
beautiful Neve McIntosh) trying on an assortment of fezes and Stetsons (or fezton if you put them together).
The 11th Hour had these kind of moments in abundance - and many more besides.
All weekend there was
something fantastic going on. Be it autograph signing and photograph sessions or panels featuring the aforementioned stars along with cast of
A Good Man Goes To War Christina Chong (Lorna Bucket),
Dan Starkey (Commander Strax),
Catrin Stewart (Jenny),
Simon Fisher-Becker (Dorium Maldovar) and those from
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon Stuart Milligan (President Nixon) and
William Morgan Sheppard (older Canton Delaware).
After the festivities of the opening night, featuring a meet and greet with the stars and some rambunctious Friday night dance floor behaviour from many, came the convention activities proper on Saturday morning. Hitting the stage first were writers
James Swallow (author of the Tenth Doctor novel,
The Peacemaker and many more
Big Finish stories) and
Tony Lee (the man behind the IDW comic series,
The Forgotten and various other audios) along with popular blogger
Cameron K McEwan (
Blogtor Who) who helped moderate the proceedings.
Well, I
say moderate. Tony and James love nothing more than a good old gab about
Doctor Who, crossovers and other naughty things so any moderation was unnecessary. Their experiences in the lesser celebrated mediums of
Who was a fascinating listen. The other panel I was involved in was an interview with
Gary Russell (a man whose work in
Who and its spin~offs is too large for this parenthesis). Gary, like my previous panelists, is not short on a story or five and was both engrossing and entertaining as he discussed his time as script editor on
Who, Torchwood and
The Sarah Jane Adventures (amongst many other projects). He is, of course, a fan too so it made for a good example for those budding writers in the audience that one day they could be working on the world’s greatest television show.
On the Saturday night, I had the pleasure of being on the judging panel for the Cosplay Competition along with
Mark Sheppard,
Frances Barber,
Neve McIntosh,
Catrin Stewart,
Tony Lee, Stuart Milligan and
Simon Fisher-Becker. And I can tell you that the panel were mightily impressed with the numerous amazing outfits; astounded at the originality of some and in awe of the time and dedication that must have gone into producing them.
The various panels over the two days were an absolute treat; the feeling of camaraderie and genuine warmth was apparent between the actors and actresses. Best of all was the chance for audience members to ask any questions they liked of the gang. And, having witnessed some odd questions, they were all more than happy to answer anything that came their way, however bizarre.
Without wanting to single out any guests over the two days, but I'm going to anyway, special mention must go to actresses
Neve McIntosh and
Frances Barber. Both women demonstrated their love for the show (new and old) and how honoured they feel to be a part of
Doctor Who. Their respective careers, both impressive, make for informed opinions and aides their amusing storytelling skills.
I should also give a nod to the powerhouse that
is Mark Sheppard - a man no stage or audience is big enough to contain. His energy and enthusiasm is electric, a true showman. Given that Canton has only appeared in one story, Sheppard already feels like a
Who legend (like Barber and McIntosh). Conventions are second nature to him, and his love for his fans is extraordinary. Tip of the hat to the organisers for putting him on a panel with his dad, Morgan - a very nice touch.
Of course, the highlight I think for everybody was
Matt Smith -
The Doctor for many attendees. Aside from the hundreds of photographs and autographs, Matt treated us to an interview followed by a Q & A session. During the former, event organiser Sean Harry managed to prise some juicy nuggets about the upcoming series and the Christmas Special. Best of all were the many questions from fans. Almost an hour was given up to the young and old who had a variety of queries for the Time Lord.
A gent, as ever, Matt answered them all with humility and warmth (even those who repeated questions from others). I will say if you've never seen the actor interact with kids then you are
truly missing out. The term "totes adrobz" was made for the moment when you see Matt chat with a child - incredibly heartwarming. Smith is a phenomenal ambassador for the show and his enthusiasm for his public makes me glad to be a fan.
Hearty congratulations go to
Starfury for such a smooth, professional and hitch~free convention that featured many memorable and magnifcent moments that I'm sure many people will be re~living for years to come. I thoroughly recommend attending their next
Doctor Who event in November,
Midnight featuring
Billie Piper - details HERE.
BLOGTOR RATING 10/10
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