Shirt...

...On The Seventh Day.

It was the Seventh (Large Endings’) Day, but Shirt was in no mood for resting. Following the release of ‘The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure’, a four-disc epic straddling four separate Doc6 companions, ending with the true facts of the Sixth Doctor’s regeneration into the Seventh, a number of associated guests would be attending the infamous Slough hotel, including India Fisher, and Lisa Greenwood, as well as the Valeyard and Old Sixie himself, in the persons of Michael Jayston and Colin Baker.

Shirt made his way to Paddington and then onto Slough. On exiting the station, he looked around for someone to share a taxi with, seeing a group of ‘Dark Shadows’ guests including Enigma’s favourite companion, Matthew Waterhouse, waiting for the rest of their group. Shirt then noticed a fan that he recognised from previous events, but he seemed to be walking away from the taxis and into the station.

Noticing Shirt’s interest, the fan addressed him, “No, I’m not going today – I’m on my way to London to meet a girl”

‘To meet a girl ? And he calls himself a Doctor Who fan’, thought Shirt.

At that moment, another fan appeared and they agreed to share a taxi for the ten minute journey.

Parting from his travelling companion, Shirt was soon picking up his registration pack, and struggling to put his wristband on. Next he paid for autographs for Colin, Michael and Lachele Carl who plays Trinity Wells, the American newsreader in ‘WHO’, ‘SJA’ and ‘Torchwood’.

Moving into the main signing area which was still just outside the panel room, Shirt found a long queue for Louise Jameson, who was already signing as she had to be away before lunchtime. Deciding that having met her at Pandorica & LE Day 6 in the past year, to forego getting her signature, Shirt moved into the panel room, having purchased the ‘Locum Doctors’ trilogy and ‘Breaking Bubbles & Other Stories’ after finally managing to get the queue to part to allow him to reach the racks of CDs.

Fifteen minutes later, the first panel started – “The Omega Factor”- meaning that Louise had to leave her signing responsibilities to join Natasha Gerson to discuss the LE audio sequel to the original programme. Shirt having limited knowledge of the programme just attempted to look interested, whilst waiting for other people to start signing. This completed and Shirt exited the hall to get his paid-for autographs. Michael and Colin were in the room that Siobhan Redmond had been at the last event, and happily signed the double-page photo of them squaring-up in the ‘Last Adventure’ collectors’ booklet. Next up, in hotel reception was Lachele, who signed a photo that Shirt had just bought at the Seventh Galaxy stall. Due to her having a photo-shoot later, Shirt was unable to get a photo with her.

Moving back into the main signing area, Shirt joined a queue for India Fisher, carefully sorting his covers out which this time he was storing in small clear document folders, split into ‘Actors’ and ‘Writers’. The queue moved slowly, but India was ensuring that the ‘five items at a time’ rule that had been introduced for this event was being stuck to. India recognised Shirt immediately, and they discussed the last time that they had met when India was selling cakes in a market. Five items signed, including the ‘Charlotte Pollard – Series 1’ boxset and her photo in ‘The Last Adventure’ and Shirt was side-stepping to Lisa Greenwood, who signed on the facing page which featured her, as well as on two other ‘Flip’ covers.

He was initially confused as to one of the signatures on one of the covers, until Lisa gently told him that it was the audio’s writer, Andrew Smith.

Next Shirt moved to the back of the room, getting John Banks on a few more covers, and Yasmin Bannerman and Travis Oliver on his ‘Damaged Goods’ cover.

At the next table were ‘Terrahawks’ guests, Beth Chalmers and Robbie Stevens. However, both were also in other LE plays, so Shirt queued for Beth. The fan in front was blatantly disregarding the ‘five items at a time’ rule, getting Beth to sign over twenty covers. However, neither Beth nor Shirt felt able to call him out on this, with Beth glancing at Shirt and mouthing ‘Sorry’. After about five minutes, Shirt finally got Beth on the ‘UNIT: Dominion’ cover that features Raine (the man in front having got all four covers signed, three signed in small script, and the one featuring her character’s image in big script), as well as Eighth Doctor adventures in which she appears in several roles. Moving along, Shirt got Robbie to sign ‘The Last Adventure’ as he appears as a Timelord in the final episode, as well as two recent releases, ‘We Are The Daleks’ and ‘Criss Cross’, and a ‘Terrahawks’ DVD boxset.

Shirt then paid his first visit to the writers’ room, passing IndyTimelord in the corridor, getting Justin Richards, Andrew Smith and Simon Guerrier on covers as well as books. Returning back into the signing area, Shirt managed to get Daniel Bottomley, Scott Handcock and David Llewellyn on his ‘Torchwood: The Conspiracy’ cover, as well as various other audios in which the three were involved, before they went into the main hall for a panel.

Shirt followed them in, taking a seat at the back, enjoying a panel about the upcoming 'Torchwood' audios. The next panel was 'The Third Doctor Adventures', but Shirt decided that not being that interested in this range, and having got all the actors that he wanted (Lisa Bowerman not being present for once) it was time for lunch, and so once more took the short walk to the parade of shops and the newsagents where he again bought some lunch.

Having resorted his covers, so that all the ones he needed for the afternoon were in one wallet, Shirt returned to the hotel, and a ‘Novel Adaptations’ panel in which Travis Oliver revealed that he had been suggested for the part of Chris by Russell T. Davies, author of the original novel, when he had not got a part in RTD’s ‘Cucumber’.

Panel completed, and Shirt allowed panellist, Andy Lane, five minutes to get to the writers room before returning there with a number of ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ books for Andy to sign. Having completed this, Shirt asked for a photo which another attendee gracefully took.

Returning to the main signing area, and Shirt managed to get ‘Scarifyers’ authors, Simon Barnard and Paul Morris to sign ‘The Last Adventure’, for which they wrote the first part, as well as a few other covers for them both and almost the entire ‘Scarifyers’ series for Paul (who had been shy on the last time that Shirt had met Simon).

Matt Fitton was now selling on the LE stall, and so Shirt took the opportunity to get him to sign the page of his ‘The Last Adventure’ episode, as well as ‘Criss Cross’. Also now selling at the stall was Tom Webster, LE cover designer, who signed his two page photo-montage in 'The Last Adventure', as well as several other audios whose covers he had designed.

James Goss had also joined the ‘Torchwood’ table and so Shirt got a few covers and books signed.

The queue for India remained long, so Shirt decided not to join it again to get three more items signed, instead sitting in on a 'Terrahawks' panel.

Exiting the hall again, Shirt found that Nicholas Briggs had begun signing, and so he got the final part of ‘The Last Adventure’ signed, as well as ‘The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘The Defectors’.

Returning to the panel room, he was in time for the second half of an ‘Early Adventures’ panel, and Elliot Chapman and Anneke Wills reading an extract from a Second Doctor Target novelisation.

The final panel of the day was for ‘The Last Adventure’, featuring Colin, India and Lisa. They bantered away happily, with Shirt’s expectation in relation to listening to it, increasing steadily as the session went on.

This concluded, and Shirt was walking back to the station to avoid the crush for taxis.

However, on his arrival he found that his intended train back to London had been cancelled due to signalling problems, and he would have to get a later and slower train.

Normally this would not have mattered, but Shirt was racing to get back to London and then Chalky and Tigger’s to watch the first episode of Season Nine, with other gang members.

Texting Chalky to inform him of the delay, Shirt strived to get there as soon as he could, eventually arriving over an hour later than intended.

He was greeted warmly by Chalky, Tigger, Enigma, Lupine & Zygon Curry, and after a brief pause for Shirt to eat the wondrous fare provided by Tigger, they sat down to watch the episode. Once again, Tigger expressed her annoyance at the episode being a two-parter.

All too soon the gathering broke up, with Shirt accompanying Enigma home on the bus, musing on another outstanding LE Day.

[PL]