Christian Cawley's Blog, page 53

Kasterborous Founder Christian Cawley Steps Down

Christian is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It feels different this time. In just under 3 months, I turn 40. It’s been over 11 years since work began on Kasterborous, a period that has seen Doctor Who return to TV, and fandom develop in new and incredible ways around the world.

We’ve also seen some bizarre bullsh*t, such as a Doctor Who website accused of scamming customers and personal attacks against me by supposedly professional writers (you’ll have heard of them).

More worrying, however, is the recent discovery that at least one extremely prominent fan/blogger is compiling dossiers of perceived “bad behaviour” – sites and podcasts going off-message, so to speak – in order to ingratiate themselves with the production hierarchy at BBC Wales. (If you’ve heard the podKast this week, you should be able to work out who this is.)

At first, it wasn’t a big deal, and I thought of it as an amusing bit of nonsense to bring up through each podKast. But as disappointing it was to find that someone I admired was selling us and other sites out by insidiously recording bits of podcasts and website clippings and handing them on a plate to BBC Wales, it soon dawned on me that actually, this had stopped being fun.

Suddenly, I was Tegan.

And so, since then, the plan for the Kexit (Kasterborous Exit) has been underway. Because, unlike these bizarre egotists, I don’t actually *need* to do this. I already have a career doing what I love, helping people to make the most out of technology, and earning enough from it to pay the mortgage, run a car, and go on holiday several times a year. Kasterborous has existed 11 years because it was a fun project that paid for itself, and allowed me to collaborate with some truly talented, lovely people – not because I had some nihilistic obsession with being a celebrity super fan.

In reality, I was never likely to carry on with the site indefinitely, but with the big four-oh rapidly approaching, now seems the time to say goodbye.

Thanks to…

Over the years, we’ve been graced with a collection of utterly wonderful contributors. Anthony Dry was the first, my co-collaborator on the project, who left around 8 years ago to pursue his sideline career of DVD design. Brian A Terranova (who is also moving on) has been with Kasterborous since early 2005, and his input has always been invaluable. James McLean virtually single-handedly revived Brian and mine’s silly old podKast and helped us turn it into the 5000 listener strong event download it has now become.

Brian Terranova (left) is departing Kasterborous alongside Christian.

On the news team, Philip Bates has been assistant editor for a couple of years, while Andy Reynolds has been an utter powerhouse of a news writing machine, along with strong, memorable contributions from Scott Varnham, Mez Burdett, Patrick Riley, Nick Kitchen, Jonathan Appleton, youngster Josh Maxton, Jeremy Remy, Katie Gribble, Billy Garratt-John, Becky Crockett… and if I’ve missed anyone, I’m sorry.

We’ve also developed a couple of reviews teams, with people from the news teams and others like Chris Swanson, Tony Jones, Peter Webb and Peter Shaw.

TV reviewers, features writers and interviewers such as Gareth Kavanagh, Barnaby Eaton Jones, Elton Townend-Jones, Nick May, James Baldock and others… you’ve all been great.

But most of all, we wish to thank you: you read the site, and supported it. You read out silly Time Leech comic, felt compelled to buy our Ultimate Regeneration book, and put your hands in your pockets to buy Rick Lundeen’s The Daleks’ Master Plan adaptation. We admired your patience with the Doctor Who @ 50 series.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a small boy. The first stories I wrote at primary school were Doctor Who-inspired time travel adventures in the TREEDIS (a tree-like TARDIS). When Anthony and I started Kasterborous, it was really meant as a vehicle for his artwork and my writing. 10 years on and I’m a consumer electronics and online security freelance writer with virtually zero free time.

Very little time to really write.

In some ways, I’ve been thinking about this since my children were born in 2011. One plan was to sell Kasterborous; another was to divorce from all but administering hosting. But in the end, a clean break is what I need from Doctor Who fandom, a world of bloody lovely people, occasionally overshadowed by power-mad opportunists with ridiculous, destructive egos. I have decided that I don’t want to be a part of that world.

So the answer is – and yes, it is sad – to just stop.

Until we meet again, please take care. (And please excuse this unusually self-indulgent post.)

Miss Me?

James McLean, Brian A Terranova and myself will be carrying on with the podKast, albeit with a new name. So you can still keep in touch with us, and find out what we think about Doctor Who… and beyond.

And Kasterborous is continuing without us. Please support the new owners and welcome them and any new writers they bring along.

The post Kasterborous Founder Christian Cawley Steps Down appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Accessories From the London Silver Company

Christian is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Whovians can celebrate Series 9 hitting our TV screens with a new collection of handmade sterling silver accessories from The London Silver Company. Featuring Doctor Who’s most iconic symbols, these pendants, pins and cufflinks were created for the BBC and are perfect gifts for avid viewers of the show.

Sci-fi fans will be bowled over by the TARDIS cufflinks. Made from sterling silver, time travel is sadly not included, but these timeless accessories will inject a bit of personality into any outfit, and are available for £64.95.

Handmade in 925 sterling silver, the Cyberman pendant necklace makes a cool addition to any quirky jewellery collection and features an impressive amount of detail, with swivel head, arms and legs, yours for £36.95.

Similarly, the impressive Cybermen cufflinks also has moving parts, and are based on the Nightmare in Silver to present design. They’re available for £54.95.

Whether you are heading to a black tie event, Doctor Who convention or want to add that special something to a work outfit, this handmade sterling silver Cyberman pin brooch provides that all-important finishing touch, priced at £32.50.

Further items include a TARDIS pin brooch (£34.95), and TARDIS necklace (£41.95).

The London Silver Company offers one of the widest ranges of handmade sterling Silver gifts in the UK. All of the solid sterling Silver items are handmade and hallmarked at the London Assay office.

Their website includes in its range an eye-catching selection appealing to men and women, and also as the perfect silver gifts for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and of course Christmas!

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10% Off Lovarzi’s Doctor Who Products with VIP Fan Club

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

As you probably know by now, Lovarzi are releasing four new Doctor Who products this week, so it’s the perfect time to join their newly-launched Doctor Who Fan Club!

Provide them with your name and email address and in return, they’ll send you discount codes for 10% off specific Doctor Who products that are valid for two days after launch dates.

You’ll also receive announcements about upcoming new items before anyone else!

Lovarzi has been working with BBC Worldwide since 2012 to release Doctor Who products for cosplayers and collectors; their range so far includes the standard Fourth Doctor Scarf (as well as a full-length version, and the Burgundy variant too), Fifth Doctor Sweater, Dalek Scarf, and TARDIS Stick Umbrella.

A Fourth Doctor Knitted Tie, Seventh Doctor Hanky, The Pandorica Opens Silk Scarf, and a shorter Fourth Doctor Scarf are all expected to launch this weekend.

Don’t worry, you won’t get spam from third parties: this VIP club is solely for Whovians with a love of quality products!

It’s easy to join – just check out their website and give them just a few brief details.

The post 10% Off Lovarzi’s Doctor Who Products with VIP Fan Club appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: Doctor Who – The Complete History Issue 2

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

I’ve been watching Day of the Daleks.

It’s no coincidence that this issue of Doctor Who: The Complete History also covers the four-part 1972 serial: reading about all the behind-the-scenes details inspires a rewatch. You notice things you never have before; you understand the context of the tale, both for the narrative and of the production crew; and you learn about how it was all received.

In short, you know why things are the way they are.

In some cases, you understand better why a serial is a fan favourite; in others, you know that it might be a bit naff, but most importantly, that it was always the intention to make the best of what was available.

It’s easy to criticise, and that’s something vital to remember. This partwork makes you realise this more than ever.

However, it’s very difficult to criticise The Complete History. The collection purports to be the definitive guide to the making of Doctor Who, and with this second issue, Volume 17 overall but the first to cover Classic Who, that’s exactly what you get.

Covering Colony in Space, The Daemons, and Day of the Daleks, this is a good sample of what the Third Doctor era does: something political in outer space (running an errand for the Time Lords), an Earthbound UNIT story, and… well, Daleks. Okay, so Jon Pertwee only faced up to the Daleks in three stories, but all are certainly memorable. These tales might be good examples of the Third Doctor tenure, yet they’re also something special too.

Day of the Daleks is a timey-wimey story, at a time when Doctor Who didn’t typically deal with paradoxes. The Daemons mixes religion with town politics and superstition, often remembered fondly. And then there’s Colony in Space.

I’ve never been a massive fan of Colony, quite a dull tale told in a dull location across six dull parts. I’m being too harsh, I know, but it’s written by Malcolm Hulke! It should be amazing!

The Doctor and Jo’s adventure on Uxarieus is nothing spectacular. However, after reading The Complete History, I’ve a new appreciation of it. It’ll never become a favourite story, no, but the volume forces you to revisit its minutiae and wrestles you into submission. You’ll admit to one and all: “Oh yeah, actually, that bit was really good.”

Thanks to grey everywhere, Colony seems an uninspired choice for this Doctor’s first foray into space. Reading The Complete History, though, you discover the work director, Michael E. Briant and co. undertook in order to make it as good as it possibly could be.

Indeed, there’s an interesting profile on Briant, as well as further ones on Christopher Barry (director of The Daemons), and Richard Franklin aka Captain Mike Yates. The latter is especially enjoyable.

While I’m not a fan of Colony, I do, for all its faults, enjoy Day of the Daleks. I hadn’t realised the negative reaction to it back in the early 1970s – this volume even notes how one reviewer had complained that Doctor Who was becoming repetitive, despite the Daleks not featuring in the show since 1967’s Evil of the Daleks!

Too much has been said about the lacklustre scene in which three Daleks attack Auderly House – Pertwee was one of its critics, in fact – but it’s not that bad really. Just use some imagination. The crew seemed to face plenty of limitations, notably that only three Daleks could be found from older serials… Well, three and a skirt, later used in Episode Four to show a blown-up Dalek.

Jon Pertwee famously didn’t like the Daleks, but this is surprisingly not touched upon here. Maybe this serial is what tainted his opinion of the Doctor’s greatest enemies. We’ll likely find out more when we come to Planet of the Daleks or Death to the Daleks.

On rewatching Day of the Daleks, it’s satisfying to know, with the benefit of The Complete History, when and where scenes were filmed – surprising too. I was shocked how tight the shooting schedule for studio-bound scenes was: obviously I knew that stories in the 1960s were filmed essentially live, but knowing, for instance, that the final episode (not including location filming) was recorded between 7:30pm and 10pm on Tuesday 19th October 1971 is enlightening.

It’s particularly eye-opening to compare this volume’s Production sections to last issue’s, which focussed on Doctor Who Series 3 (2007).

The Production parts here for all three serials are extensive and truly fascinating; the Pre-Productions are also in-depth. These come at the expense of shorter Post-Production sections, but this isn’t ignorance: it appears that not a great amount of editing was needed because the scripts were so thoroughly pored over before shooting.

Nestled between Colony and Day is, of course, The Daemons, generally considered top-notch Who. The cast certainly has a great time; the serial’s Production entry concludes that it became a favourite of Pertwee, Katy Manning, Nicholas Courtney, Richard Franklin, John Levene, and Christopher Barry.

The photos chosen really are superb. This is especially true for The Daemons, where a good mix of screengrabs, behind-the-scenes images, and candid pictures show an accurate portrayal of the mood on location and set. There’s a wonderful photo of Pertwee with Ed Stewart, DJ and host of Tops of the Pops.

Furthermore, covers for the Target novelisations are also presented in the Merchandise sections of each serial – not just the much-loved Chris Achilleos and Andrew Skilleter depictions but also overseas covers. No prizes for guessing which serial is called Doctor Kim – ve Dalek Baskini in Turkey. That serial’s Merchandise section is the most impressive in this volume. Brazil’s Douter Who e a Mudanca da Historia, with chunky Daleks and William Hartnell’s First Doctor shown instead of the Third Doctor, would take the crown for Most Bizarre Target Cover if it weren’t for the gloriously obscure Japanese version.

Actually, it’s Frank Bellamy’s Radio Times illustrations that really stand out in this issue. Some Daemons ones are very well-known, but The Complete History spotlights further masterpieces in pen and ink. You really need to see them.

Just like Issue One, I learnt plenty from this book, so I’ll just note a few interesting tidbits:

It seemed that Briant was after another little holiday when he suggested Tenerife as a filming location for Colony in Space. Instead, it was filmed in a clay pit in Cornwall…
Damaris Hayman borrowed the green cloak to use when playing Miss Hawthorne from her good friend, Dame Margaret Rutherford, best-known to many as Miss Marple!
Footage of Auderly House blowing up in the finale of Day of the Daleks was used in a festive 1976 The Morecombe and Wise Show, supposedly an effect of the pair pulling a Christmas cracker.
The Dalek serial was released on VHS, Betamax, and the short-lived Laserdisc. I reviewed the DVD in 2011, but never knew about an alternative cover for the Australian release (and what a great cover it was too!).
Richard Franklin was involved in the greatly-remembered Milky Bar Kid TV campaigns when he worked on advertising for Nestle.

The Complete History is definitely living up to its premise as a thorough guide to the show; what’s more, it’s an entertaining read, lovingly accompanied with gorgeous images.

Two down; 78 to go. And I can’t wait.

NEXT: DEEP BREATH AND INTO THE DALEK.

Want to subscribe? Head over to  the Doctor Who: The Complete History site  – and don’t forget about  the premium subscription offer too!

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Upcoming BBC Book Confirms Maisie Williams’ Character

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s been rumoured for ages that Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) would play the Rani or Susan or Jenny or River or Clara or someone close to the Doctor. Despite Steven Moffat saying that she’s not a returning character, that hasn’t stopped speculation.

But a book to be released this December has revealed exactly who Williams will play in The Girl Who Died/ The Woman Who Lived, as well as far too many spoilery details – and while we’ll confirm the character’s name here, we won’t include the spoilerific blurb.

So if you don’t want to know anything at all, here is your complimentary spoiler warning.

If you read Moffat’s Series 9 guide, you might’ve already gathered that Williams will play Ashildr, a girl who stands up against alien invaders.

Legends of Ashildr will tell the story of what happens to the character between the two episodes, told through journal entries. The blurb is surprisingly revealing, so we won’t even link to it here, but it’s nonetheless not hard to find it on, for instance, Booktopia if you’re really interested…

Personally, I’m pleased she’s a new person, not a retreading of old themes, but some will no doubt be annoyed her appearance has been hyped up as something special akin to a returning character.

The 224-page book is released on 10th December, priced £9.99 – just in time for Christmas! What an extraordinary coincidence!

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Guardians, Shakespeare & Nudity: It’s Karen Gillan!

Katie Gribble is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It has been three years since we waved an emotional goodbye to Amelia Pond but Karen Gillan will forever remain a wild, kooky part of the Doctor Who story. Here’s is what she’s been up to.

#15secondshakespeare

A hashtag started by actor David Finn and casting director Amy Hubbard, 15secondshakespeare sees people soliloquising famous pop songs in just 15 seconds. Karen Gillan’s contribution to this social media craze was to recite The Proclaimers’ hit ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)‘.

My #15SecondShakespeare thanks @r_jacz and I nominate @imrosemciver and @jenmorrisonlive
https://t.co/NjwzCf1FBN

— Karen Gillan (@karengillan) September 23, 2015

The song has previously hit the world of Doctor Who when David Tennant accompanied by the rest of the cast and crew back in 2010. Karen’s rendition is certainly a most welcome return.

What happened next?

Amy famously left Doctor Who in the heartbreaking episode The Angels Take Manhattan along with husband Rory Williams. But what happened afterwards?

Well, Karen’s thoughts on what happened after the Ponds were sent back in time are rather welcome news. Gillan gave her take on the couple’s exit on Twitter explaining that:

‘Mourning the 3 yr anniversary of Pond’s death?’ she tweeted, ‘remember they were displaced in time and Rory is blatantly a stay at home dad to 7 wee Ponds.’

This news has certainly cheered the hearts of many Whovians, knowing that our favourite Pond’s ultimately thrived and lived a happy life.

Guardians of the Galaxy

After leaving Doctor Who, Karen Gillan didn’t waste any time in finding her next big role playing the villainous Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy. Gillan famously shaved her head to play the character and in an interview at Fan Expo Canada 2015. During the interview, she revealed that she had not yet read the script for the second instalment of the popular franchise and wasn’t even sure whether she would have to shave her head again. Watch the whole interview above.

Nude Karen

Karen’s nude appearance in Not Another Happy Ending continues to be a popular video on YouTube considering that it was posted well over a year ago. It’s truly a wonder what fades from public consciousness and what remains.

Of course the next big question is: What will we get from her next? We’ll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned.

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BBC One Chief Trolls Doctor Who Fans with “Could be a woman” Comment

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Entering into a debate usually requires forwarding an opinion on it, rather than say, just acknowledging that it exists – saying it’s something to consider always sounds to those involved like they’re either being dismissed or receiving scant recognition for their continued support.

So in the spirit of political micromanagement, BBC 1 Controller Charlotte Moore insists that she would never put a bar on there ever being a female Doctor.

Speaking to the Radio Times Moore said current incumbent Peter Capaldi had “broken the mould” but said she would never “put a bar” on its future direction.

She added: “The great thing about Doctor Who is that anything is possible”.

Those endless possibilities are more pertinent as the issue over ratings continues. The show returned last Saturday with the lowest audience for a launch show since its new incarnation in 2005. It dipped further last Saturday to 3.7 million viewers, up against Wales’ Rugby World Cup win over England on ITV.

However, the launch programme added another 2 million viewers – nearly 50% of its total audience, in the consolidated figures, which include people who recorded it and watched it in the following seven days, up to 6.5 million. The BBC reports that the first episode has had 1.5 million requests to watch it on the iPlayer to date.

This uncertainty over just what this means for the show – is it the overall direction? Do we need a radical shake up? Is there nothing wrong at all – just the methods by which we measure what is and isn’t popular?

Comments that add nothing from an artistic point of view aren’t particularly helpful. Yes, anything can happen but that doesn’t mean it should – with the deciding factor being what is best for the show.

Speaking earlier this year to Zap2it, Steven Moffat said on the issue of whether or not there could be a female Doctor: “I wish sometimes that the politics of that would take a backseat and we’d just talk about the art, because it’s not really about that. It’s just about ‘would it work?’

“The day it will work is when somebody says, ‘That person would be amazing,’ and the most conservative, most traditional member of the audience says, ‘Oh God, yes. I would hate the idea of a lady Doctor, but that one would be great.’”

As optimistic as that is – and I’m not sure there ever would be a performer, male or female, that could ever silence and bring some semblance of cohesion to all fandom as much as its optimistic to assume that every person involved airing Doctor Who, comes at that job from the position of ‘what’s best for the show’ but it’s an ideal that should govern any reason for making a substantial change to Doctor Who.

Otherwise, it’s just trolling…

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Box Art for Doctor Who: The Christmas Specials Giftset

Richard Forbes is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

O Come All Ye Faithful: the latest of boxsets vying to fill more Whovian’s stockings now has box art. The Christmas Specials Giftset, the latest from BBC Home Entertainment, is set to feature 11 Christmas episodes – rumours suggest those 11 episodes include all of the Christmas episodes up to and including Last Christmas (and both parts of The End of Time). The description of the new giftset doesn’t let on much, sadly:

For the first time on one complete set, own every Christmas special from the new generation of Doctor Who. David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi all take starring turns in eleven exhilarating Christmas specials that set the Doctor rushing to save the world from an array of dastardly foes including the Master, the Cybermen and even Santa Clause himself.

However, box art discovered by TV Shows on DVD not only gives us a glimpse at the giftset’s new look but also suggests that the giftset will include a Twelve doctor Sonic Screwdriver. With Sonic Screwdrivers like the one depicted below fetching somewhere along the lines of $20 (£13) currently and the giftset just over only $50 (£33), this kind of bundle deal raises questions: whether, that is, this model of Sonic Screwdriver is being cleared out to make way for a new Sonic Screwdriver model or alternatively, Capaldi’s new Sonic Shades introduced in The Witch’s Familiar? Capaldi told journalists recently that “the sonic sunglasses are an adjunct to the sonic screwdriver” not a substitute, after all, adding that the sonic screwdriver isn’t “gone”.

The boxset is available for pre-order via Amazon for DVD and Blu-Ray and is set to be released November 24, 2015.

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It’s Double Trouble for Michelle Gomez!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

What did Michelle Gomez think of the new Missy 5.5 inch figures from Character Options?

Following the launch of Character Options’ double helping of exclusive Missy figures last week, the actress who plays Time Lady Missy in Doctor Who, Michelle Gomez, has been photographed with her miniature alter egos.

The figures have whipped up storm with Doctor Who fans since they were revealed on Thursday 24th September by way of a virtual press conference hosted by Character’s product development director Alasdair Dewar. Missy is otherwise known as the Master; an arch enemy of the Doctor, but favourite with the fans who have been calling for a collector’s piece of her for some time.

When coming face to face with the figures whilst in New York last week Michelle said:  ‘I absolutely adore my new figure! I can just imagine thousands of Missy’s taking over the world one very small step at a time’.

Al Dewar added: Working with Michele Gomez has been so much fun; she was one of the best subjects we’ve ever scanned, patiently holding the perfect pose in both positions for a long period of time. We know that many collectors have been waiting to see if Missy would be included within our collection, it’s great for her finally come to fruition.”

Collectors can order these limited edition figures from www.character-online.co.uk.

 

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Get 50% Off Wichita, KS Time Eddy Tickets!

Josh Maxton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The Time Eddy convention is descending upon Wichita, Kansas, and it’s about to land!

This weekend (October 2nd – 4th), big names like Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown), Andrew Cartmel (script editor for the show in the 80s), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Nev Fountain, and more, will gather together for the first Doctor Who convention Kansas has seen in 25 years.

If you don’t already have tickets, now is your last chance to get an excellent deal!

Get My Perks is offering 50% off Saturday (October 3rd) tickets to Time Eddy!

An explanation of what single day tickets gets you (from Time Eddy’s official website):

Single Day tickets Entitle bearer access to all panels, interviews, autograph sessions, games, cosplay, merchandise areas for specified day only. Some guests may assess separate autograph and picture fees. Junior tickets are for ages 7 – 13. Children 6 and under can enter for free if accompanied by a ticketed adult. Maximum two junior and or two free under 6 attendees per paying adult. To register children under 6 please email admin@kansasdoctorwho.com.

Time Eddy really has a lot going for it, not only does it have an impressive line up of guests, with a nice mix of writers and actors, but it also has a cool purpose – or a mission statement of sorts, if you will. Kieran Kinsella, show runner for Time Eddy, explained this in our exclusive interview with him:

 I don’t like these mega-cons, where you go and you wait in line for three hours and pay $200 just to get a signed photo of someone who you see for two seconds. Time Eddy’s going to be a bit more old school. There will be a lot of guest interaction with the attendees.

This is perhaps the thing that has impressed me the most about Time Eddy. It’s really fantastic to have a convention that sets itself apart from the status quo in that way. Kieran went on to emphasize that most of the guests prefer to interact more with the fans as well:

…a lot of the guests don’t like seeing the lack of interaction. There were a couple of writers that I spoke to that were going to come, but weren’t able to because of work. One of them said to me ‘Look, I’m not going to come, if it’s like when I went to Comic-Con and you just stick me in some booth and people just drift by me so I can give autographs. I’m only coming if I get to interact with the fans’

And I was like ‘That’s exactly how I want it to be.’ So that’s what we’re going for. The guests will be very accessible. We want to do a lot of fun activities that the guests are involved in.

He also explained how they tried to get a good representation of every era of the show, even though they are a little light on the Tom Baker era and NewHu:

We’re trying to get a good representation of all the different eras of the show — although we’re a little bit light on the Tom Baker side. The way it has evolved, it’s more geared towards the classics series – which wasn’t necessarily the plan, but it’s just the way things worked out.

And when asked if any potential guests declined for any reason:

Yeah, mainly because of work schedules. That was the biggest issue – especially with the new series people, since a lot of them are working right now. For a convention too, it’s tricky because unless you have some massive corporation, it’s a huge gamble paying for this top star to come here, knowing that he’s saying ‘but at the last minute I might cancel it because I’m busy filming episodes,’ because then you’re left with nobody.

Don’t forget to get half-priced Saturday tickets for Time Eddy!

Sounds like our kind of convention…

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