DOCTOR WHO: 50th Anniversary

Finally, I got to writing about this convention...or should I say, THE convention last celebrating the 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the popular BBC series Doctor Who. I had an absolutely lovely time, not just at the convention but touring around London and parts of Europe. But I'm here to blog about the convention; the tour is yet in another post (mostly because I haven't scanned in drawings yet.)

Doctor Who is a children's tv series about the titular character, the Doctor, who travels around time and space in the TARDIS, his spaceship that looks like an old British police box but is bigger on the inside. The show originally premiered on television November 23, 1963. This year, 2013, BBC celebrated the Doctor's 50th anniversary with a 3-day convention last November 22-24 at the ExCel Center in London.

 

L-R: mini-Clara, mini-11, 10th Doctor, River Song

THANKFULLY, ever so thankfully, my mom found us a room in one of the apartments hotels nearby and I mean, just-right-outside near. So, while our ICE WARRIOR tickets were for Nov. 24 and the last day, we were able to visit the hall during the other two days of the event. And that was just wonderful all the more because the train/tube station was right across and it's hard to tour and brave the London weather at this time of the year, with the freezing cold and biting winds.

It was a spectacular weekend. I met a lot of interesting people and great costumes! I also met Steve Ricks of the Doctor costume blog series! It was a pleasure to meet him, and he was wearing his amazing Sixth Doctor outfit (below, 2nd row). The most common outfits were Eleventh Doctor's tweed jacket, Tenth Doctor's brown suit and variations of the TARDIS. There were so many! What I loved best was seeing groups or themes and it was just a thrill to take pictures of them, especially when they get in character. I felt disappointed that I wasn't able to make my costume in time. I had plans to dress up as a female version of Eleven in the purple frock coat but I couldn't find a dressmaker I could afford that could finish it in time.

I may have missed out on celebrating full-blast during the time and place to be, but I had fun all the same. The cast panels and extra shows were very enjoyable. I absolutely loved the first show, VFX, which was hosted by a man who looks like Peter Capaldi (the upcoming 12th Doctor). The VFX show guest was Danny Hargreaves, the man in charge of Real SFX, the studio for all special effects in the new Doctor Who since it's relaunch in 2005. All the behind the scenes/effects techniques they exhibited were a reason I wanted to go into film. Now I'm relapsing and I want to try going for film production again.

The REGENERATIONS panel featured Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy who played the 5th, 6th and 7th Doctors respectively. It's amusing to watch them now, chattering and bouncing around despite their old age of 70+ (except for Peter, who's only 62). They're very much like the Doctor himself--an old soul that is so full of life. I love that. Tom Baker, who played the 4th Doctor, also appeared in the REGENERATION panel but only during Nov. 24th.

The ELEVENTH HOUR panel had Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, The Man Who Created All the Scary Monsters of Modern Whoniverse Steven Moffat and Nick Hurran (director of the 'The Day of the Doctor'). There were a lot of Matt/Jenna moments and there were casual information Moffat threw out that any fan would be ready to debate until the end.

The convention itself was absolutely thrilling. The staff gave out loads of other goodies and freebies, more than we've ever gotten at any local convention. We have tons of plastic miniature Daleks and awesome stickers. We have free ballers and figurines. We kept meeting and seeing wonderfully outfited Whovians. Honestly, Doctor Who makes teenagers and grown-ups feel like kids again. He's like Peter Pan in space.

 

In all my obsession with the series and despite the number of interviews I've watched on Youtube, attending the official event and meeting the actors face-to-face is an entirely different experience. So yeah, our attendance to the convention wouldn't entirely be complete without meeting The Doctor himself. Yes, we had the opportunity to take a snap with Matt Smith. But because our faces were unprepared and turned out too much excited in the photos, I will not post the pictures. I did take other people's pictures, though, as "proof" that I was in the photo booth room.

As I end this article, I am reminded that Christmas is coming up and with it comes that "Fall of the Eleventh" or "The Time of the Doctor," otherwise known as Matt Smith's last episode..but for now, I want to savor that moment. For now, I want to remember how it felt like I was traveling with the Doctor in his TARDIS, seeing the world and exploring new things. For now, I want to remember and celebrate The Day of the Doctor.


You can see more pictures from the convention here in the NO REAL PLOT! Facebook.