Well, last weekend was the 6th local sci-fi convention hosted by the local community group 'Planet Folkestone'. What I like about this event is that it is run by a group of people passionate about sci-fi and it raises money for local charities too and still has that parochial feel about it and is not ruined by the commercialism so prevalent today.
Planet Folkestone was started by Andy, Terri and Vicki (although I didn't see Vicki there this year) and they also ran the much missed Zombie Walks in the town... see previous posts.
This year was spread across two days. Last year it was just on one day and was so incredibly cramped and hot inside the Leas Cliff Hall, that the event lost most of its enjoy-ability for me. That and the fact that Sophie Aldred's helper messed up my photo with her and I still got charged!!!
So, as I had already met the 5th Doctor Who, Peter Davison, a couple of years back, who was attending on the Saturday and as Janet Fielding (Tegan) and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) weren't necessarily my favourite Dr Who companions; I just volunteered to help on the Sunday.
[As an aside: If I did turn up on the Saturday I would've gone simply to meet the under-rated Sarah Sutton. It is such a shame that her performance in BBC's 'The Moon Stallion' has only been released in Germany on DVD, where, now deleted, it commands a sky-high price.]
I arrived at 8.20am before most of the organisers and quickly got posted with a radio to the front entrance to stop people who shouldn't be getting in from getting in before time under false pretenses. So I let in the stall holders; and the sole actor that came my way (John Levene), I directed to the actor's entrance.
Ironically when 10am, a Cyberman ascended and the opening came, I was still at the entrance and seemed to have been forgotten about, as I was down to help an actor in the signing room.
I hurried down to the Green Room to find out which actor I was being allocated to help. On the way I bumped into the exhibitor and owner of the replica H.G. Wells Time Machine prop that I had let in earlier. The prop had been used in the BBC documentary on H.G. Wells last year and he allowed me to sit in it - the general public were not allowed such a privilege apparently.
I rushed down to the Channel Suite to find the organiser Andy, asking all and sundry helpers for his whereabouts. As it happened John Levene re-entered the Green Room while I was asking where I was supposed to be. And I supposed as I was wearing a rucksack which could be mistaken for a bag containing A4 photos to sign, and that I had helped him earlier to the actors' entrance, I was ushered into the main hall by John Levene, saying "Come with your Uncle John. We're in here. Us actors must stick together!" I remonstrated that I was simply a helper and he saw the funny side.
I spent the day with the actor Dermot Crowley, at the convention primarily for his Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi role as General Crix Madine ("We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle.")
To be honest I am not as big a Star Wars fan as I am a Doctor Who fan; but I spent a very enjoyable day helping this wonderful Irish actor, finding out about his other roles, current National Theatre play (a major revival of Brian Friel's Translations), probably boring him with the history of Folkestone, and trading unrepeatable tales of Miriam Margolyes!
As the afternoon quietened, I did also get the chance to meet some of the other actors there too. It was great to meet Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), John Levene (Sergeant Benton), and Katy Manning (Jo Grant/Jones), mainstays of John Pertwee's Doctor Who years. I did see Fraser Hines (Jamie) from Patrick Troughton's era, but not to speak to.
But undoubtedly the busiest star of the day was the 8th Doctor, Paul McGann, balancing the autographs later on with updates on how his beloved Liverpool FC were doing on the last day of the football season.
Yet the real treat was getting to chat to the legend David Warner. Often cast in the role of the baddie, such as in some of my childhood favourites - Tron and Time Bandits - many will remember him as the journalist in The Omen who meets with a nasty end involving a sheet of glass.
It was good to hear stories of working him with Gregory Peck and of working with Angela Lansbury again in the up and coming Mary Poppins 2. The latter prompted by my remembering of him playing the father in Neil Jordan's 'The Company Of Wolves'
In the past couple of years he has appeared in two of my recent supernatural BBC favourites: the adaptation of James's Herbert's The Secret of Crickley Hall and Inside No.9: The Trial Of Elizabeth Gadge.
What a great day, what charming guests, and a big vote of thanks to Andy, Terri and all the other helpers for putting on such a fabulous event, and especially Rebecca for the cups of tea. I really hope it was financially successful and that the charities have a nice donation to carry on with their worthy work. Long may these conventions continue.
Tuesday 15th May 2018
