Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Cult TV Festival 2001 by Carol Duggan

Last October I went to the Festival for the first time. Held in Liverpool, England, it was a three hour train journey from London. I confess that I was a little anxious given the reputation Sci-Fi Conventions have with the "general public". As it turned out very few people were "in costume', but it was a little un¬nerving to find myself standing next to a life-size Captain Scarlet. The Festival was based in a hotel that was the subject of a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary! Luckily it turned out to be the swankiest place I'd ever stayed. I had threatened not to retain to work afterwards as
I was going to run off with a "Trekker". For some reason, they didn't believe me.

GREAT NEWS GANG-WE ARE NOT ALONE

At the opening ceremony they showed a number clips including an episode of Diagnosis: Murder. This video was about a murder at a Sci-Fi Convention. Afterwards the compere commented that the costumes look like cast off from "V". I was astonished at the number of people in the audience who nodded in agree¬ment.

PREVIOUS FESTIVALS

The first one was held in a Holiday Village in Norfolk 1994. The videos on show that weekend ranged from The A-Team to The X-Files. Those with a lot of stamina were able to stay up until 2 A.M. to Watch V: The Return.
The following year ''V'' was again included in the Video Rooms. This time around "The Wildcats" was shown at a more civilized time of 8 a.m., after the final episode of Twin Peaks.

No mention of V in the 1997 program. However the Highlights video for 1998 included Eric Pierpoint (Alien Nation) who made several references to Ken Johnson.
All was quiet again until Sarah Douglas attended in 2000. Her interview was included on the Highlights Video. Also the Brochure included a full page article with her photo and a list of the V movies and T.V. series episodes. Oh yes, Beastmaster 2 got a mention as well.

SO WHAT DID I GET UP TO?

Well, the first thing I did was cause a bit of chaos in the Dealers Room. I innocently admitted that I'd never seen Babylon 5 and asked one of the Dealers to show me the pictures Lady Ladira. Some of us knew her better as Fredi Olster, Marc Singer's costar in Taming of the Shrew. Eventually all of the available B5 fans were consulted and NONE OF THEM HAD THE SLIGHTEST IDEA!

There were several Video Rooms and I got to see lots of old TV programs like Target and The Sweeney (two English "Cops" shows), Robin of Sherwood and one I've never heard of before, Space: Above and Beyond. There was an episode of Buffy and the pilot for Smallville. 1 was rather disappointed with the latter but I hear it has had rave reviews. So I guess it was just me that didn't like it.

The Dealer Room had a variety of merchandise with a huge amount of Xena "stuff'. I spent a long time lurking by a stall crammed with folders of photos, stickers, key chains, etc. Plenty of pictures from "V" so you can guess which Dealer got most of my money!

Of course there were Celebrity interviews and autographed signings too. The ones I queue for were Sarah Sutton (Nyssa from Dr. Who), Sally Knyvette (Jenna from Blakes Seven), Nickolas Grace (Sheriff of Nottingdam from Robin of Sherwood).

Saturday was Awards Night, with prizes for the Best of...and The Worst of ... in all sorts of categories. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Sylvia Anderson. I was amazed at the reception she got, as I hadn't realized that she is the equivalent of royalty!

Sunday was Cabaret Night. The first part was the Delegates Competition. This was won by two women as characters from The Simpsons. Complete with yellow faces and blue hair they had a comedy conver¬sation about McGuyver! Finally came the Celebrity party Pieces. Now although I'm a Hercules fan as well as an all time V Fan , I had always thought of Michael Hurst as the " irritating one". This meant that I didn't go to his interview or his signing, a fact that I now regret. His cabaret act was aimed well and truly at his English audience. Starting with a Victorian Music Hall Melodrama and including a song from Jesus Christ SuperStar and a sketch of an Irish Priest giving a sermon. His Finale was a British Pan¬tomime favorite -Nobody Loves a Fairy When She's Forty. He later signed the Fairy Wings and donated to the auction. If you ever get the chance to see him perform "Live" on stage, don't hesitate. This man is a GENIUS!
It was especially nice that the celebrities felt comfortable enough to mingle with the fans, who in turn didn't pester the stars. Michael Hurst was able to enjoy his breakfast in peace in the same restaurant as the rest of us.

Do you get the impression that I enjoyed myself? You bet I did, in fact I was one of the first 50 to sign up for next year, even before they had announced any guests!
The Cult T.V. Festival 2002 is in October, as it is every year. This time it is in Southport a Sea Town and famed for the beach where the Racehorse, Red Rum, was trained during his record breaking run

Of being 1st or 2nd in 5 consecutive Grand National Steeplechases. The guest announced to date don't in¬clude anyone with V connections I'm afraid. However, 2003 is their 10th Anniversary and to celebrate they plan on inviting back guests from previous years. As you will guess, I will be doing my besUo get Sarah Douglas included on that list. After all, 20 years of V and 10 years of The Cult T.V. Festival, what a perfect way to celebrate.

Go to http://festival.culttv.net.

No comments: