Spring Memorabilia, Day 2 - Did I Ever Tell You How I Got Barrack Obama Elected?

With Day 1 of Memorabilia drawing to a close it was time to head off to the hotel. Our base for the night was Corley Services just off the M6, I’m not sure the people there were quite expecting the 10th Doctor to saunter through the building, it did result in a few confused looks!

Me with John Levene

The hotel was really good and I recommend staying there to anyone who is at the NEC, it’s cheap and only 10 minutes from the venue. A relaxed night of chatting about the day followed with us retiring to our rooms at around 9 as we were just knackered!

Sunday morning came as a bit of a shock to the system! My alarm failed to go off due to a software glitch with the iPhone as a result of the clocks changing!!

This meant being a bit more rushed than planned, oh well, not the end of the world...

My day started before I even got to the NEC, while getting some fresh air a van pulled up in front of me and a chap jumped out and asked if his son could get a picture with me. The young lad was highly autistic so it was really nice to get a reaction from him.

Being close to the venue the drive should have been fairly easy, Tim took lead in our little convoy, however it appears that his sense of direction was slightly lacking on this occasion and we had a little detour around Birmingham...

Me with Holly (again)

With the aid of my SatNav be finally landed at the NEC, during the walk from the car park to the hall we were stopped by Storm Troopers doing spot checks from Rebels. Tim went slightly pale when they asked him to open his autograph folder to inspect for rebel documents... (The main reason being he had my signed pictures of Kyla Cole and Holly McGuire in there). When the Troopers can across these pictures comedy ensued with them being declared contraband. Eventually we were allowed to continue on, with Tim looking very embarrassed!

Day 2 went slightly down hill when we found that Craig Charles wasn’t able to attend, but for me the day was all about one person, the always lovely Nicola Bryant.

For those of you who don’t know (where have you been?!?) I have a well know liking for Nicola, basically I think she’s amazing and it’s always a pleasure to see her. She’s just really nice, but anyway more on that later!

Me with Nicola Bryant

After the customary post arrival cup of tea it was time to go and see some guests. First port of call was John Levene, after the comedy encounter with the snake on day one he was rapidly shaping up to be “Guest of the Weekend”.

John didn't disappoint, he was friendly and really good fun. Within a few seconds of meeting us he had insisted on straightening my tie, well the Doctor has to look smart.

The tie straightening lead to John regaling us with a great story involving Barrack Obama of all people! It goes a little something like this...

"During the elections Barrack was on stage giving a speech and I (John) noticed his tie was crooked, being a firm believer that how you wear your tie reflects on you as a person I had to take action. 

"I phoned the studio and explained who I was and that the tie defines the man. After a few moments of convincing them this wasn’t a joke I pleaded that Obama’s aid sort out his tie. 

Shortly after this he went off for a break and to my relief when he returned to the stage his tie was perfect! He then proceeded to finish his speech to thunderous applause. 

If Daleks can fly then I can have wheels!!

As a result I think I did my part to ensure that he was elected!"

After having a relaxed wander around the various dealers tables and resisting the temptation to spend lots of money it was time to visit the Fantom Films area and with that see Nicola.

First off I picked up a copy of the Mervyn Stone Mysteries by Nev Fountain (if you get chance give them a read, they are rather good!). Then it was time to see Nicola, now, I’ve met her a fair few times now (she knows me by name).

For this encounter I’d brought with me the Peri figure for her to sign, while there I also picked up one of her limited edition ‘Vanity Mycroft’ pictures as well (Vanity is a character from the Mervyn Stone books, Nicola had done a shoot as that character and was also signing them under that name).

Me with the stunning Kyla Cole

Having dropped the books and Peri figure back at the car and also watching the Garrison/Reel Icons Parade it was time to wander again. One of the random stands that was there was a young chap who was doing balloon models, plate spinning and other ‘circus style’ activities. One of these was ‘a peddle propelled wheel thing’ (I have no idea what it’s called). I was issued the challenge of a) making it go forward, b) making it go backwards and then to do it at speed. I managed it, but I’m still trying to work out how I didn’t break my neck!!

As you may recall on day one I’d had a picture with Kyla Cole and Holly McGuire, I wasn’t happy with my picture with Kyla so decided to go back and get another, as I was having a picture with Kyla it seemed only fair to get another one with Holly as well.

As I may have mentioned before Holly was really nice, really chatty and a pleasure to meet (but that’s enough of me dribbling on about her for one review!!)

Weekend Travellers: Me, Jemma and Tim

Time was now marching on and the event was beginning to wind down, so 3pm we decided to call it a day. The final things to do were to say goodbye to John and confirm his position as ‘guest of the weekend’ and the final thing was to go via Nicola and say goodbye, much to Tim’s and Jemma's annoyance this quick visit ended up as a 15 minute chat ending with them both texting me to hurry up!

We ended with a few snaps outside the venue with some friends and with that it was time to head back to the car for the drive home....

Overall a really good event and great fun, I’ll definitely be going again!

Spring Memorabilia, Day 1 - Models, Snakes and Sgt. Benton...

It’s been a few months since my last event and as such a few months since I last wrote a review, my typing fingers feel a bit rusty, but here goes!

Prior to Memorabilia I was indecisive (to say the least) about if/when I was going. It started as just the Saturday and then just the Sunday, but after much deliberation and (lack of) planning ended up as both days.

Scarecrow 'meets' the Doctor

Having only decided to do both days the week prior to the event meant booking a hotel was not an easy task, after spending a good deal of time going through the available places laterooms.com we finally decided to stay at the Corley services just off the M6. Hopefully this wouldn’t be a decision we’d later regret...

Being a last minute decision to go also meant that normal convention group was smaller than normal. Our travellers for this trip would be myself (as the 10th Doctor), Tim (as the 11th Doctor) and Jemma (as our Companion).

Having had a disorganised Friday night I hadn’t packed a bag so ended up doing packing at 6.30am on the Saturday morning (I do not recommend this!!). Luckily I wasn’t the only one having a disorganised morning; Jemma overslept and was only woken when I called her at 7.15 to see if she had any concealer!!

Smith and Joneses

Skip on to 10.15 and we arrive at the NEC. With a display of perfect timing both Tim and I arrived in the car park at the exact same time. (Timing, Timelord... there’s a joke there somewhere...)

Neither Tim nor I have much experience with how MCM events like Memorabilia work so the first plan of action was to get our bearings and see where everything was. I have to confess the pre-paid entry tickets work a treat. Book online, have the ticket emailed as a .pdf, print it and take it with you. No need to worry about postage, easy!

One thing that did confuse us was how the photoshoots work, some were advertised at fixed time and others appeared to be on request, I also wasn’t overly taken with the fact that the only proof you had that you’d paid was a raffle ticket with the person’s name written on it, I kept worrying that I’d lose it somewhere.

Tim getting Dirk Benedict's autograph

While at the photo area we also had out first disappointment of the weekend, Brian Blessed had been forced to cancel his appearance due to a family emergency which was a real shame as both Tim and I were hoping to meet him (He is a true legend!!).

Most of the morning was spent wandering round, catching up with old friends and making some new ones. Jemma was patiently waiting for her photo session with Russell Tovey. While Jem was waiting for her photo session Tim and I decided to give Dirk Benedict a visit. It was at this point we came across the concept know as a ‘smiley ticket’. As a concept it works, but what we couldn’t get our head round was why only have this for a couple of guests? Surely all or nothing would be a better idea?

The queue for Dirk Benedict seemed never ending, but there was good reason for this. Dirk was enjoying himself and spending a lot of time chatting to people and making it into an experience rather than a quick encounter, I'm a big fan of guests like that.

Me and Holly McGuire - 'That photo'

After a quick (and not brilliant) lunch, it was time for the Dirk Benedict photoshoot. This for me would be my second little niggle of the day. The photo area was kinda disorganised, after waiting for a good while and multiple queues beginning to form I decided that action was needed, how do you ensure that you’re at the front of a queue? You form one of your own!!

The photo itself turned out rather well (despite me being sceptical to start), it’s just a shame we had to wait so long for it to happen, not that I'm complaining...

After the photoshoot it was time to visit the Kyla Cole and Holly McGuire. I’ve never met a glamour model before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. There are a number of stereotypes of what models are like, but I’m happy to say that in their case they weren’t true.

Kyla was really nice and truly stunning to look at and Holly was a real laugh. When we posed for a picture Holly turned to me and asked “Are you The Doctor?” this took me by surprise so I instinctively answered “Yes”. While this was happening Jem was in the process of taking a picture, the result? A classic picture of us staring into each others’ eyes; which was just asking for a comedy caption.

John Levene - Legend!!

One of the things I really liked about Memorabilia was the fact there were loads of different things there. It wasn’t just guests and trade stands (don’t get me wrong I love the guests and enjoy wandering round the traders). There was also British Wrestling (which looked good!), Robot Wars (oh the memories!) the Evel Kinevel Museum (a piece of history) and also The Tropical Rainforest Roadshow...

Now the last thing I expected to see while walking round the event was a stand with animals from the Tropical Rainforest. Unknown to me Jemma isn’t overly fond of snakes and had never touched one before; this was something that I felt needed to be remedied.

Spider...

While introducing Jemma to the snake John Levene appeared, it turns out he has a fear of snakes as well! So it was time to convince him to touch one as well, the look on his face during this encounter was absolutely classic.

How to overcome fear, face it head on.

In addition to the snake I took the opportunity to hold a few creatures I’d never encountered before. A Tarantula was first up, followed by a Scorpion and finally a pair of hissing cockroaches. It’s amazing how such small creatures can cause a crowd of people to take a giant step backwards!!

With that and another cup of tea, it was time to call an end to day one of Memorabilia, time to head to the Hotel and get ready for day two...

The Doctor Who Experience - Is It Any Good?

It's now late in the evening on Sunday March 6th, it's been a couple of days since I walked round 'The Doctor Who Experience' so now the initial 'WOW' factor has worn off it's time to have a look back over the experience as a whole and give my thoughts, and don't worry I won't spoil the interactive element if you haven't been yet. 

I've been to a three of the previous Doctor Who Exhibitions (Cardiff, London and Newcastle). My personal favourite was the one held at Earls Court, most likely because it was my first and it just seemed bigger than the others, as such I was intrigued to see how the new 'Experience' would differ from what had come before. 

So, to begin. Tickets..... There were three options. Standard, Silver and Gold. I'd gone for the Gold option (hey, why not!!). 

On arrival to 'The Experience' you get the lift up to the second floor, you can tell it's still fairly new as the staff seemed confused by what a gold ticket did, but I wasn't overly worried by this minor glitch....... 

The 'Experience' itself is split into two sections, the 'interactive adventure' and the exhibition. So not to spoil the adventure part for anyone who's not been I won't say too much about it. However what I will say is that it works, there is a good mix of action and fun as well as fear. If I was 12 again I'd be raving about it. 

The effects are really good and it's pitched well, the only downside with the adventure part was that it was all over a little too quickly, but that's not really a downside is it? 

Matt Smith and Tardis

Once the adventure ends it leads into the exhibition. The first item you encounter is the Pandorica from the end of season 5. It's really impressive up close! 

The exhibition then leads to a life-sized statue of the 11th Doctor standing in front of his Tardis, surrounding it are the costumes of the previous 10 Doctor's. It's a really awesome sight to see, almost 50 years and 11 versions of the same character in the same room. 

Following on from the costumes are the Screwdrivers and Tardis Keys as well as few props from the more recent series including the 'wing mirror, invisible monster seeing device thingy' from Vincent and The Doctor. 

Moving round there is then a Cyberman and Cybercontroller, a great place for a photo op! However, there is a far bigger distraction to draw the eye, the complete Tardis interior used by the 9th and 10th Doctors. 

The Tardis. My Tardis!

It's a really awe inspiring sight and you're able to get really close to the whole thing, it's almost like being on the actual Tardis and, for me, it's was quite an emotional experience. The only thing that took away from it for me was that 10's Regeneration sequence plays on a loop in the background. Personally I'd prefer it if there was a bit of a gap and the Doctors theme played as backing music instead (a suggestion I've made to the curator). 

After being dragged away from the Tardis interior we then got to see costumes from the Master, Timelords and all the recent companions, a real good selection of things to see! 

This then leads onto another Tardis set, this time from Peter Davison’s Era and next to that is the Tardis from Tom Bakers day. 

Following on from the costumes and Tardises, Tardi..... (Erm, what is the plural for Tardis??) come the monsters, more specifically, Daleks. Davros is first, accompanied by the Dalek version of 'Who do you think you are' starting with the 60's Dalek up to the modern day 'LGBT' Dalek. 

After the Daleks is then a selection of both classic and new series monsters. In addition to the monsters there are also a couple of interactive areas, one of which teaches you how to walk like a scarecrow from Human Nature/Family of Blood which was kinda cool. 

Designers Area

In the same area as the monsters is also a mock up of the design offices as well as the mock up sculpts of the Ood heads. 

The final part of the exhibition is the little shop (love a little shop!). The downside to this shop though it is a tad on the expensive side, £55 for a Who season on DVD is a bit much in my opinion......... there is a good selection of stuff though. 

As for the tickets that I mentioned at the beginning, if you haven't been yet I'd recommend just going for the standard pass, the gold does get you a programme (that separately is £10) and a limited edition print but I'm not convinced it's worth the extra. 

Overall, the new 'Doctor Who Experience' is well worth a visit. The exhibition part isn't as big as some of the previous ones but it is very well done and has some elements that should not be missed (Tardis interior!!!). 

The staff are really nice and enjoy being there and are more than happy to chat about the exhibit. While in the coffee shop we had the curator pull up a chair and ask us what we thought would make it better! 

One tip, avoid weekends or school holidays like the plague!! When I went there were only about 12 people in there so you could spend lots of time looking at everything and not feel crowded or rushed. 

I'll be going again for definite. 

Clic Sargent Charity Abseil - I Really Hate Heights....

It’s a cold and windy day in Lowestoft and I find myself standing 100ft in the air on the side of Orbis Energy on a 4inch slither of wood, what was I thinking............ 

100ft doesn't sound that much, but close up......

As you may (or may not) know I have a (rather large) fear of heights, as such the thought of being suspended from the side of a building by a small rope wasn’t an instantly appealing thought, I was however talked into it, the best way to face fear is head on as they say, and anyway, it’s for charity!! 

Today started out like any other, the main difference to normal was at some point after 2pm I’d be walking down the side of a building. 

So, we’re at Orbis, located in the shadow of ‘Gulliver’ the Lowestoft Wind Turbine, it’s cold and slightly overcast, oh why couldn’t it have been a sunny day, it would have helped my confidence!! 

Worryingly enough when I first arrived I missed where the actual abseil was taking place, on second view the small ominous wooden board gave away its location, having seen where the abseil would take place my initial confidence had a bit of a ‘wobble’....... 

Several cups of tea later (you all know, tea cures everything!!) we’re up on the 4th floor of Orbis ready for harness fitting and abseil training. At this point I was asked if I’d rather just prefer to use the Tardis to go from the roof to the ground, but after some thought decided that would be cheating so I’d use a rope like everyone else. 

What part of this was a good idea??

The harness was two parts, the first part wrapped round the thighs and waist, at this point I discovered what women in history felt like wearing a corset!! 

Tom: Is that tight on your waist? 

Me: Yes! 

Tom: Let’s get it a little tighter..... 

Me: Urgh..... 

Second part was a nice over the shoulder jacket sort of thing, with that the harness was on..... 

Now, a problem, Abseiling requires the wearing of a helmet, this would be very un-fringe friendly!!! Oh well, needs must!! 

So fully kitted up it’s time for Abseil training (see the video). The nerves again at this point were beginning to make their presence shown....... 

Training complete, it was time to head to the roof, Ali (my partner in crime for the day) was to go first..... 

For those of you who aren't familiar with an abseil, it kind of works in three stages: 

Stage 1: Getting onto the edge of the roof 

Stage 2: Standing on a tiny bit of wood and leaning back..... 

Stage 3: Walk down wall!! 

Ali successfully managed all three parts, the hardest are definitely the first two!! 

So with Ali safely down it was my turn.... (gulp). 

Converse. Foot ware for all occasions!!

Now I had a minor (well, I say minor) problem. I’m left handed. This meant that all the ropes were backwards, as a result it made it not possible to fully clip me up until I was on the wooden ledge (feel quite ill thinking back about it!!). So the safety line was tied on to my harness I then had to clamber onto the previously mentioned wooden ledge, at this point Sarah (the abseil technician) had to clip my main rope to my harness, at this point I’m holding onto the wall with, what can only be described as a death grip!! 

With all ropes fitted I could then begin the task of leaning back to begin the decent, at which point I realised I had a second problem, as the ropes were all backwards the safety rope had crossed the main rope tangling my hand in them..... So dangling from the top of the building I had to quickly let go with one hand to let the ropes sort themselves, I’ve never moved so fast in my life!!! 

This is why when you watch the video I’m at the top of the abseil for what seems like ages!! 

The decent itself went without any real drama. Yay for converse, they’ll grip anything!!! 

So successfully back on terra firma, I’d done it, I’d abseiled 100ft off the side of a building and gone some way to getting over my fear of heights. 

And best of all I’d raised money for charity in doing so, which is a good result all round. 

Don’t forget, my online sponsor page will remain open for about two weeks, so if you do still want to donate you can at www.justgiving.com/mh10th 

Review of Doctor Who "Besieged" - In Space Only The Doctor Can Hear You Scream...

New territory this, but prior to doing a review of ‘A Christmas Carol’ I thought I’d have what can only be described as a trial run, as such I’m going to take a look at ‘Doctor Who – Besieged’.

As you read this you’re probably thinking, what on earth is ‘Doctor Who – Besieged’, well let me explain, it’s a fan film from Magic Works Entertainment.

Up until now I’ve steered clear of anything with the word ‘fan’ anywhere near it. Looking back, I’m not overly sure why I’ve given it such a wide berth, probably the fear that I’d have the misfortune to read or watch something that was, to not put too fine point on it, utter rubbish.

Now before all the fan-fic writers and fan-film makers find me and lynch me I’m not saying that it’s all bad, but knowing my luck whatever I chose most likely would be, if that makes sense...... that sentence kinda got away from me a little didn’t it?

Anyway I’ve gone off topic, this is meant to be a review of Besieged not an essay on my thoughts fan made media.

At this point in a review the customary *SPOILER WARNING* should appear in massive foot high letters, but this time it’s not the case as I’ve got a copy of version 1 of Besieged, which is the promo version and only lasts a few minutes.........

Written by and starring Ryan Hendrick the story opens with the audience following a small group of marines running through the innards of a ship with the screams of an unknown assailants filling the corridors. The scene then cuts to a scientist kneeling over the body of a man, the dark and atmospheric music then stop to reveal the instantly recognisable Doctors Theme, this is no man, it’s The Doctor and he’s just regenerated.

The scientist seems to know exactly what is going on, her and two marines make it to a small room dragging the Doctor along with them. Within seconds one marine has been dragged off down the corridor by an unseen creature.

We’re now left with the Doctor and his companion plus a lone marine trapped in the ships boiler room. As with all post regeneration Doctors this one is no different, he’s a little disorientated and not quite himself yet.

This Doctor seems different from the others (as all new generations should be, they are different men after all), he seems older, more melancholy. As the marine approaches him the Doctors Theme once again plays to reveal the Doctors previously disfigured face has completely healed.

The three then attempt to find a way out of the boiler room via the air conditioning system before, hoping that the route they have chosen leads to pipes they can crawl through rather than a dead end.

Upon reaching the entrance to the ductwork they are attacked by one of the creatures, or in actuality aliens (yes actual aliens, the ones from the films with Sigourney Weaver). The marine stays behind to allow the Doctor and his companion to escape, after a short sprint through the ship the Doctor and his companion are knocked from their feet but an explosion (that also removes a good size section of the ships outer hull), the teaser then comes to an end with an Alien crouching over them............. roll credits.

As I said earlier, it was only a few minute film, however, it did what it needed to. It left me wanting more. My exact response was “No! You can’t end it there!!” Nothing hooks an audience like a cliff-hanger.

Overall I enjoyed Besieged, it was well paced and managed to produce a good atmosphere, never having a truly clear shot of the Aliens worked well (a creature you never see and that lurks in shadows is far more frightening than one that wants to dance in a spotlight – which is also why Alien is a horror film and Aliens is an action film).

The way the scene is filmed and lit really makes it work, the CGI ship isn’t the best, but that didn’t bother me and it doesn’t take anything away from the final product.

I can honestly say I’m looking forward to the full length version.

So there it is my first venture into the world of fan-made media and I’m glad to say I’m not disappointed.

I’m you’d like more information on “Doctor Who – Besieged” have a look at their facebook page

The Entertainment and Media Show, Day 2 - Tim's Everywhere!

Once again I was up at 6am (I really need to cut down the amount of time it takes me to get ready in the morning!!!). A quick breakfast and we all met in the hotel reception for 8am.

Multiple Man (JonJon and Tim)

Tim had promised us a new outfit for today and it was going to be something special. Today he would be multiple-man......

To manage this, Tim introduced us to a new member of the group, Jonjon!! A cardboard cut-out of Tim, a brilliant idea!!

Jonjon had a very interesting day, being photographed with loads of different people and ending up in all sorts of places, he even ended up with his own thread on the Showmasters Forum, but that’s another story.........

Anyway, on with day two of Collectormania. Today was Doctor Who day with three Doctors (Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann) and Katy Manning in attendance.

As I am a bit of a Who fan (actually that’s not really a surprise is it?!?) the first thing we all did was went to see the Doctors and Katy. Jemma and Nat were very excited about seeing Paul McGann, I’d only seen him two weeks prior at Dimensions so had a quick chat but didn’t get an autograph for myself.

Upstaged by your own double!

Katy Manning was on great form as always, I’d already seen her the week before at Memorabilia and she spotted me in the queue. When I got to the front she gave me a hug and a kiss, she also wanted to know if she could adopt me!! I had to smile at one comment she made “I see you so often sweetie, people will begin to talk”.

Keeping with the Doctor Who theme it was now time for the Katy Manning photoshoot, as I’ve already mentioned Katy is always really huggy so the picture turned out really well.

Next up, I went over to see Michael Biehn (Hicks in Aliens), he didn’t seems overly awake, but was still fairly chatty, it my picture at the desk he looks half asleep. Luckily in the professional picture he looks far more with it.

The Doctor and Jo Grant (Me and Katy Manning)

Being Sunday today was quiet compared to the day before which in a way was quite good as the queues weren’t too long for any guest.

Before Lucy and I headed off to lunch we went and saw Chris Judge (Teal’c from Stargate). Chris was really nice, as dedication on his autographs he was putting ‘Indeed’ which I (and any Stargate fans reading this will also) found amusing.

After lunch it was time for the Chris Judge photoshoot, this unfortunately made me slightly late for the Doctor Who talk, this meant I ended up sitting towards the back of the seating area, which mean that taking any photo’s was a nightmare, but nevermind. The talk itself was really good; everyone was on good form and had some amusing stories to tell. It was also the first time I’d seen Paul, Colin and Sylv doing a talk together, they played off each other really well.

Catwoman and The Doc, now there is a crossover...

Once the talk had finished I went back to see Katy and get her to sign the picture of me and her. I forget what Katy, Lucy and I were chatting about but the result was an awesome dedication “With love to Matt a good lookin’ fellow indeed”.

By this point in the day, I think it was around 3pm we were all getting quite tired. For some reason the day seemed to be dragging a little, there just seemed something missing. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was, may have been the larger venue or the fact the some big guests had pulled out, I’m hoping that the next event in March will have a better feel to it. I really enjoyed the event but it just was missing the wow factor (in my opinion).

So feeling tired and having met everyone we wanted to and looked at all the trade stands Lucy and I decided to call it a day at around 4pm. The less said about the train journey home the better..........

And with that it marked the end of my first year on the convention circuit, what a year it’s been!