Shirt…

...and the Manchesterford Medic.

Seventh Galaxy Events’ next signing offered two people that Shirt really wanted to meet, but not particularly for their ‘Doctor Who’ work. Even Chalky was tempted to accompany Shirt to meet one of the guests, until assisting Tigger in making a cornucopia of cakes (but no macaroons – are you starting to guess who it is yet ?) meant that he could not do so.

On arrival, and having paid for three autographs, Shirt first made for Mary Healey – ‘Killjoy’ in “The Happiness Patrol” – getting her to sign his DVD sleeve. Then it was time for the first of the two guests that had excited Shirt. Making his way over to a signing table at right angles to the main signing table, Shirt was soon standing before “Meglos” guest-star, Crawford Logan. However, it was a later appearance in a different media that interested Shirt. Crawford was surprised when Shirt produced a photo that he had printed off at home of Crawford and Roger Rees as Watson and Holmes in a BBC Radio adaptation of “The Hound of the Baskervilles”.

“Where did you find the picture”, he asked.

“In a book about the series that followed”, replied Shirt.

“Do you know what happened ?”, asked Crawford to Shirt’s delight, as he had been wondering how to broach it.

The fact was Roger and Crawford appeared in what ended up being the pilot for the Merrison/Williams completed dramatised canon (in which the two appeared in all 60 Conan-Doye stories), but which clearly had been recast.

“They said they wanted ‘names’”, Crawford told a rapt Shirt, “then Roger was unavailable for the dates they wanted. I attended several meetings, but then the phone just stopped ringing”.

Commiserating with Crawford as he signed the photo, Shirt handed his own camera to the man behind him in the queue.

“Can I have a photo ?”, he asked Crawford (wishing to add to his ‘me with Holmes/Watson’ collection).

“Of course”, said Crawford standing up, and posing for a photo taken by the stranger who had had the camera thrust upon him.

Thanking Crawford, and momentarily losing his autographs sheet, Shirt joined the longest queue, at the far-side of the room, for an actress whose credits include ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘The Phantom Menace’, ‘St. Trinians’ and ‘Gormenghast’. However, it was for her appearance in the first episode of Series 7B of ‘Doctor Who’ and more importantly, her long-term association with a certain Northern comedienne, that Shirt (and Chalky) wished to meet her for. Ms. Celia Diana Savile Imrie, for it was she, was happily signing a multitude of photos of her in many roles, as well as a large number of “The Bells of St. John’s” DVD covers.

Ten minutes later, and Shirt was at the front of the queue.

Celia was impressed at Shirt rolling out his ‘Series 7B’ poster, of Matt and Jenna-Louise on the motorcycle at the Shard, and ‘touched’ to be the first signature on it (Dan Starkey having been a cancellation two weeks before).

Poster signed, and Shirt was again asking for a photograph. Serendipity meant that the same stranger was behind Shirt in the queue, but the official event photographer who was also nearby, agreed to take the photo instead.

Thanking Miss Babs, Shirt moved off, carefully stowing all his items, before wending his way home.

[PL]