Shirt...

...Taking The Carmichael.

London Film and Comic Con had rolled around again, and the announcement of Tim McInnery who as well as being Percy/Captain Darling in ‘Blackadder’ has a number of Sherlockian credits (including the Granada series, ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Houdini and Doyle’), meant that Shirt booked a ticket and paid for a photo studio with him. All living Doctors (save Ms. Whittaker) had also been announced as signing over the weekend, but Shirt decided to avoid the madness of this.

Getting to the venue early, Shirt joined a gigantic queue in one of the halls, re-listening to ‘Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh’ on the LE app to pass the time. Finally, the doors opened, and everyone streamed in, again all making for the staircase that led to the upper level where signings were taking place.

On finding the main signings hall, Shirt swept round the tables, picking up a queuing ticket for Tim. Finding that none of the other people that he wanted needed virtual queue tickets, he returned to Tim’s table which was on the landing outside the hall hosting the photo studios. Mr. McInnery had just sat down, at a table next to Helen Atkinson-Wood (Mrs. Miggins in ‘Blackadder the Third’). They were not quite up to the number on Shirt’s ticket, but he was told that he could join the queue anyway, and ten minutes later, he was handing over a still of Tim as Sir Eustace Carmichael in ‘Sherlock: The Abominable Bride’.

“It was very cold filming that”, confided Tim, as he finished signing the photo and pushed it back across the table to Shirt.

Moving off and into the main signing area, Shirt found quite a queue had built up for William Hope, star of ‘Aliens’. He also noticed that the large board above his signing table mentioned the Guy Richie ‘Sherlock Holmes’, and that William had photos of him with Robert Downey Jr. on his table. He therefore joined the slowly moving queue, which they seemed determined not to hand virtual tickets out for. After around half an hour, he finally reached the front, getting a still of William as Ambassador Standish signed, before posing for a photograph taken by a steward.

Shirt then made his way to the comics area, where he found that Titan comics were doing a deal on the complete run of the ‘Seventh Doctor’ comics, including the final issue that was not even in the shops yet. The author, Andrew Cartmel, was also present, signing all the comics for the bargain price of £5. Moving along, Shirt got the artist, Christopher Jones, to sign them all, along with some other ‘Dr Who’ comics. Next he got Rachael Stott and Enrica Angiolini to sign the first issue of ‘Road to the Thirteenth Doctor', and Arianna Florean and Giorgia Sposito to sign Titan’s Free Comic Book Day’s ‘Doctor Who’ comic.

Moving away from the comics area and browsing the stalls in the main hall, he found nothing that he wanted to buy, but had his photo taken in a mock-up of the ‘Sherlock’ flat, in an attempt to win tickets to the ‘Sherlock: The Game is Now’ escape-room for him and the rest of the gang. [He didn’t win]

Shirt then made his way to Photo Studio B, where as he was in an early batch, he was swiftly called forward. The queue moved swiftly, and less than ten minutes later, he was stowing his bag and coat on a table, and stepping up to stand next to Tim, before being hurried off to reclaim his possessions, and a minute or so later the copy of the photo.

The final queue of the day was for Ingrid Oliver. Having previously got a photograph with Ingrid, this time he got her to sign a publicity photo of her as Osgood. Ingrid was in fine form, endearing herself to the fangirls who were buzzing around her.

Checking the main signing area, Shirt decided that it was time to go home. He therefore made his way to the exit, emerging blinking into the outside world again. He slowly made his way back to Olympia Station, and caught a train back to Wimbledon and then a bus home. As he wended his way home, Shirt mused on a surprisingly calm day, whilst reading online of the problems suffered by those queuing for the Doctors.

[PL]