The sixth Doctor is visiting Belfast!

The Sixth Doctor is visiting Belfast!

A fantastic day is in store on Sunday 27th May when Colin Baker will be steering a steady path from Gallifrey to attend the Genesis event in the Park Avenue Hotel. Louise Jameson aka Leela (Companion 1977/78) will be joining Colin along with Annette Badland who portrayed Margaret Blaine, a Slitheen who came up against Christopher Eccles ton's Doctor in the last series.

  The Carrick Biz caught up with Carrickfergus resident Thomas Needham who is organising this convention of Dr Who fans.  Thomas and his colleague, Denis Rush originally started by attending fans' conventions in England They decided that many of these cult shows had enough followers in Northern Ireland to enable them to organise similar events here. Previous attempts by others to arrange events in Belfast had limited success or failed when some high-profile guests didn't show up.

  The first event they staged  in  December 2001at the Holiday Inn. Virginia Hey, one of the lead actors in Farscape, did a Q&A session, signed autographs and posed for photos. Their first full-day event  in September 2002 brought over three actors - the much-love 'Crimelords Of Sunnydale' from the highly popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Their most recent all-day event in November 2005 Serenity: Two by Two brought Jewel Staite and Jonathan Woodward along to theOdyssey Pavilion celebrate the short-lived Joss Whedon TV series Firefly and its spinoff film Serenity.

  Since then they have built up a contact list of interested folk who are likely to come along. Interest in British Science Fiction has revived greatly since Dr Who returned to our television screens.  Momentum is building up in anticipation of this forthcoming event. Thomas hopes that this will bring a good crowd along to the Park Avenue Hotel in East Belfast on the day. They organisers, UT Events, have good contacts with some of the producers of the show and hope to have some original props on display.

  What goes on at one of these all-day events? Things typically kick off with a question and answer session with the guests. The chairman usually primes the pump with a question before opening things up to the audience. There will be time for one free autograph and a photo-session where fans can pay to have their picture taken with one of the guests. While this is going on other fans can browse stalls for DVDs, audiobooks, videos and related merchandising or watch an old show on a big projection screen.

  After dinner there is a fancy-dress competition, and a quiz with some great prizes. After a closing ceremony the event is rounded of in the late evening by a disco that runs through to midnight.

  This convention was originally planned to take place in April. However, former Doctor Colin Baker and former companion Louise Jameson are appearing together at the Grand Opera House in Bedroom Farce in the week running up to the event -  from May 21^st to 25^th. Full details of the play can be had from the Box Office on 028 9024 1919 or www.goh.co.uk.