Doctor Who on Long Island, Part 1: Fri. and Sat.

I hadn't attended a sci-fi convention in many years (except for the occasional comic book show). But the LIWho convention in Holtsville, Long Island, focusing on Doctor Who was nearby, relatively inexpensive and sounded like a lot of fun. So I bought a weekend pass for the entire three-day event, booked a cheap hotel in nearby Ronkonkama (which I only knew from train announcements), loaded my four Dr. Who books into a suitcase, and drove off last Friday. This brought back memories of numerous cons from my past, several highlighting Star Trek and Dr. Who and even one for Dark Shadows. The main difference between now and then is that the celebrity guests charge for autographs and photo ops. At the cons I attended back in the 80s and 90s, you paid an entrance fee and waited in line for autographs. Now it's an extra fee for each celeb to sign your book or pix and to stand next to you for a photo. This probably started when sports figures charged money for signing items and then actors started it in the US and it gradually migrated to the UK. It's understandable that the performers would want to make some extra money and the cash acts as an incitement to get on a plane to an obscure corner of NY from England, but if you're a fan, it could run into hundreds of dollars. The Doctor Who guests on Long Island were asking anywhere from $20 to $40 a pop for autographs and $60-$80 for a photo standing in front of a TARDIS. If you wanted these tokens from all of the guests (see the poster), you can do the math, but it would break the bank for many.

I had a bad cold on Friday and debated with myself whether to go to Long Island at all. But, fortified with Theraflu and Cold-Eze, I surged ahead. There weren't many events that first day at the Holtsville Holiday Inn. The trading room was small and no guests were doing panels. I had to content myself with watching DW-related clips and a documentary called Doctor Who Am I, featuring the screenwriter of the 1996 Dr. Who TV movie and his journey into the world of the fans. The film was interesting. The author, Matthew Jacobs interviews fans at cons as well as the stars of the 1996 movie--two of whom, Daphne Ashbrook and Ye Jee Tso were appearing at LIWho. He also revealed that his father was an actor who had appeared as Doc Holliday in the Gunslingers episode of the William Hartnell Who.

Daphne Ashbrook (r.) at LIWho

Saturday I was feeling much better and there was a lot more programming available. After a breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant (not great), the morning was filled with hour-long individual panels with Daphne Ashbrook (Dr. Grace Holloway in the 1996 Dr. Who TV movie), Colin Baker (Dr. Who #6, the star attraction of the weekend, $40 for an autograph), and Frazer Hines (Jamie, companion to Dr. #2). Ashbrook is a prolific actress. In addition to her stint in the Whoniverse, she guested on Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and Murder She Wrote. She joked that she is usually killed or kills someone in her roles. Her memoir is jokingly called Dead Woman Laughing because when she was required to play a corpse once, she couldn't stop giggling. In this vein, she told us she had played on the Angela Lansbury series three times and was the killer each time. In one episode she had to poison Florence Henderson. Luckily the victim survived because her character had eaten ice cream, coating her stomach and preventing the poison for taking its course. Thus, Ashbrook was spared the reputation of murdering Mrs. Brady. While everyone else asked about her Dr. Who and Star Trek experiences, I inquired about Murder She Wrote and what it was like working with Lansbury. She said the schedule was very tight and that Lansbury only worked for four consecutive days because she was in almost every scene and it was very debilitating. So they had to get everything right and not waste time on extra takes. Her fellow guest Eileen Brennan was used to working in film and stage and was freer and looser in her performance which drove the crew crazy.

Colin Baker (Doctor #6), Nicola Bryant (Peri)
and Frazer Hines (Jamie) celebrating
the 40th Anniversary of The Two Doctors
at #LIWho #DrWho covention

Colin Baker was very funny and friendly. He's got quite a bit heavier since his Doctor days (as have we all, I have anyway) and reminded me of Nigel Bruce, Doctor Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes. Ironically, he is playing Holmes in a radio play-staged version of Hound of the Baskervilles. Also, he's adding another iconic British role to his repertoire playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol with Tom Baker (recorded only) as the voice of Marley's Ghost, in British theaters. (Colin sarcastically referred to Tom Baker as "His Majesty.") When asked about how he got cast as the Doctor, C. Baker responded he was playing a role opposite Doctor #5 and was sure he wouldn't be cast as the Doctor since no one who had previously appeared on the show subsequently got the role.

But producer John Nathan Turner met him during filming (telling him to tone down his characterization) and was charmed. Frazer Hines told of working with Patrick Troughton (Doctor #2) and how open he was to suggestions and fun from other cast members. (I did meet Troughton at one of my previous cons back in the late 80s. He passed away in his hotel room while attending another con not long after that.)

Yee Jee Tso, another cast member from the 96 movie, offered a slide show of locations of that film. Jacqueline King, Donna Noble's mother on several episodes of the David Tennant years, traced the trajectory of her long career. Nicola Bryant (Peri, companion to Doctors #5 and #6) explained how getting cast in No, No, Nanette led to her getting Peri. Just out of drama school, she landed the title role in the American musical comedy and had the Yank accent. This led to her getting Peri, but she never revealed she really wasn't American until after she left the show. (I was shocked when I learned she was actually British). There were also some funny anecdotes about filming her initial episode and having to pretend to drown next to a nudist German beach. One bather heard her screams and unaware they were filming swam out to recuse her. When he got to her, there was confusion since the cameras were far away on a cliff and her would-be savior did not speak English. It was finally worked out and the German was understandably pissed because the beach was covered with sharp volcanic rocks and he cut himself badly to get to Nicola. Both Nicola and Mark Strickson as Turlough (who rescued her in the story) suffered lacerations as a result of the rocks.

Nicola Bryant signing my
Key to Time book.

Nicola was the only guest I spent $35 on for an autograph since I had a book (The Key to Time, 1983, by Peter Haining) with a picture of her and Colin in costume and Colin had signed it for me back in 1987. I showed the picture to Colin explaining it was from over 35 years ago. He quipped "That's out of date. You need a new one," meaning I should give him $40 for another autograph. (It was a funny joke and we both laughed. But I didn't give him the $40)

Mark Strickson gave more details on that torturous location shoot and the perils of pre-CGI filming. While shooting Mawdryn Undead, Turlough communicates with the Black Guardian through a glowing energy crystal. Strickson had to hold the prop in his hand with a battery attached to provide the luminescence. The wire to the battery ran down Turlough's sleeve and down his trousers to a huge car battery providing the juice. A crew member had to follow him around, lugging the huge master battery. Of course the prop crystal got hot as a result of the energy. The only way to protect his hand from burning was for the actor to cry "Shit" and drop it.

Strickson's story was fascinating. After leaving acting (his post-Dr. Who roles include the George C. Scott Christmas Carol), he became an award-winning nature documentary filmmaker and he described going all over the world for his films. 

LIWho costumed fans

Annette Badland (Margaret Blaine, an Slitheen alien in disguise on Dr. Who) followed. She also appeared on Outlander and Ted Lasso. Costumed attendees got to show off their costumes during the fashion show (pictured above). 

By now it was evening and the day was capped with the Dr. Who cabaret. Colin, Nicola, Fraser and a Cyberman participated in a funny sketch based on Monty Python's famous Argument Clinic scene. Nicola played a prospective Dr. Who companion and Colin was her contradicting interviewer. Two attendees performed a duet from Thoroughly Modern Millie. Pianist Jess Jurkovic played jazz variations on a theme from a DW episode underscoring Jon Pertwee companion Liz being driven to UNIT headquarters.

Finally Frazer Hines and Mark Strickson performed a silly but fun "Doctor Who Had a Farm" and the night ended with an audience-participation game show. (Sunday's events and memories of past conventions follow in upcoming blogs.)