These books weren't cheap to buy, but they are only going to become more valuable as the years go by.
Wednesday 25 November 2015
Plugging a Gap
Today is a good day. A parcel arrived from overseas containing two hard-to-find books, in good-excellent condition, which completes my set of classic Doctor Who annuals.
These books weren't cheap to buy, but they are only going to become more valuable as the years go by.
These books weren't cheap to buy, but they are only going to become more valuable as the years go by.
Thursday 12 November 2015
Signed DVD Covers
The VHS range was coming to an end when the DVD range started. I faced the grim reality that my VHS collection would need to go to make way for the inevitable gathering of the new digital video format.
Fortunately, Tenth Planet was doing signings for new DVD releases also, and I started buying my DVDs from them at the same time as I was completing my VHS collection. As with the VHS covers, I was lucky enough to be able to purchase just the signed DVD covers from previous signings for the same outrageous price of £2 per cover.
My first Tenth Planet DVD was Resurrection of the Daleks, and I continued to buy my DVDs from them until they sadly stopped having an online store to focus on Doctor Who Events (such as Time Quest 2). All in all I collected 32 signed DVD covers, many signed by actors now no longer with us (Nicholas Courtney, Caroline John, Kate O'Mara, Peter Miles, Peter Halliday, Michael Sheard etc).
It was a sad day when Tenth Planet stopped selling signed DVDs. I moved on to Amazon.co.uk and started saving some money instead.
For one last hurrah, I recently bought the final DVD to be released to complete the "Classic Range" from Anneke Wills' website, along with a bonus signed photo, which arrived at the office today.
Fortunately, Tenth Planet was doing signings for new DVD releases also, and I started buying my DVDs from them at the same time as I was completing my VHS collection. As with the VHS covers, I was lucky enough to be able to purchase just the signed DVD covers from previous signings for the same outrageous price of £2 per cover.
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| The TV Movie (signed by Sylvester McCoy and Yee Jee Tso) | Vengeance on Varos (signed by Colin Baker) |
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| The Tomb of the Cybermen (signed by Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling and Mark Ayres) | Carnival of Monsters (signed by Katy Manning and Peter Halliday) |
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| Resurrection of the Daleks (signed by Terry Molloy and Leslie Grantham) | The Seeds of Death (signed by Frazer Hines) |
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| The Talons of Weng-Chiang (signed by Louise Jameson, Christopher Benjamin, John Bennett and David Maloney) | The Dalek Invasion of Earth (signed by Carole Ann Ford, Ann Davies, and Nicholas Smith) |
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| Earthshock (signed by Janet Fielding) | The Two Doctors (signed by Nicola Bryant, Jacqueline Pearce and Clinton Greyn) |
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| The Curse of Fenric (signed by Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Parsons, Dinsdale Landen and Mark Ayres) | The Three Doctors (signed by Katy Manning, Nicholas Courtney, Bob Baker and Stephen Thorne) |
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| The Visitation (signed by Janet Fielding and Michael Melia) | Pyramids of Mars (signed by Gabriel Woolf, Michael Sheard and Nick Burnell) |
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| The Green Death (signed by Stewart Bevan, Jerome Willis and Tony Adams) | The Leisure Hive (signed by Tom Baker and Martin Fisk) |
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| Ghost Light (signed by Ian Hogg and Frank Windsor) | Lost in Time (signed by Deborah Watling and Ian East) |
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| Horror of Fang Rock (signed by Louise Jameson) | The Claws of Axos (signed by Richard Franklin, Bernard Holley and Fernanda Marlowe) |
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| Revelation of the Daleks (signed by Alexei Sayle) | The Web Planet (signed by William Russell, Maureen O'Brien and Clive Doig) |
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| City of Death (signed by Lalla Ward) | An Unearthly Child (signed by William Russell) |
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| The Daleks (signed by Virginia Wetherell) | Genesis of the Daleks (signed by Peter Miles, Dennis Chinnery and Stephen Yardley) |
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| Inferno (signed by Caroline John and Nicholas Courtney) | The Hand of Fear (signed by Philip Hinchcliffe) |
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| The Mark of the Rani (signed by Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Kate O'Mara) | The Sontaran Experiment (signed by Brian Ellis and Donald Douglas) |
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| The Invasion (signed by Nicholas Courtney and Peter Halliday) | Day of the Daleks (signed by Katy Manning, Richard Franklin and Scott Fredericks) |
For one last hurrah, I recently bought the final DVD to be released to complete the "Classic Range" from Anneke Wills' website, along with a bonus signed photo, which arrived at the office today.
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| The Underwater Menace (signed by Anneke Wills) | Polly and Ben (signed by Anneke Wills) |
Wednesday 11 November 2015
Signed VHS Covers
One fateful day, long ago, I was browsing to find a cheaper source for purchasing the latest Doctor Who video tapes. My previous supplier (BlackStar.co.uk) changed to a new company and increased the prices which was a big shame at the time. While looking around, I found a company called Tenth Planet which sold VHS tapes for a little bit more than Amazon, but they often had signings for all new releases.
The first such tape I bought was The Gunfighters. It came with a normal cover, plus an additional cover signed by Jackie Lane, David Graham, and Shane Rimmer. I was pleased enough with it to continue to buy the VHS releases through to the end of the run.
I cheekily asked if they had any signed covers in stock from previous signings, and luckily for me, they did have some left which they sold to me for only £2 each. (Bargain!!!)
The first such tape I bought was The Gunfighters. It came with a normal cover, plus an additional cover signed by Jackie Lane, David Graham, and Shane Rimmer. I was pleased enough with it to continue to buy the VHS releases through to the end of the run.
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| The Gunfighters (signed by Jackie Lane, David Graham and Shane Rimmer) | The Mutants (signed by Garrick Hagon) |
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| Meglos (signed by Lalla Ward and John Leeson) | The Horns of Nimon (signed by Janet Ellis) |
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| Invasion of the Dinosaurs (signed by Richard Franklin and Martin Jarvis) | The Faceless Ones & The Web of Fear (signed by Wanda Ventham, Donald Pickering, and Chris Tranchell) |
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| The Sensorites (signed by Carole Ann Ford) | The Time Meddler (signed by Maureen O'Brien) |
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| City of Death (signed by Lalla Ward) | Underworld (signed by Louise Jameson) |
Thursday 5 November 2015
Conventions
Living out in far-flung New Zealand, the opportunity to go to conventions are limited without significant expense. Fortunately, I have been lucky to go to three reasonably large conventions in my time, and was able to take my son William (who is a keen Doctor Who fan himself) to two of them.
Time Quest 2 (13-14 March 2010) was my first convention, and I couldn't have picked a better one to go to for my first. In attendance were five Doctors, along with Janet Fielding, Michael Jayston, several cast and crew of Big Finish, and several other guests. [Time Quest 2: Day 1, Day 2]
The photo sessions were independent of the signing sessions and the conference talks, so one had to choose what to do at any given time, but on the whole the event was extremely well run. The photo sessions were over very quickly, and you barely had time to speak with them, but the signing sessions allowed a little more time for a chat. Along with my Journal of Impossible Things, we bought a few stock photos and had them signed too.
The next two conventions I attended were held in New Zealand: The Lords of Time (13th April 2013), Auckland, and Armageddon Expo (1-2 March 2014) in Dunedin.
The Lords of Time wasn't quite as big as Time Quest 2, but it did bring Doctors 5-8 and Nick Briggs to New Zealand and was more about the talks, but we did get an opportunity to get our photo taken with all of them at once, along with several informal chats with them as they occasionally mingled with the crowds. Sylvester McCoy and Will seemed to hit it off and had a lovely time together, and Will had a good chat to Nick Briggs about his Dalek voices. For me it was much more relaxed - like meeting up with old friends again! [Lords of Time: Event]
Armageddon brought Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant to Dunedin, and Mark Strickson (who lives in Dunedin nowadays) came along too. Bizarrely, the first time I met Mark was in Mitre 10 while our sons were playing together in the in-store playground. For me, I was nervous about meeting Nicola as I had somewhat of a crush on her when I was a young lad... :o
Time Quest 2 (13-14 March 2010) was my first convention, and I couldn't have picked a better one to go to for my first. In attendance were five Doctors, along with Janet Fielding, Michael Jayston, several cast and crew of Big Finish, and several other guests. [Time Quest 2: Day 1, Day 2]
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| Tom Baker | Peter Davison |
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| Colin Baker | Sylvester McCoy |
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| Paul McGann | Janet Fielding |
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| Michael Jayston |
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The Lords of Time wasn't quite as big as Time Quest 2, but it did bring Doctors 5-8 and Nick Briggs to New Zealand and was more about the talks, but we did get an opportunity to get our photo taken with all of them at once, along with several informal chats with them as they occasionally mingled with the crowds. Sylvester McCoy and Will seemed to hit it off and had a lovely time together, and Will had a good chat to Nick Briggs about his Dalek voices. For me it was much more relaxed - like meeting up with old friends again! [Lords of Time: Event]
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| All of the Doctors at once, and proof that Sylvester McCoy invented the Sonic Glasses |
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