Shirt...

...Eighteen Certificate

Having held an event for the Season 19 Blu-Ray boxset, it was a no-brainer for Spirit Sinema to organise one for the Season 18 one. Present would be two of the season’s companions, as well as guest stars from several of the individual stories, and from the just released ‘The Macra Terror’ DVD. Dufus’ constantly changing finances meant that he initially decided that he could not afford to attend, then that he could, then that he wouldn’t. Therefore, it was a lone Shirt who made his way to Chiswick, getting there around half an hour after the first signing session had begun. Showing his entry confirmation, he was given a print of an alternative ‘Macra Terror’ DVD sleeve, and paid for his autographs. He was also pleased to find that the attendee stickers had been dispensed with.

Moving into the main hall, he moved to one of the tables where he picked up his pre-ordered copy of the Blu-Ray boxset, which came wrapped in brown paper. Returning to the table where they were selling photographs for signing, and checking for images similar to photos that he had had prepared, Shirt saw an image of Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke and Tom Chadbon from the Granada ‘Sherlock Holmes’ which he decided to buy and get signed.

The first guest that he wanted to meet had been announced for both the last two signings, being a Season 19 guest, Michael Melia, who appeared as the Terrileptil Leader in ‘The Visitation’. His DVD sleeve signed, and Shirt was posing for a photo with Michael.

The queues for the two companions were both long, so Shirt took the opportunity to get Tom Chadbon to sign his newly acquired photo of him as Inspector Hawkins with Holmes and Watson.

“They’re both dead”, commented Tom wistfully, tapping his finger on the images of Brett and Hardwicke, briefly lost in reverie, until Shirt repeated his name and the photo was signed. A photo was then taken of the two of them together.

Next up was John Leeson, whom Shirt had decided he wanted to sign the booklet from the Season 18 boxset. The queue moved surprisingly quickly, and soon Shirt was getting John to sign the booklet and pose for a photo. Moving to the left, Shirt joined a queue for Sarah Sutton, who he had decided could sign his Season 19 booklet. This also moved swiftly, and soon he was getting the booklet signed, and donating £1 to charity to have a photo with Sarah.

Having met all the guests that he wanted in the first session, Andrew McCulloch (who as well as being the writer of ‘Meglos’, also appeared in ‘The Baker Street Boys’) having cancelled, Shirt retired to the nearby mini-supermarket to buy lunch, eating it on the wall outside the hall. Whilst doing so, Shirt was amused by one of the other attendees telling his friend about a What Shop signing earlier that day promoting ‘The Macra Terror’, where there had been no Blu-Ray steelbooks for signing, due to them all being stolen by the courier who was supposed to be delivering them (‘There’s no such thing as Macra steelbooks’).

With fifteen minutes until the second session was due to start, Shirt went back into the main hall to find that two of the new guests that he wanted had started signing. First up was Crawford Logan, who signed Shirt’s ‘Meglos’ cover and then a professionally printed photograph of him as Watson to Roger Rees in the Radio 4 dramatisation of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ that acted as a pilot for the Merrison/Williams series (to replace the printed-at-home photograph that he had previously got Crawford to sign, which had been deteriorating fast).

“That’s the second of those I’ve signed today”, commented Crawford, before emulating Tom Chadbon’s wistfulness as he mused on “what might have been”, as he slowly signed the photo, and posed for a photo with Shirt.

Next up was Damian Samuels, who appears as Mr. Lloyd in ‘The Empty Child’/’The Doctor Dances’, and who also appeared in ‘Sherlock: The Abominable Bride’. Series 1 poster signed, and Shirt was posing for another photo.

The final guest that Shirt wanted had just sat down, John Black, director of ‘The Keeper of Traken’, ‘Four to Doomsday’ and ‘K9 & Company’. His queue proved to be the longest of the day, but after around ten minutes, Shirt was getting his ‘Keeper’ DVD sleeve signed.

Checking he had everything, Shirt made his way out of the hall and back to the station where after five minutes wait, a train came and he was soon making his way home, via Clapham Junction.

[PL]