Category Archives: Autographs

Day 2, Film & Comic Con Bournemouth, Dorset – August 2015

September 14, 2015 tpd123 Leave a comment

Tom at the BIC — Welcome to Day 2 of Film & Comic Con at Bournemouth International Centre

Hello,

And welcome to the second day of Showmaster’s Film & Comic Con Bournemouth! After my adventures on the first day I was a bit tired from meeting all the amazing actors but I was very happy to go back to meet more Doctor Who stars!

Sam, Nicola, Colin and Louise at the Q&A — Sam, Nicola, Colin and Louise at the Film and Comic Con Bournemouth

First show of the day was the Doctor Who talk and out came Louise Jameson ( Leela), Nicola Bryant ( Peri), Samuel Anderson ( Danny Pink) and the Sixth Doctor himself, Colin Baker! The Q&A was very interesting and lots of fun. The guests were asked to describe their Doctor Who experience in one word.

Colin said

Eternal

Nicola said

Giving

Louise said

Extraordinary

and Sam said

Mellifluous!

Mellifluous means sweetly or smoothly flowing, sweetened as if with honey. I know, because I looked it up!

Tom and Louise Jameson — Hello Louise Jameson aka Leela!

After the Q&A I said hello to Louise Jameson – I didn’t ask her my golden questions because I asked her already at the Timeless Collectors Fair. Louise was very kindly to me and she told me she enjoyed the Q&A which was the first one she had done with Sam, and she thought he was great!

Tom and Lalla Ward — Hello Lalla Ward aka Romana II!

After Louise I met Lalla Ward who played another Fourth Doctor companion Romana II! It was great to meet Lalla for the first time and she was very polite and answered my Golden Questions.

What is your favourite Doctor Who episode?
What is your favourite Doctor Who filming location? and
If you could go anywhere in time and space where would you like to go?

Lalla’ s favourite Doctor Who episode is City of Death (1979).

Lalla showed me a photo of Romana II in Cambridge in the episode Shada (1979) which was her favourite filming location. Sadly Shada wasn’t finished because of a strike, and wasn’t shown on TV but it was released on video in 1992.

If Lalla could go anywhere in time and space she would like to go back in time and see the dinosaurs, but she would want to take a bodyguard to protect her! She would also like to visit other planets and make contact as she believes that there must be life on other planets if there is life on earth. I think she may be right! It would be nice to know we are not alone in the universe but I hope that aliens would be friendly if they did come to earth.

Tom and Nicola Bryant — Hello Nicola Bryant aka Peri!

Next I met Nicola Bryant – Nicola played Peri , companion to the Fifth and Sixth Doctor. I have met Nicola before at the Fleet Air Arm Museum and she is lovely. I was really pleased to meet her again.

Nicola cannot choose a favourite Doctor Who episode because as soon as she thinks of one she remembers another she likes just as much. She loves them all!

Nicola’s favourite filming location was Seville where she filmed The Two Doctors (1985). She said the food was great. When I met the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, his answer was the same so I guess they had a good time!

Lastly Nicola told me that if she could go anywhere in time and space she would like to travel back 25 years and see her father who sadly passed away. She said the best times are times spent with loved ones. I agree, I would love to use my TARDIS to visit my Great – Nana who I miss very much and my Grandad who I never got to meet.

Tom and Samuel Anderson at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth — Hello Samuel Anderson aka Danny Pink!

Finally I met Samuel Anderson again – Sam played Clara’s boyfriend Danny Pink and his ancestor Orson Pink. Sam was the first ever Doctor Who actor I met as I got his autograph at the Doctor Who World Tour in Cardiff in 2014!

In the queue I met Luke who was carrying a TARDIS door. He was asking the Doctor Who actors to sign the door then he was going to take the door home to put back on his own life-size TARDIS. I wonder if it is bigger on the inside?

Luke and his TARDIS door

Samuel Anderson signs Luke’s TARDIS door

Sam was mellifluous – Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! His favourite episode is Death in Heaven (2014) – even though it meant he lost his job!

He enjoyed filming in a bar because he got to sneak a beer – shhhh! His favourite Doctor Who filming location was the set of the TARDIS because it is kept under lock and key and not many people get to film there!

Sam would like to travel in time to see the dinosaurs, and the pyramids being built, but he would REALLY like to go to Harlem in the 1940s and see the Jazz Greats performing. I told Sam that Doctor Who Script Editor Andrew Cartmel told me that as well – they should hang out together. Sam is a Jazz Singer too – maybe one day Jazz fans will want to travel in time to see Sam singing!

Sam was supercool, it was great to meet him again and he was very encouraging about Project Indigo. Thanks Sam!

After I met Samuel I decided it was time to leave as I was pooped out from all the excitement of the weekend! As well as the Doctor Who stars there were film stars from all over the world, including actors from many film and TV Series Star Wars, even Darth Vader himself! And The Incredible Hulk!

There were sports stars too. As I left I met footballer Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris and got his autograph – he is a Chelsea legend! I know it isn’t Doctor Who related but I am telling you about it because it meant a lot to me as I love football and support Chelsea (and Bournemouth of course!).

Thank you to everybody who let me interview them, thank you to BH Live, and thank you to the people at Showmasters for giving me a Press Pass and helping me to meet with all the Doctor Who stars. The first Film & Comic Con Bournemouth was SO AWESOME that Showmasters have created another and will be back in Bournemouth next year!

See you soon for my review of the updated Doctor Who Experience – it was fandabbydozy.

Goodbye!

One of the signing rooms at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth

Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

Day 1, Film & Comic Con Bournemouth, Dorset – August 2015

September 1, 2015 tpd123 2 Comments

Tom with Sylvester McCoy — Hello Sylvester McCoy aka MY Doctor, the Seventh Doctor!

Hello and welcome to another post.

Today I am writing what will be a very long post about Film & Comic Con Bournemouth because it is JAM PACKED with Doctor Who actors. This was the very first Film & Comic Con in my home town of Bournemouth and the organisers Showmasters were very kind and gave me a Press Pass so that I could interview all the Doctor Who stars for my Project Indigo readers!

I was very excited and knew that I would ask everybody my three Golden Questions:

What is your favourite Doctor Who episode?
What is your favourite Doctor Who filming location? and
If you could go anywhere in time and space where would you like to go?

As soon as I arrived I went to meet the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, because he is my favourite Classic Doctor and I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time! Sylvester was just as I imagined and he was incredibly cheerful and was pleased to answer my questions.

I asked Sylvester my questions. He said that his favourite episode ever is the first one he saw, a Patrick Troughton episode but his favourite Seventh Doctor episode is possibly The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1988) – my favourite Classic episode. What a co-incidence!

Sylvester’s favourite filming locations are both right here in Dorset! He enjoyed filming The Curse of Fenric (1989) at Lulworth Cove and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Survival (1989) in a sandpit in Dorset (Warmwell Quarry which I visited in October 2014). Later, in a talk that Sylvester gave with Bonnie Langford and Sophie Aldred , he said that he liked filming Survival in the sandpit because there was a heatwave and one of the ladies overheated in her cat costume and stripped off and ran away!

Bonnie Langford, Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth — The Doctor Who talk at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth

If Sylvester could go anywhere in time and space he would like to visit America before the Westerners arrived to see what is was like. He said that as the Doctor he would not want to change anything he would just like to observe.

Cosplayer Ozzy as the Seventh Doctor

I felt so happy to meet Sylvester and relieved that I had finally met him as I tried once before but had to leave before I got the chance. He is the Fourth Doctor I have met and I feel like Project Indigo has been given a real boost by meeting him!

Hello Terry Molloy aka Davros!

Hello Sarah Sutton aka Nyssa!

Hello Sophie Aldred aka Ace!

Next I met Terry Molloy (Davros), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Sophie Aldred (Ace). I have already asked them my golden questions before when I met them at the Timeless Collector’s Fair and The Bournemouth Invasion so I just had a little chat with each of them and welcomed them to Bournemouth. It was Sarah’s first visit to Bournemouth but Terry used to live in Bournemouth when he was a teenager. I spoke to Sophie about her new audio drama Strangeness in Space which is for anyone aged 8-80 to enjoy! It sounds really fun and I am definitely going to listen to it soon.

Tom and Bonnie Langford — Hello Bonnie Langford aka Mel!

After Sophie I met Bonnie Langford aka Mel Bush, companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors. Like everyone else she was very kind and answered my questions. Bonnie can never remember any titles of episodes but her favourites are the ones with Daleks in them.

Her favourite Doctor Who filming location is anywhere indoors! She said it would always rain on location – except for when they filmed Delta and the Bannermen (1987) on Barry Island. It was really sunny then but everyone got sunburnt!

If Bonnie could go anywhere in time and space she would like to visit Hollywood in its heyday and dance with Gene Kelly.

Tom and Matthew Waterhouse — Hello Matthew Waterhouse aka Adric!

Then I went to talk to Matthew Waterhouse who played one of my favourite ever companions Adric , the companion to the Fourth and Fifth Doctor, from Alzarius. I really hope the Doctor will have another alien companion one day as it was always really good when the companions were from another planet. Please make that happen Stephen, if you’re reading!

Although it is many years since he played Adric Matthew still looks like him. Matthew’s favourite episode that he was in was Keeper of Traken (1981), but other than that it was Spearhead from Space (1970) which was an episode he watched when he was 7 and he was very scared by it! His favourite filming location was Tunbridge Wells as the crew stayed in a hotel for a week and had lots of fun.

Matthew liked the idea of pressing a button in the TARDIS and landing anywhere but if had to choose he would love to go to Elizabethan England and see Shakespeare’s plays performed by his original players. That is just like the Tenth Doctor and Martha in The Shakespeare Code!

I was very pleased to meet Matthew, it is always good to meet someone nice but even better when you admire them. My companion bought a copy of Matthew’s autobiography ‘Blue Box Boy’ so we could learn all about his time in the TARDIS!

Tom and Dan Starkey — Hello Dan Starkey – aka Strax!

Next to Matthew was Dan Starkey who plays the Sontaran Strax who is part of the Paternoster Gang. It felt very strange looking at him as his normal self and looking at him as Strax but I recognised him as I have seen him in Wizards vs Aliens and on University Challenge. Luckily he doesn’t have the attitude of Strax because Strax is VERY weird!

Dan’s favourite episode is The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977), but out of the episodes he is in it is The Snowmen (2012). His favourite filming location was filming The Snowmen at Treberfydd House as he was able to stay at his Mum and Dad’s!

If Dan could go anywhere in time and space he would like to see Stonehenge being built. I wonder if the Pandorica is still there?

Tom and John Leeson — Hello John Leeson – the voice of K-9!

When I met John Leeson who is the voice of K-9 he was a very polite gentleman. He told me, in the voice of K-9, that his favourite episode is The Sun Makers (1977) by Robert Holmes.

John’s favourite filming locations were anywhere not far from home as he doesn’t like driving for miles. If he could go anywhere he would love to go to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire and have a very nice lunch. He says he has never been there before but would love to go there one day, I hope that his dream comes true.

John was sat with Mat Irvine who was the Visual Effects Supervisor and he had brought along K-9 himself! It was great to meet K-9 and his voice – a double whammy.

Next I went to meet William Russell who played Ian Chesterton one of the first companions who accompanied the First Doctor, William Hartnell, and he was first seen in the very first episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child (1963). There was a long queue to meet William.

William said that his favourite episode is The Aztecs (1964) and he told me all about filming a fight scene for the episode. He didn’t have a favourite Doctor Who filming location as in those days it was mostly filmed in a studio.

William said that if he could go anywhere in time and space he would choose to be right here as he was happy at that moment. Isn’t that lovely? It was a special honour to meet William and I feel so happy to have met him.

After William I met Camille Coduri who played Jackie Tyler – Rose’s mother. Camille was in the very first episode of New Who Rose (2005) and appeared many times until The End of Time (2010). Camille loves lots of episodes – including Blink (2007), Doomsday (2006) and The Christmas Invasion (2005). There were too many favourites to choose from.

Her favourite filming location is the estate where the Tyler’s lived because she said it was always a lot of fun filming there. If Camille could go anywhere in time and space she would like to go the Sixties as they seemed good fun – just like Camille who was a lot of fun herself!

Tom and Rusty Goffe — Hello Rusty Goffe aka Little John!

From Camille I went to see Rusty Goffe – the United Kingdom’s No1 Dwarf! Rusty appeared as Little John in Robot of Sherwood (2014) and that is his favourite episode. He liked filming on location at Forest Fawr and Caerphilly Castle and said that the Merry Men were having so much fun in the forest that they didn’t want to leave!

If Rusty could go anywhere he would go to Samui in Thailand – and he said he would go there right now in a TARDIS if he could as he has been before and loves it there! Rusty was a very nice chap, I hope he gets to go again soon.

Tom and Doctor Squee from Gallifrey Stands Podcast — Hello Doctor Squee!

My final interview of the day was with Katy Manning who played Jo Grant, the Third Doctor’s companion. I met up with Doctor Squee from the Gallifrey Stands Podcast who was waiting to interview Katy too and he let me go first. Thank you Doctor Squee!

Tom and Katy Manning — Hello Katy Manning aka Jo Grant!

Katy had been flooded by fans all day and I was lucky to get some time with her. Katy’s favourite episodes were Terror of the Autons (1971) because that is where she met her Doctor Who family and also The Green Death (1973) – she told me how Jo and Cliff went into the Amazon looking for a magical fungus and that story predicted Quorn! Thank you Jo for discovering Quorn as I am a vegetarian and I eat A LOT of Quorn.

I asked Katy what her favourite location was and she didn’t have one because she was always filming in a cold claypit! Even when she filmed The Sarah Jane Adventures it was freezing. If she could go anywhere in time and space she would go ‘EVERYWHERE because she is greedy and loves adventure!’ Katy was very cheeky and it was great to meet her.

Day One at the Film & Comic Con Bournemouth was very tiring but it was an honour to meet so many stars. Thank you to everyone for a fantastic day and especially to Showmasters for making this happen. Soon I will be able to tell you all about Day 2, I hope you will come back soon.

Goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Interview

Hampshire-Con, Eastleigh – July 2015

August 5, 2015 tpd123 2 Comments

Hello and welcome to H- Con – Hampshire TV, Film and Comic-Con which was held at Fleming Park Leisure Centre in Eastleigh on the 25th and 26th July 2015.

Sorry about the delay in reporting but I have been on holiday in Wales and have only just come back! When I heard about H-Con I was very excited as this was my chance to meet the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison- I delayed my holiday and made a slight detour to Eastleigh to take my chance!H-Con is presented by Sci-Fi South Collectors, working in Partnership with Timeless Collectors and supporting Starlight Make-A-Wish Foundation.

I turned up in my Fifth Doctor Cosplay because I hoped the Fifth Doctor would be happy to see me in his costume – I customised my Third Doctor Sonic Screwdriver with some tinfoil and it looked just like the Fifth Doctor’s which he only used for four episodes before it was destroyed by a Terileptil!

As soon as I arrived I joined the queue to meet Peter Davison – I didn’t have much time so I didn’t want to lose out. When I met Peter Davison we shook hands and he said I looked good which made me feel chuffed. I was a bit nervous about meeting him but he was very friendly and made me feel more confident.

I asked him my golden questions – first, what is his favourite Doctor Who filming location? He thought that was a good question and told me it was Black Park outside London where he filmed The Visitation (1982). The filming was in a flight path so the crew only had 8 minute windows to work and it was a nice relaxing time! He also enjoyed filming The Caves of Androzani (1984) in a Dorset quarry – there were two other film crews there at same time, one filming Beau Geste, and it was lots of fun. I have been to the quarry and I will definitely add Black Park to my list of locations to visit!

I asked Peter which is his favourite ever Doctor Who episode and he said he had to pick one of his own – The Caves of Androzani. That is one of my favourites too but if I had to choose my favourite Fifth Doctor episode it would be The Awakening (1984).

Finally I asked him where he would go in time and space if he could – he told me he would definitely choose to go back in history and he would like to witness the American Revolution.

I chose a photograph from The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot for Peter to sign. I loved watching The Five (ish) Doctors and the Doctors all look so grumpy in the picture that it made me laugh. It was brilliant meeting Peter – he is the Third Doctor I have met after Peter Capaldi and Colin Baker!

After I met Peter I explored the stalls in Hall One- there were lots of other Sci Fi stars including Sarah Sutton who played the Fourth and Fifth Doctor’s companion Nyssa. I have already met Sarah before at the Timeless Collectors Fair and she was very kind.

Next I went into Hall 2 and the first thing I saw was lizards, snakes and other reptiles – people had brought their pets along to amaze people and raise money for charity.There was lots to look at in Hall 2 including Daleks, TARDISes and the Master’s collection of Doctor Who monsters.

I had a go at the Tin Can Alley for the first time and I won a Doctor Who stationery set. This stall was raising money for Starlight. I also got to meet ET and phone home- he is sooo cute.

After I left ET I went to the Nerd Herd area and played some vintage video games – SuperMario World on a SNES and MarioKart 64 on an N64. I liked the retro games – they may not look like modern games but they entertain in the same way!

There were also cars from the movies including Transformers and Back to the Future. I had fun browsing and meeting my fellow Doctors – some for the first time and some I have met before. I had hoped to meet Doctor Squee from the Gallifrey Stands Podcast but I had to leave before he arrived. You can listen to what he got up to here. There are lots of features including an interview with Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton.

Tenth and Fifth Doctor Cosplay with TARDIS

I wish I had more time to spend at H-Con but my holiday had to kick off and I needed to get back to my TARDIS! I will remember the day I met the Fifth Doctor forever.

In other news one of my companions recently met David Morrissey aka The Next Doctor Jackson Lake! I wish I had been there but it was an unexpected surprise. She asked David my golden question – if he could go anywhere in time and space where would he like to go? David said Victorian London just like in his Doctor Who story, but only if they had modern day dentistry! Thank you to David for answering my question and posing for a photo for me! I hope I get to meet him one day.

Thank you for reading and I hope you will join me soon and read about the amazing locations I have just visited in Wales – New and Classic!

Goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Doctor Who, Fun stuff, Interview

Comic Con @ West Quay, Southampton – July 2015

July 5, 2015 tpd123 4 Comments

Hello!

Welcome to my latest post which is all about my visit today to Comic Con @ West Quay. This is the first free to enter Comic Con in Southampton, presented by All the Cool Stuff and Nerdageddon and I decided to check it out!

On my way in I had my photo taken with a jeep from Jurassic Park and played peekaboo with a dinosaur!

The Comic Con was held on the lower floor of West Quay, a shopping mall in Hampshire. So much fun was packed into such a small space in the middle of all the shops.

First I met Ross Mullan who played The Teller in Time Heist (2014). Ross has also played a Silent in The Time of the Doctor (2013) and was The Numbercatcher in Numberjacks (which was one of my first scares when I was little!) and he is a White Walker in Game of Thrones.

I was expecting Ross to be English but when I met him I found out that he was Canadian – and kind too! I asked him my Golden Questions – plus one more. I asked him for his favourite Series 8 episode and he said that apart from his own episode, Mummy on the Orient Express (2014) was his favourite one. One of Ross’s friends played the Mummy (The Foretold), which was a part that Ross really wanted himself but he was pleased for his friend as he did a great job.

I asked him where he filmed Time Heist and he said he filmed mostly in a studio and a warehouse, and the end was filmed in a park. He said that the warehouse was VERY cold for the other actors but that was good for him; he was wearing his Teller costume!

If he could go anywhere in time and space Ross would like to go to London in the 1960s. Groovy!

Ross doesn’t know if he will appear in Doctor Who Series 9 yet but he hopes to work on the show again in the future.

I told Ross that my nickname for The Teller is ‘Soupy’ because he turns people’s brains to soup. Ross then signed his autograph on a picture of him as The Teller – and signed it from ‘Soupy!’ I had my photo taken with him and he was very tall indeed- 6ft 4 inches.

Next to Ross was his White Walker friend Spencer Wilding who has appeared in Doctor Who lots of times, most famously as The Minotaur in The God Complex (2011) but also as Skaldak and the Wooden King.

I asked Spencer what his favourite episode of Series 8 was but all his answers were from the era of his favourite Doctor Matt Smith. The God Complex, Cold War (2013) and The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (2011) – co-incidentally all the episodes he appeared in!

The God Complex was filmed in Cardiff in the studios before the move to Roath Lock and some of the hotel scenes were filmed in a real hotel by the sea. His Minotaur costume was an animatronic suit that he could get in and out of in an hour.

If Spencer could go anywhere in time and space he would go to Mars but he would like to teleport there as he wouldn’t want to spend months travelling there!

I asked Spencer if he is in Doctor Who Series 9 and he said that he couldn’t tell me. Hmmm – that got me thinking! I hope he is.

Also at the Comic Con was Matthew Dale who played Little John in Robot of Sherwood (2014). I met Matthew at Southampton Comic Con 2 in March and it was nice to meet him again. He told me about the Pendragon Charity Day which is a fundraiser that will be held in Southampton at Waterstones West Quay on 11^th July 2015 – Matthew will be there along with other Sci-Fi stars. I hope I can pop along!

After I met the Doctor Who stars I looked at all the other stalls – Chris Barrie from Red Dwarf was signing and there were lots of chances to buy collectables or have your photo taken. There were also some Cosplayers, including Ash who was dressed as the Tenth Doctor in a very good costume. I think he is a great Cosplayer, he looked very cool.

I spent the afternoon shopping in Southampton but when I returned to my TARDIS I met Sci Fi Steve and his red Dalek! It was very realistic but I wasn’t scared. Steve offered me a ride in his Dalek but I said no because last time I rode in a Dalek I got very dizzy. Thanks for offering though Steve :).

I enjoyed my day in Southampton and I’m looking forward to Nerdageddon’s DEF-Con 4 which will be even bigger than DEF-Con 3! I love going to Comic Cons – they are lots of fun and I meet good people.

Thank you for reading, thank you to everyone who organised the Comic Con @ West Quay and to Ross, Spencer, Matthew, Steve and Ash for being part of my blog.

See you soon I hope – goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

Southampton Comic Con 2, Totton, Hampshire – March 2015

March 29, 2015 tpd123 Leave a comment

Hello!
Welcome to my review of Southampton Comic Con 2 which I went to yesterday and I had a great time! This convention was organised by Nerdageddon, who organised DEF Con 3, and the event raised money for CLIC Sargent for children with cancer. It was held at the Empire Hall in Totton near Southampton.

When I arrived I went straightaway to meet Matthew Dale who played Little John in Robot of Sherwood (2014). It was very easy to recognise him because he looked just like he did in the episode! I told him that Project Indigo readers had chosen Robot of Sherwood as the best episode of Series 8 and he was really chuffed to hear that! I told him my favourite part of the episode was

This is my spoon!

He told me that Peter Capaldi and Tom Riley didn’t enjoy falling in the river for that bit as the water was very cold and everyone laughed at them. Matthew told me that Sherwood Forest was actually filmed in Fforest Fawr in Wales so I will go there one day and tell you all about it.

I asked Matthew one of my golden questions – if he could go anywhere in time and space, where would he like to go? He found it very tricky to decide but said that he would like to have seen the Titanic sail off from Southampton – but obviously not collide with an iceberg. Matthew was a very nice chap and I was chuffed to meet him.

After I met Matthew I explored the convention and watched the amazing Cosplayers.

I met the cutest Cybermen ever, River Song, Emmet from the Lego movie, a Silent (but I don’t remember that) and many more. When I had lunch I bumped into Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart with Woolly K9. K9 has met many Doctor Who actors so check out his Facebook page to find out who!

After lunch I enjoyed a Duff beer on the sofa with The Simpsons and my companion. Cheers!

Then I returned to the Empire Hall and a Stormtrooper stole my hat! I had to play tug-of-war with him but I used the force and won it back. Take that Stormtrooper!

After my Tug of War I explored the stalls and met Kris Carter, a comic book creator who colours titles such as Transformers and Doctor Who and also writes ‘Lou Scannon‘ which has been nominated for an Eagle Award. I bought a picture he had drawn of all the Doctors and the TARDIS captioned ‘Who Knows’. It is a really fun picture!

Next to Kris was Kev F Sutherland aka Kev F! I was very excited to meet Kev as he draws for my favourite comics The Beano and Doctor Who Adventures. I posed for a ‘Lightning Fast One Minute Caricature’ and it was great, I can’t believe I have been drawn by a Comic Book artist.

When Kev found out I was a Doctor Who fan he did a drawing especially for me of the Twelfth Doctor coming out his TARDIS shouting ‘Tom, Tom Who?’ I love it! I am going to put my pictures in a frame on my bedroom wall. Kev teaches Comic Book Masterclasses, I would love him to teach me to draw like that one day.

After all that I left for home and stopped off at Lyndhurst in the New Forest and visited the grave of Alice Liddell who was Lewis Carroll’s inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.

While I was there I looked in some shops and look what I found in a window – a tiny TARDIS! Maybe the Boneless survived the trip after all and shrunk the TARDIS again…..

Southampton Comic Con 2 was great and I had a smashing Sfi Fi Saturday – thank you to Nerdageddon for organising it and I can’t wait for the next one – DEF Con 4.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my review – don’t forget to enter my competition to win a Limited Edition Fourth Doctor Audio Adventure whilst there is still time!

See you soon for a Classic Doctor Location report – goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Doctor Who, Fun stuff, TARDIS

The Bournemouth Invasion, Dorset – February 2015

February 22, 2015 tpd123 Leave a comment

Hello? Is someone there? Ah! Readers! Thank goodness you’re here, you are just in time for another post – all about the Bournemouth Invasion!

Yesterday I went to the Bournemouth Invasion – the first Doctor Who convention to be held at Bournemouth University, hosted by the Bournemouth University Whovian Society. The event was set up to host an excellent Doctor Who convention full of special guests, talks, quizzes, autographs and pictures and also to raise cash for Cash for Kids.

As soon as I arrived I went to a talk by my old pal Simon Fisher-Becker who I had met at DEFCon 3. Simon is best known for playing Dorium Maldovar alongside the Eleventh Doctor and is the ‘best blue actor in the business’! His one-man show is called ‘My Dalek Has a Puncture‘ and is all about his life and is full of advice for anyone who wants to be come an actor. Lauren Wilson who played Daughter of Mine in the two-parter Human Nature and Family of Blood (2007) was in the audience. I hope she got some good tips!

Simon spoke about his childhood in South Ruislip. He was bullied horribly when he was a child and he learnt to always look for the silver lining. I hope his bullies are ashamed of themselves.

Doctor Who started two days before Simon’s 2nd birthday and he would watch it with his grandfather – little did he know that one day he would be a Doctor Who actor himself! He lived near a Police Box and would look out for the Doctor but never saw him.

Simon has had many other jobs including the Civil Service, an Event Organiser, a deputy Town Crier and an ‘Ugly’ model. I also found out that he used to play Sir Topham Hatt from Thomas the Tank Engine!

I enjoyed ‘My Dalek Has a Puncture’ – it was funny and a bit fruity! If you get the chance you should definitely go and see it.

After the talk I went to do the Ultimate Franchise Quiz No 1. I was playing on my own and I was a bit shaky ; I didn’t do very well! The picture round was my best round but two of the rounds weren’t about Doctor Who and I didn’t know the answers as they were about things like Star Trek, Marvel and Firefly. The Quotes Round was really hard too. I did enjoy it though – even if I wasn’t very good. Congratulations to one of my companions who came first with a score of 31 out of 50!

Lunch was next and I got to watch a bit of the Middlesborough v Leeds match whilst I ate a veggie burger in the Student Bar. I got back from lunch too late to see Andrew Cartmel‘s talk and I was sad about that as I was looking forward to hearing about the scripts for the Seventh Doctor who is, as you know, my favourite Classic Doctor. I did get to say hello to Andrew though, and he remembered me from the SF Ball 21.

In one of the rooms there were lots of games including a raffle, Guess How Many Jelly Babies in the Jar and ……PLANET PONG!! YEAH! Planet Pong was a devilishly difficult game that involved bouncing a ping-pong ball off a table to land in a cup. Each cup represented a planet and there were pictures of them under each cup that looked like pancakes. I had several tries and I was determined to do it – but I was defeated. By a cup.

Next I went upstairs and went to a room which was set up with a green screen and I got to pose for some photos and chose a TARDIS background. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished picture and will update this when I get it so that I can show you too!

Then it was time to meet Terry Molloy aka Davros! I had already met Terry at the Timeless Collectors Fair but this time I got to spend more time with him and chose a fantastic picture from Revelation of the Daleks (1985) for him to sign.

I asked Terry my 3 golden questions. First I asked him where he would go if he could go anywhere in time and space . He said that he would like to travel back to Ancient Rome to see Julius Caesar or to the time of Richard III. His favourite episode of Series 8 was Listen (2014) and Terry said that Peter Capaldi is a really good Doctor – just as Terry expected. I asked him about his favourite filming location but he said all his scenes as Davros were filmed in a studio. His favourite filming location ever was when he filmed Carrott Del Sol in Spain for six weeks with Jasper Carrott and Bernard Latham.

After I met Terry I went to the park for a quick play then came back for ‘I, Davros’ a Q&A session with Terry all about Davros and his career.

Terry was asked about any memories of playing Davros – he said he remembered pain, claustrophobia, sweat, no peripheral vision and dragging a shopping trolley around with his toes! Davros was a physically challenging role that was hard work but great fun.

The 5 people Terry would like to go out on the town with are Leonard Rossiter, Aneurin Bevan, Michael Palin, Charles Darwin and Jacqueline Du Pre. He also mentioned someone he would like to roast for dinner – but I’m not telling you who!

He likes Doctor Who because it is quintessentially ( I had to look that up!) British and that he would love to throw the Sonic Screwdriver into a black hole because the Doctor only needs to use his brain power.

Terry said there would be a test on nuclear fission at the end – I’m glad he was only joking. I thought his Q&A was inspiring and I really liked Terry – he is not at all scary like Davros!

Next I went to do my second quiz of the day – this time it was a Team Quiz so I felt a bit more confident with my two companions at my side. I enjoyed all the questions, it was more fun conferring with my team mates. The Quotes Round baffled us for a second time but we still breezed through and were joint winners in a 3-way tie with a score of 35 out of 50!

Finally came the Closing Ceremony of this Whovian Convention and we all gathered together to thank everyone involved in this amazing event. Terry and Simon said they were pleased to be part of a first time convention. I hope this will be the first of many to come as I thought the day was phenomenal and everybody worked so hard to make this such an enjoyable day.

Thank you BU Whovian Society!

Thanks for reading, and see you soon for another location report. Until we meet again, goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

SF Ball 21, Southampton – February 2015

February 7, 2015 tpd123 2 Comments

Hello , and welcome to Sci Fi Ball 21 ! This weekend long convention is run by SFB Events and is in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust . The event was full of Star Guests , entertainment, quizzes and talks for the guests. Sylvester McCoy was one of the Star Guests – that is one of the reasons I went because as you all know he is my FAVOURITE Classic Doctor Who! Today I popped along for just a few hours with a Day Ticket so I didn’t get to join in with everything but I made the most of my time. I have just came back from there , so I want to tell you all about my day !

When I first arrived at the Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton I played with what looked like the controls to the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek . Imagine if it was under the floor – the hotel might take off! Then I went upstairs to where the REAL action was . I visited the rooms to look at all the memorabilia and accessories that were for sale or on display . They were all to do with Sci Fi , comics and Steampunk .

In one of the rooms I met Tom from the Bournemouth University Whovian Society . He was there to promote the Bournemouth Invasion , which is a convention taking place on the 21st of February. We talked about Doctor Who , the irony of our names being the same and then we told stories about how we met some of the Doctors . Tom has met Colin Baker , Matt Smith , Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy just last night ! I hope I catch up soon !

Next I went to one of the rooms which had Andrew Cartmel in it . I actually had gone in that room first , but I had hiccups , so I waited for them to cure . When I finally got to approach him I was very excited because when I get older I want to be a writer like him . I asked him my 3 golden questions . First I asked him where he would go if he could go anywhere in time and space . He said that he would like to travel back to 1950s New York and go to a Jazz Bar on 52nd street to see the Miles Davies Quintet perform when John Coltrane was in the band! His favourite episode of Series 8 was Last Christmas (2014) and his favourite filming location was Cloford Quarry for Time and The Rani (1987) as it was such good fun .

I bought a copy of his book Script Doctor which is the inside story of Doctor Who from 1986-1989 . My favourite era of Classic Who ! He also signed a set of postcards with some amazing pictures from that time .

Next I went to see the Corridor of Monsters and discovered some Cosplayers and a Dalek along the way. The Dalek looked like it was controlled by a Wii Remote and Nunchuk. He told a Cosplayer dressed as the Tenth Doctor that he smelt and could do with some mouthwash. Cheeky little Dalek!

Down the Corridor of Monsters were lots of fantastico mannequins, many of which I saw at the Timeless Collectors Fair but there were ones I hadn’t seen as well. These are all owned by ‘The Master’ himself! Maybe he uses the models of the Doctor for target practice?

Afterwards we went outside for a rest and one of my companions was delighted when she saw James Cosmo from Game of Thrones , so she got a picture – so I put it on here !

Later I returned to see Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred and finally meet MY Classic Doctor. The queue was quite large but I was happy to wait for them.

BUT there was a delay and Sylvester and Sophie appeared quite late. I had to be somewhere and I waited as long as I could but sadly it was too long a wait and I didn’t get to meet Sylvester after all :(.

He did walk past me though and I did get a (very blurry) picture so I am happy about that! I still get to look forward to meeting him one day so I’m not too disappointed.

Sorry it is so blurry, it is all I have :( — Sorry it is so blurry, it is all I have 😦

I hope you enjoyed reading about my very short visit to the Sci Fi Ball. Everyone looked like they were having a great time so maybe next year I will go back for the whole thing!

Thank you for reading and I hope you come back soon for another adventure!

Bye.

Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

Timeless Collectors Fair, Fareham, Hampshire – December 2014

December 9, 2014 tpd123 3 Comments

Hello and welcome to Fareham for the Timeless Collectors Fair!

This event was held to raise money for Starlight, a charity that brightens the lives of seriously and terminally ill children.

There were many stars from Doctor Who, Star Wars and the James Bond films and lots of sci-fi things to see and do! First I explored the stalls and looked at the Doctor Who props and figures then I went to see the Celebrity Signers.

Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor was there but I didn’t get his autograph because I had met him quite recently in Totton. First I went to meet Doctor Who monster actor Jon Davey again, who I had met back in August at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. I told Jon off as he was one of the guards who let Missy get away in Death in Heaven (2014). Jon said he couldn’t do anything about it because she killed him first. Excuses excuses! Jon is off to Australia and New Zealand very soon to perform as Doctor Who monsters for the second time in the Symphonic Spectacular.

Next I met Sarah Sutton who played Nyssa, companion to the Fourth and Fifth Doctor. She was a very polite lady and I was very excited to meet her. I asked her my three golden questions. First I asked her where she would like to go in time and space if she had the chance. She said that she would like to go back to the past rather than the future and would like to go to the 1920s. She had so much fun filming the episode Black Orchid (1982) which was set in the 1920s and loved wearing the costumes. Then I asked Sarah what her favourite episode was of the new Series 8. She couldn’t choose a favourite but she said that she thought it was a wonderful idea for the Doctor to be played by Peter Capaldi after Matt Smith as he is a much older actor and that changes the show. She said that all the Doctors are good in different ways. Finally I asked her her favourite Doctor Who filming location. She said that it was great fun running around Amsterdam to film Arc of Infinity (1983)! I chose a photograph from her first story TheKeeper of Traken (1981) for her to sign as that was such an action-packed episode.

After Sarah I went to see Sophie Aldred who played Ace aka Dorothy the companion of my favourite Classic Doctor – Number Seven, Sylvester McCoy! Sophie was very pleased when I told her that her Doctor was my favourite! I had a good chat with Sophie and talked about my recent visit to Warmwell Quarry. I asked Sophie where she would like to travel to in time and space – she said that she would love to go back to when she was filming Doctor Who and do it all again! Next I asked her what her favourite episode of Series 8 was. She told me it was Mummy on the Orient Express (2014) and also that Blink (2007) is one of her favorite ever episodes of New Who, even though the Doctor isn’t in it much. When I asked her what her favourite filming location was she said Lulworth Cove during The Curse of Fenric (1989) as it was such a beautiful location. I have been to Lulworth Cove before and hope to go back again very soon to write a review. I chose a great picture of Sophie wearing Ace’s jacket to be autographed.

Then I met Louise Jameson who played Leela, companion to the Fourth Doctor and she was very friendly. Leela was the from the Sevateem Tribe and a great adventuress but she didn’t understand other worlds much and didn’t really keep it secret that she was an alien!

I asked Louise my three questions. She said that if she could travel in time and space she would go back in time to meet her Great Great Grandma then forwards in time to meet her Great Great Granddaughter to look for any connections. Her favourite episode of Series 8 was Deep Breath (2014) because she thought Jenna Coleman’s performance was amazing. I asked Louise her favourite Doctor Who filming location and she said that she liked filming at Elstree Studios because of the history and she enjoyed exploring Victorian London for The Talons of Weng Chiang (1977) and the beautiful old theatre in the episode. She was a bit fed-up that the Doctor went to Paris not long after she finished!

After I met Louise I went on a Dalek ride! The Dalek was called Fred. It was a little bit tough to get in and a little bit tough to get out of Fred.

It was my first time inside a Dalek and it was quite cramped in there! It was slightly dark inside but I could see out of the neck piece but no-one could tell it was me inside. I was pushed around the hall and got to exterminate the troopers from Star Wars!

Next I went off to meet Terry Malloy – he knows all about being inside a Dalek (well half of him!) because he played Davros, the member of the Kaled Scientific Elite who created the Daleks ( Dalek is an anagram of Kaled!). I didn’t speak to him for long as I am going to visit him again in February at the Bournemouth Invasion but luckily he wasn’t scary like Davros!

Again my smile - I just can't smile!! — Again my smile – I just can’t smile!!

Finally I met Nicholas Briggs – voice of the Daleks since 2005! Nicholas also voices other characters for Doctor Who and Big Finish. I was a bit nervous but Nicholas told me that Jon Pertwee came to Southampton in Bessie when Nicholas was about my age and he was so shy that his Mum had to get Jon’s autograph for him!

I asked Nicholas my three questions. If he could travel anywhere in time and space he would choose to visit his Dad who sadly died 10 years ago. Like Sophie, Nicholas’ favourite episode of Series 8 was Mummy on the Orient Express. He had two answers for his favourite filming location. He enjoyed being on location for Smith and Jones (2007) as it was warm and sunny and he got to sit out in the sunshine and he found filming on location for Victory of the Daleks (2010) the most interesting.

I had a great day in Fareham and can’t believe I met all those people in one day! I hope there is another day like this next year and that you have enjoyed reading all about it.

See you soon for another location report.

Goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff, TARDIS

DEF Con 3, Totton, Hampshire – October 2014

October 5, 2014 tpd123 9 Comments

Greetings and welcome to DEF Con 3!

DEF Con 3 was held this weekend in the Empire Hall in Totton near Southampton and spilled out across the town. It is a Sci-Fi Fan convention run by Nerdageddon and raised money for the Piam Brown Ward at Southampton General Hospital.

I knew there would be Cosplayers but this time I didn’t want to dress as the Doctor as I have on other occasions. I dressed as another character. Can you tell from the photo? Leave a comment if you want to take a guess.

The first thing I did when I got there was go to meet Colin Baker – The Sixth Doctor! When I arrived he was free and I thought I would take my chance. He is the Second Doctor I have met, after Peter Capaldi. The Sixth Doctor was very stroppy, a bit like the Twelfth!

I was extremely shy meeting Colin, although he was very friendly.I couldn’t believe I was talking to the Doctor! I asked Colin where his favourite location was where he filmed Doctor Who and he told me it was Seville in Spain where he filmed The Two Doctors (1985). I fancy going to Seville for my blog!

Then I asked Old Sixey if there would be a second Five-ish Doctors Reboot (2013) but he said he doesn’t know. He said they needed a good idea for a story first, to top the last one! I hope there will be a sequel because I really lol-ed and rofl-ed at the first one – it was something that could always tickle your funnybone!

I chose a picture for Colin to sign and he posed for some great photos with me.

Later I went back to Colin to ask if he could travel anywhere in time and space, where would he like to go? He had a quick think then told me he would like to ‘travel to London, 1000 years in the future, just to see’.

It was really good to meet Colin because he was a very nice man. He didn’t have the yellow curls anymore – or the bright trousers!

Then I went on to meet Simon Fisher-Becker who played the Eleventh Doctor’s friend Dorium Maldovar , who owned a black market bar in the 52nd Century known as The Maldovarium. On his website Simon is described by Tom Macrae as ‘ The best blue actor in the business!’. Simon was also in Harry Potter as the Fat Friar.

Simon is a great chap, like Colin, and was very chatty. I asked about filming locations and he said that when he filmed as Dorium he spent most of his time in the studio but he does remember filming in an aircraft hangar at three in the morning and being very cold!

He was wearing a medal from the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Fun Run which was given to him in New Zealand. This virtual fun-run was to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor in November 2013.

Simon told me about his one-man show ‘My Dalek Has a Puncture’, all about being an actor. He has been on a tour with his show and new dates are being added so I will go and see his show when he comes locally to me next year. It sounds like it is going to be really funny!

Next I asked Simon where he would go if he had a TARDIS and could travel through time and space. He said that he would want to be there for First Contact – even it was just to make the tea! He also said that he would like to witness his own family history and see if his family’s stories were true.

It was really nice to meet Simon and I hope I meet him again in February when I see his show.

After I met the actors from Doctor Who I trotted around to see what merchandise there was and saw the stars from other Sc-Fi. There were even stars from Red Dwarf and Star Wars including Daft Vader – David Prowse! Ooops, I mean Darth Vader.

There was a Lightning McQueen outside one of the halls and when I went out to take a look, a man honked his horn really really really loud. There was also a huge 35ft Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

I enjoyed looking at all the Cosplayers and saw a Brigadier Lethbridge – Stewart, a Fourth Doctor and a Tenth Doctor. Someone had brought along a K9 and I thought someone had dressed their dog up so they could get in for free.

Oh, and I bought my first FEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fezzes are cool.

DEF Con 3 was really good fun and I had a great day – I hope they do it again next year.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll come back soon.

May the force be with you!

Autographs, Convention, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

Charfest, Dorset – August 2014

September 4, 2014 tpd123 5 Comments

Greetings!

Welcome to Avon Social Club in Bournemouth – home of Charfest! Charfest is a festival of many things and is to raise money for the charity Victim No More – and I went along to Charfest 2014 to meet the special guests.

Avon Social Club is a private members club and is where the comedian Tony Hancock made his first professional appearance. I was very happy when I arrived as I was keen to meet some stars of Doctor Who and of other shows and films such as Red Dwarf and Star Wars.

The first actor I met was Ian McNeice who is a famous actor who appears in the episode Victory of the Daleks (2010) and also The Beast Below (2010), The Pandorica Opens (2010) and The Wedding of River Song (2011). He plays the Doctor’s old friend Winston Churchill who wants to use ‘Ironsides’ aka Daleks to win the Second World War! Did you know Ian has also appeared in some Big Finish audio stories about the Doctor?

Ian is a great man and very kind. I told him all about my day in London the day before (when I met the Doctor and Clara) and he wanted to see the photos. He was also really interested in some images I took of the poppies at the Tower of London because they were very special.

We posed for a photo together with cigars and then he signed a picture for me and reminded me to ‘K.B.O’! Can you remember what that means????

After I had checked out the music and stalls I went to meet Derek Martin, best known for Eastenders but he also appeared as David Mitchell in Image of the Fendahl (1977) and had small parts in loads and loads of other Doctor Who episodes. Derek and I had a good chat about football as we are both Chelsea fans and I predicted the correct score of the Chelsea v Leicester match that day! I chose a picture of Derek and the Third Doctor for him to sign and we posed for a photo. Derek was super to meet and I really enjoyed it.

Afterwards I went downstairs to have a go on the bouncy castle, then I had a drink and enjoyed looking at the Cosplayers all around. I met someone dressed as the Seventh Doctor which was cool because the Seventh Doctor is my favourite – along with Peter Capaldi! ( That’s the first time I’ve added that bit!). He was sad because he had snapped his special umbrella. There were also people dressed as the Tenth Doctor, Jo Grant, Captain Jack and other Sci Fi characters.

I left after that but came back the next day especially to see Blogtor Who, Cameron K McEwan who was there to show his movie! I told him all about accidentally bumping into Peter Capaldi and he told me that he and a friend met him by accident once as well. I bought his book The Who’s Who of Doctor Who (2014) and also a DVD of his film Who’s Changing (2014). Blogtor Who signed my book and so did Andrew Skilleter who illustrated the book with really cool pictures. Andrew has also illustrated many things for Doctor Who including the ‘The Five Doctors’ Radio Times cover,books, video covers and calendars.

I got a front row seat and watched the film on a couch in luxury. ‘Who’s Changing – an Adventure in Time with Fans’ is all about how Doctor Who fandom has changed over the years and is full of interviews with stars and fans. People talk about what they like about Doctor Who and why they like it so much. It is a great film and I plead with all Doctor Who fans to watch it because it is so darn good!

I left Charfest after the film but it was fantastico and raised nearly £1000 for Victim No More which is awesome! I hope they do another one next year.

In other news, this week I received this wonderful drawing of the Twelfth Doctor from one of my readers who loves Peter Capaldi and everything Doctor Who. She is an amazing artist and you can check out her work here on her blog. One of her pictures was shown in New York on the Doctor Who World Tour! I love it and will treasure it. Thank you!

See you soon for a very special location report (hint – it is in a new episode) and remember – K.B.O!!!!!!!

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One boy's adventure through time and space