Entertainment Media Show 2012

After attending London Film and Comic Con and having the most amazing time, it is a safe bet to say I caught the convention bug! So it will come as no surprise that I attended my second convention at the beginning of October and again had an amazing time.

The Entertainment Media Show has a similar set up to LFCC. It is a predominantly a signing event but with the added addition of Sports Stars. I had been keeping my eye on the forums to see who was announced as guests and while a few people were announced that I wanted to meet, it was not until the stars of two huge sci-fi programmes were announced that I decided I had to go. It was also an additional treat for Matthew as it was his 7th Birthday the day we had chosen to go.

I have to admit I was expecting the show to be as busy as LFCC so it was a bit of a shock to get off the train just before 10am to no queues. It was a blessing in disguise as it allowed for a more relaxed day for me and Mattie and actually resulted in minimal meltdowns from him. We were able to go straight in, upgrade our tickets and pick up our Extra Help Pass with no waiting.

I had originally plan to tell our story from the day but sadly, my laptop crashed and died before I completed my original blog entry. So instead, it will be a quick recap from day, guest by guest.

Before I jump into the story of our day, I must explain now about the monkey I am going to mention. At Mattie's school, each class has a mascot and each weekend, one child gets to take it home. As it was Mattie's birthday, he had been given the mascot, Curious George and his book to write about their weekend in. We had decided immediately that we would bring George and see how many of the guests would be willing to have their photos taken with him!

Guest Number 1: Chris Barrie

First up, one of the stars of Red Dwarf and one of the reasons I decided to come, Chris Barrie. I have Chris is absolute gentleman and a pleasure to meet. I had got to have a quick chat with, as he didn't have as long a queue as I was expecting. I cannot remember much of the conversation except for telling him my  husband, Jon, who is a huge fan, was unable to come as he was at football and telling him what team we supported, who I think he was not impressed by. He also willing posed with monkey after I explained it was part of school project (which in a way it is).

Guest Number 2: Robert Llewelyn

Next, we went to meet Robert Llewelyn, another of the stars of Red Dwarf. I think poor Mattie got confused as Robert plays a robot on the show, so to see him look normal compared to his picture of him in character was confusing. Robert was great to meet and was fantastic posing with the monkey!! Probably the most enthusiastic with it!






Guest Number 3: Matt Smith

The next guest we met was the main reason for us attending, the current Doctor, Matt Smith. I was so excited to meet him, as was Matthew. First, we headed for our photo opportunity with him. We used our pass to cut into the queue near the front and barely waited a couple of minutes before it was our turn. Poor Mattie got scared and ran straight pass Matt, who attempted to say hello. I had to explain that Mattie had been really excited to meet him but was a little scared for some reason! Matt understood and turned so we could have our photo, he was very polite and welcoming with every fan who had their photo with him. I was quite impressed with the new printing on site as I got my photo within 2 minutes of it being taken. Well Done Showmasters!!! Only problem with photo, is it is impossible to crop to a small enough size as Matt is so tall!

After having a look round, we then headed over to get Matt's autograph. The queue was long but moving swiftly. We chose for the picture that would be signed and told them who we wanted the autograph made out to. I chose "The Ellacott Family" as we all love Doctor Who. Once we got to the front, Matt greeted us with "Hello, The Ellacott Family!" in the exact same voice as the Doctor. Matt is exactly like his character, which was fantastic! Matt was most definitely worth the money we paid to meet him and would be a welcome return to any convention we attend in the future.

Guest Number 4: Henry Davies

I will admit I am not hugely into comic books, but the chance to meet Henry Davies, a comic artist for Beano and Dandy, was too good an opportunity to pass up. I had heard amazing things about him from how great he is with the fans to the amazing drawings he will do for you if asked. I thought getting Mattie a drawing of himself would be a great present so we headed over as requested one. Henry was fantastic with Mattie and understanding of Mattie's autism. Once he had enough to do his drawing, he encouraged to go and enjoy our day and come back for the drawing later, something I really appreciated. The drawing itself was fantastic and something I will cherish forever.


Guest Number 5: Dean Cain

Another big draw for me, Dean Cain a.k.a. Superman. Mattie got really excited when he realised who Dean was, not because he had ever seen the show, just because he was Superman! Dean was a fantastic guest to meet and Mattie had him laughing because of his excitement of who he was. Turns out meeting Superman is way cooler in the eyes of a 7 year old than meeting Doctor Who!






Guest Number 6: Robert Englund

After speaking to Jon, I had to add two additional guests to my list of people to meet. The first was Robert Englund, most famous for playing Freddie Kruger. It was added bonus for me as he had also had a guest appearance on Charmed! Mattie was a little wary of meeting him as the fan in front had a replica claw glove, which scared Mattie. He also was not impressed by the photos used for autographs. Once we met him though, Mattie relaxed as Robert was not (obviously) in costume and he was a really nice and down to earth person.




Guest Number 7: Craig Charles

Craig was the most popular of the Red Dwarf cast and so we waited a little longer to meet him. He was a great guy to meet and willingly posed with Mattie's monkey, though I suspect that he thought I was nuts for even asking. I have to say I was impressed with Craig as originally he was only booked for one day but he decided to appear the next day as well!






Guest Number 8: Billy Gunn

This was the second guest Jon had asked me to go and meet. To be honest, I had and still have no idea who he is, except for the fact he is a wrestler. Despite that, he was such a great guest and so happy! He had Mattie in hysterics by making funny faces and playing with the monkey and was more than happy to pose for a photo with Mattie's monkey.






Guest Number 9: Luke Campbell

Meeting Luke was a special present for Mattie and Charlie. Luke was an Olympic Gold Medalist for Team GB at London 2012 and I had promised the boys to get his autograph for each of them. However, we ended going back and forth from where he was sitting as he was never there when we went. Eventually he turned up back from lunch and proved to be worth the wait. He was so quiet and such a nice guy. He was fantastic with Mattie and had photos with both of us. I know getting his autograph made Charlie really happy as well.

Cosplayers

One of the big part of conventions, as I have come to discover, is Cosplay, which is simply (as I was told) hardcore fancy dress. The effort the people who take part in Cosplay put into the details of their costumes is amazing! But sadly, it is so good that it scared Mattie. I had to coax him into going to look at K9 and the Tardis as he did not like that a Dalek was nearby. One person, who had dressed as an incarnation of the Doctor, walked over, tapped the Dalek and promptly told Mattie that it had been switched off and then just about encouraged Mattie to have a photo with him and a woman dressed as Sarah Jane. I have to thank them so much for doing that!


All in all, despite it being quiet, we had a fantastic day and met everyone we wanted to meet. I know Mattie had a great day and it really made his birthday even more special!