Shirt...

...Yes, We Khan !!

 

Day One: Saturday. 

After a year away (due to a global pandemic), London Film and Comic Con Spring was back. The headliner guests were Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker and Shalka/CoFD Doctor Richard E. Grant. However, Shirt decided to focus on some of the other guests, not wanting to engage with the scrum that would be their photoshoot and autograph queues. Dufus was helping his girlfriend move house, so it was a lone Shirt who made his way to Olympia, arriving half-an-hour before the doors opened. The queue was about average length, and Shirt spent the time waiting by spotting a full set of Doctors 1-13 and the Fugitive Doctor cosplayers. (Given the appearance of Jodie that day, Doc13’s were very much in evidence).

 

The doors opened, and around ten minutes later, Shirt was entering the Hall. It seemed that only the downstairs area was being used, with all the guests crammed into one corner (except Jodie and Richard who had their own separate areas). Having identified where everyone was located, Shirt took virtual queuing tickets for Mandip Gill (being pleased at getting #124), Guy Henry and Colin Salmon (who recently played Holmes in Audible’s over-long ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’). Finding only a short queue for Bhavnisha Parmar, who played Sonya Khan, Yaz’s sister, in Series 11-13 (and appeared in Large Endings’ ‘The Twelfth Doctor Chronicles: Timejacked’ as the Doctor’s companion), Shirt joined it, and ten minutes later was getting her to sign a photo of her as Sonya, with Bhavnisha adding ‘Stay awesome’ and her character name to her signature.

Next up was Michael Carter, best known for playing Bib Fortuna in ‘Star Wars’, but who also appeared as Godfrey Norton (the man who marries THE woman) in ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, the first episode of the Granada Jeremy Brett series. He was surprised at the photo produced by Shirt, having almost forgotten the part (his parts in ‘Star Wars’ and ‘An American Werewolf in London’ being those that the majority of attendees wanted him to sign). Having checked exactly where Shirt wanted him to sign, and exactly what his character name was so he could add this also, Michael signed the photo.  [‘If only Andrew McCulloch who I met recently had been so careful’ thought Shirt. Andrew had signed over his own face despite there being plenty of clear space for his signature]. Impressed by Michael’s professionalism, Shirt decided to go to the Sales Desk to book a photoshoot with ‘THE groom’.

Returning to a desk a few down from Michael Carter’s, Shirt joined a short queue for Guy Henry (who it seemed did not really need a virtual queue). When Shirt had met Guy several years before he had got a DVD of the 1980’s Granada production ‘Young Sherlock’ signed. This time, he was getting a photo of Guy in character as (young) Sherlock. On placing the image in front of Guy, he commented on how young he looked, taking a photo of it on his phone for his own archive. Photo signed and Shirt moved off to join a queue for Sara Powell who played Mary Seacole in episode two of ‘Doctor Who: Flux’, ‘War of the Sontarans’. Shirt was getting the poster that he had got Jonathan Watson to sign at the November 2021 event signed, and on seeing his signature, Sara asked, “Is Jonathan here ?”. Sara didn’t seem keen on table photos, so Shirt moved off. [Looking at others’ posts afterwards it seems that the gaps between her and attendees in the photoshoot were such that they were almost in separate time zones].

 

There was a buzz at the other end of the hall, as Jodie Whittaker had begun her mammoth photoshoot session. Shirt however, used this as an opportunity to join Mandip Gill’s queue (which was now up to #150). After around twenty minutes, Shirt was at the front and getting her to sign his precious ‘Companions’ book, just above her co-star Tosin Cole, with her insisting on putting her character name in brackets afterwards.

Shirt then decided to browse the stalls, which with the number of attendees proved difficult. However, on reaching the Comic Artists area, he managed to get Gary Erskine and Roger Langridge to sign ‘Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time – Vol 1 & 2’ respectively, and David Leach to sign the ‘Adler’ graphic novel. Shirt also found a stall selling ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Sherlock’ pin badges, purchasing a TARDIS, a 221b Door, and one reading ‘We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants’.

 

Sitting down for a rest, after a few minutes, Shirt was joined by Indytimelord, who proceeded to eat his lunch, a cold undercooked burger. After a brief chat, Shirt left for a nearby supermarket to get his own lunch. This eaten and some fresh air imbibed, Shirt was back in the hall in plenty of time for his first photoshoot of the weekend - Bhavnisha Parmar. On stepping up for his photo, Shirt was surprised when Bhavnisha put her arm around him tightly, and this along with his attempting to disguise a scab on his top lip meant that Shirt came across a little creepily in the resulting image.

Having some time before his photo with Michael Carter, Shirt moved to the talks area, and was just in time for Sylvester McCoy’s session. The audience questions were of the usual ‘favourite monster/audio/TV story’ type, and Sylvester trotted out his greatest hits of anecdotes, but Shirt still enjoyed the session.

It was then time for his photo with Michael, and Shirt joined the very short queue, and within ten minutes was stepping out with his completed photo (with a more sensible expression).

 

Shirt decided to call it a day, noticing that Colin Salmon was not doing table photos, and made his way back to the station and just over an hour later was arriving home.

 

 

Go to Day Two   

 

[PL]