Cardiff Film and Comic Con - March 2014

The moment I got home from the last convention in Cardiff, I went straight online to book my hotel for the dates in March! We had such a great time that I knew I wanted to come back, plus I had promised Rachael and Mattie that we would attend the Doctor Who Experience (see previous blog entry for more on that). I had originally booked us in for two nights, but in the end after seeing the ridiculous high cost of the train to travel Friday evening, I decided that travelling up on the Saturday morning would be the cheaper and easier option!

This year, the lineup of guests was fantastic. For me, it was definitely one of the longest list I have had for a convention and the first time I would attend on more than one day. Rachael had also decided she wanted to cosplay, dressing as Rapunzel on Saturday and then Stephanie from Lazy Town on Sunday. On upon arrival in Cardiff, we quickly popped across to our hotel to leave our luggage and then headed over to the Motorpoint Arena where the convention was being held.

Saturday was quite a quick visit for us, as Mattie was feeling very tired from travelling so early and for so long. Luckily, despite being packed we were able to get around to each guest very quickly, spending less time there than I had anticipated. We met Bernard Cribbins, Nicholas Briggs, Julian Glover, Hattie Haybridge and Danny John-Jules. I was very impressed with the crew working Bernard Cribbins' queue as they brought us up to the front of the queue, due to the extra help pass we have for Mattie, meaning less stress for me! Actually the entire crew were superb all weekend!

Bernard was absolutely lovely, though I think I may have shocked him with how quickly I took the photo as I was using my DSLR which works much quicker than my other camera when taking a selfie! Nicholas was fantastic, though Mattie was a little scared as he voices the Daleks in Doctor Who! Julian Glover was amazing and so lovely. He was quite bemused by the fact that there were no 10x8 Photos of Aragog (who he voices) from Harry Potter on his table for him to sign. We had chosen a shot of his character in Doctor Who and because it was before we were born, he very sweetly put the story he was in on the autograph! Hattie Haybridge was lovely too and I have to say she has aged well, barely looks a day older than the last time she did Red Dwarf! As both her and Danny were off to a talk, we didn't get a chance to get Danny's autograph but Hattie got him to appear in the photo. As Danny has cancelled a couple of times for conventions, I really had the wrong impression about who he was, but it turns out he is a friendly guy, encouraging both Rachael and Mattie to be in the photo with us, though Mattie did refuse!

Sunday we spent a lot more time at the convention, despite only have five guests we wanted to meet. As we had shot off after our final guest on Saturday to check into our hotel and then go to the Doctor Who Experience, Mattie had missed out on going to the gaming zone and we had not had the chance to browse the stalls. So I made a deal with Mattie that for every guest I met, immediately after each one, we would go to the gaming zone so he could have a game! This made him very happy and the guests we met were, Devon Murray, Hannah Spearitt, Caitlin Blackwood, Sophie Aldred and John Rhys Davies.

Devon was great to meet and Rachael was very excited to meet him! Meeting him meant we had met two cast members of Harry Potter within a week of each other! Meeting Hannah turned me into a babbling idiot! I have met her while she was part of S Club 7 and I never managed to get photo with her and I did tell her this, so obviously after 15 years of waiting, I was very happy to get that photo. We also had a chat about the Big Reunion and that people were calling for S Club 7 to reform for it, which she found funny. Caitlin Blackwood to those that don't know her name, played little Amy Pond but trust me she is not so little anymore, I mean she is taller than me! She was sweet and reserved and even cam out from behind the table to have a photo with me and Rachael. Sophie Aldred was companion to the Doctor and my first companion, so it was absolute pleasure to meet her and she was even ignoring the sign behind asking for no posed photography!  Finally was John Rhys Davies, who most definitely likes to talk, A LOT! But even so, he was fantastic to meet. He helped clear up our argument to whom he had voiced in Spongebob and then went and gave us an additional one, which got signed specifically for Owen for his birthday!

We had a fantastic weekend at the convention. We came home with a variety of comics for the kids, a Captain America mask, a Merida and Belle figurine and some free posters. Mattie got to kick my butt at Super Smash Bros, though I stand by that I should have won the last game and have challenged him to a rematch at the next convention we go to if the game is available to play! Sadly we are unable to go to the next Cardiff convention due to lack of hotel rooms available the weekend it is on, due to the international rugby match that also happens to be, so I have decided that instead we will go to the Newcastle convention instead next March! Any excuse to photograph a new city!