Doctor Who Festival 2015

Back in November, I was lucky enough to get my hands on tickets to the Doctor Who Festival at the London ExCel. The event spanned three days but we booked for the Saturday only, heading down for the night on the Friday evening.

Staying in a hotel just yards from the venue, it was only a short walk in the stormy conditions battling through the rain with a pretty dodgy umbrella on the Saturday Morning ready for the days festivities.

So we started the day with our first theatre session, which included a panel made up of Mark Gatiss and Kate Walshe. However this was cut short due to our photo sessions with Jenna and Peter Capaldi up next. We had definitely learnt from the previous Doctor Who convention two years previous and made sure we had plenty of time to find the photo rooms. So much so that we were in fact, first in line. Getting up to the photo rooms early was a great decision, as they happened to be located opposite the press rooms. Whilst we sat on the floor waiting for 11am to strike, Peter Capaldi, yes, The Doctor himself, came striding around the corner with his team. However, the press weren't quite ready for him, so he ended up waiting on the other side of the corridor to us. It was so crazy, The Doctor, stood opposite us and I was too nervous to go over! He had his big Doc Martens on, and he had obviously spotted myself and Luke admiring his presence as he smirked over at us, but the next thing we knew he was called in and out popped Jenna Coleman, who had a selfie with one of the festival signs and hurriedly headed around the corner before anyone could see her.

So we were let into the photo room, and waited for Jenna to make her appearance. It wasn't long before she entered the room and I felt Lukes heart flutter ten to the dozen beside me. He wanted me to go first, (probably so he could be in her presence for a while longer) so I walked up, asked her how she was, gave her a big hug, told her I'd miss her in Doctor Who, posed for a photo and thanked her before moving on to collect my photo... its amazing what you can cram into a couple of seconds! She seemed very rushed compared to the last time we met, but it was probably down to the HUGE queue that was forming behind us. You can read all about the first time I met Jenna at Collectormania 2013, here.

Next, we ran around to the photo room next door where Peter Capaldi was having his photo shoot with fans. This queue was a little longer so we had to wait a while on our feet whilst everyone had their time with the main man himself. There were SO many cosplayers in the room, most notably an exquisitely dressed Missy, who myself and Luke were very impressed by. Anyway, about 20 minutes later we were called over for our photo with Peter and the nerves finally kicked in as I locked eyes with The Doctor. He asked how we were, shook our hands, asked our names (of which he kept calling me "Kally" -  I need to learn how to pronounce properly, especially when I'm nervous, but even so, it sounded so great in his accent!) and asked whether we wanted a Doctor Who type "posed" photo or just a "normal" one, to which we agreed the latter and Peter quipped "Good, I love a normal one!" Really pleased with how the photo turned out, and really impressed with how humble Capaldi was. I didn't think anyone would be able to beat Matt Smith, but Peter is definitely level-pegging. This was undoubtedly the best moment of the day!

Following this, we headed into the main hall and decided to queue up for our pre-booked photo on an "iconic" piece of set from series 8. My guess when I purchased these tickets was that the photo would be in the most recent TARDIS console room. But no, instead we scampered into Clara's front room and took a seat on her sofa. This photo makes me laugh so much as it looks like we are proud owners of our new house, having our first photos in our front room. All that is missing is a glass of Prosecco and a packet of Rice Tea biscuits!

Next we spotted Davros' hospital room set piece from series 9, which myself and Luke both agreed would have been the better option for an on-set photo and definitely worth a fiver! We queued up for a while and were grouped with about 15 other people. Each group were briefed not to touch any of the set, health an safety etc and were directed down into Davros' lare for about five minutes each to take as many photos/videos as required. This was great, except there were really too many people allowed in at once. It was hard to get a shot without other visitors walking past the lens or accidentally photobombing a selfie.

Next we went for a wonder around the set pieces and props where I was hoaxed into a Mire's helmet. This was a heavy piece of machinery, luckily the stunt guy was on hand to help balance it on my head! Seriously though, I commend the stunt guys for walking around in these things day in day out on set, they weren't the most comfortable objects!

Following on from this we headed into the writers panel, with appearances from Head Writer Steven Moffat, Sarah Dollard (who's credits include S9 favourite 'Face the Raven') and Peter Harness (S8 'Kill The Moon and S9 'The Zygon Invasion'/'The Zygon Inversion'). This was a great talk, as we delved into the imaginations of three of the best writers on the show. I particularly liked hearing from Sarah following on from her success in her first ever Doctor Who episode 'Face The Raven', and how she came up with using the idea of a Trap Street.

The final panel of the day was Meet the Actors, with appearances from Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez, Ingrid Oliver and Steven Moffat. All five of these guys were absolutely great, but I was really surprised of how fantastic both Michelle and Ingrid were! I've gained so much respect for them after really bringing the final panel to life with their banter before heading home. Missy is without-a-doubt my personal stand-out character of the last series! It must be great to work alongside such brilliant, witty people.

So it was time to grab our bags from the cloakroom and head home but unfortunately my moisturiser had decided to explode in my suitcase, covering pretty much all my clothes it could get to... so there I was...on the floor next to the cloakroom unpacking and drying everything I could (tops, jeans, underwear, pj's sprawled out in front of me!) When I see the four actors who I had just been admiring on stage strolling towards me... yep - Peter, Jenna, Michelle and Ingrid. Nobody else had spotted them and I'm there clinging on to a pile of wet clothes as they stroll past... Ingrid gave me a little smirk but I was way too embarrassed to ask for a photo... I just wanted the ground to swallow me up - Typical! But I dare say what a way to end the day!

So if you are an avid reader of my blog (if there are actually any avid readers out there please make yourself know - it would make my day!!) then you may or may not have noticed I have been having a bit of a break from the blog and my social channels. This started off as an intentional move so that I could focus more on my career and social/personal life, but then my career really did start to take over and I am *still* finding it difficult to find a spare moment or two to write. Which is good, I guess. I do love my job and the harder I work, the more I am growing as a person and as a career-woman. I am noticing my confidence start to blossom and I am starting to enjoy life a bit more (even if I am a workaholic)! However, I do intend to devote as much time as I can spare to this blog in the coming months, but you will have to bear with me until I can get the balance right again. I still have a list of blog posts I am due to write, so I really need to get on top of these, even more so because there is no Doctor Who to keep me motivated this year!

So I need you lovely lot to keep me inspired and I will repay you with a whole load of blabbing and Doctor Who related posts!

Thanks for bearing with me :-)

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A visit to Graystark Hall Orphanage

 Valentines weekend had been planned months in advance with a cheap and cheerful £12 hotel sale. However, the whole stay was pretty much weather-dependent and after the amount of snow, wind and rain the UK had been getting over the previous weeks, we really weren't sure whether we would ever make it down to Cardiff. 

 Thankfully, Saturday arrived alongside the sun beaming high in the sky so off I drove with Luke down to Wales, location stops in hand. 

Bottom Image: Courtesy of BBC

 Our first location was Troy House, Monmouth. We by-pass the town on the way to Cardiff so how we have missed the stop in the past is beyond belief. A cheeky 5 minute detour off the beaten-track later we arrived. 

Bottom Image: Courtesy of BBC

 Cast your minds back to Doctor Who Series 6, and the second of the two-parter Day of the Moon. Canton Delaware and Amy Pond head off to the children's orphanage in search for a missing girl. Here, Amy is later taken by the Silents once she finds the little girls room.  

 I would recommend that those who wish to stop at this location in the future take extra care, unless you have a flashy 4x4 car or are prepared to walk from the main road. My baby Clio unfortunately got battered and bruised through the dirt track leading to the mansion, which is surrounded by farmland and a fully operational working farm. Therefore, the route was full of potholes, pools of water and all sorts of gravel, stones and mud. My bad. I don't think I will be venturing along there again! 

 Anyway, following me totally mastering the slightly off-road driving experience we finally reached the gothic gates, hopped out of the car and landed right into the horrifying squelch of... mud - A lot of it -And in my best shoes. Yes, a top tip if you fancy heading to the spot: PACK THOSE WELLIES! A quick jump out of the car and a few snapshots later then amounted to two dogs hurtling towards the gates from the inside barking like crazy. I suppose it made a change from the eerie silence. We did consider ringing the bell and asking if we could have access to the inside of the grounds for some pictures, but the dogs really startled us so we headed off. 

Note - the amount of mud covering the ground behind me!

 We stopped at two further Doctor Who locations during our little weekend getaway. The next was Fields House from Blink and the final spot, a filming location from Fathers Day. I will try my best to put together posts on both of these as soon as possible! In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful week and are starting to get over them horrid Monday Blues!

If you fancy heading to Troy House, Monmouth:

• Drive carefully and watch out for uneven surfaces/potholes which could seriously damage your car.
• Park close to the main road and walk down to the house (takes approx 5-10 minutes).
• Wear wellies/boots.
• Be aware of the guard dogs. 

Note: The Clio is now all well and good, and since our trip has been cleaned inside and out. Sustained minor scratches to the front of the car - it was all worth it!

To find more about this historic building, you can head to the wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_House  *slaps her University Higher-Educated wrists*

With thanks to http://www.doctorwholocations.net/  :-)

Thanks for reading

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Followed by a mad man and his blue box... The Mailbox, BBC Birmingham

...And I am certainly not complaining! (Sadly, yet to find that mysterious mad man!)

 On Friday 8th February me and my partner headed to the Britain's Got Talent live auditions in Birmingham (blog post to follow), when we decided to stop off and check out Birmingham's very own BBC headquarters, located in the Mailbox.

 We were both first-time visitors to the building, and after perusing around some of the shops we located the BBC entrance. At this moment I acted like a squealing, excitable little child after spotting the TARDIS behind the glass window and, failing to compose myself, sprinted towards the door. 

 Unfortunately, the TARDIS doors were bolted shut - (obviously the doctor knew I would be making a visit and took extra precautions!) Nevertheless, there was a photo opportunity to be had, and a supply of Doctor Who character masks begging to be worn! However, resisting temptation of becoming an Ood, the Empty Child or even Amy Pond for the day, I sported the au naturel PluckyKelly look, see below :-)

Is that my mad man running up the stairs I see...?

 After a quick browse in the BBC store - where you can find all your BBC favourites, and a whole section on Doctor Who/Torchwood goodies (see more HERE) we headed up the stairs. BAD IDEA. Because located at the top of the steps and guarding the first floor, was a menacing Dalek.

 After checking defences and ensuring the Dalek was restrained, I braved a photo, had a quick nose around the multiple studios through the glass windows, grabbed a tours leaflet and made a hasty run for it with Luke. We had survived.

Me looking exceptionally short next to the Dalek

 So after a rather restless afternoon running away from Daleks, searching for that mad man and trying to find our way into the city centre, me and Luke finally made it to the ICC, ready for the Britain's Got Talent Auditions. I will include all the details and lots of pictures of my evening with Mr Cowell in my next blog post :-) 

 In the meantime I was wondering whether any of you had been on the BBC Midlands Today Tour at the Mailbox? If so, would you recommend a visit? Drop me a Tweet or Email  - details of these HERE.

 Overall, my trip to the Mailbox was not the first time I had come across a lonely Time Machine. Back in November when I attended the Dirty Dancing Tour at Cardiff's Millennium Centre with mum, I was astonished to find the TARDIS sat in the foyer, being ignored by the surrounding crowds...

So do I believe someone out there is following me? No, of course not! But if the Doctor was to open them ancient blue doors, I'd travel the stars alongside him any day. 

*The Doctor. In the TARDIS. Next stop: Everywhere*

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Got the (Tardis) Blues...

Hi everyone, I'm currently snowed under with a Doctor Who Dissertation Project... wait a minute... a DOCTOR WHO dissertation project?!

That's right, I've gone completely stark crazy. I'm jeopardising my love for Doctor Who for a blimmin' University project.

You see, life with my Doctor Who dissertation is like this...

...Whereas my old life, was like this... 

 So I'm currently about to start the literature review for my project (Eeekk!). And have re-watched hours of the Science Fiction drama to analyse a few of the characters I have chosen to focus on... along with the writers, producers, directors... etc. I think its pretty fitting to be investigating into Doctor Who during its 50th year anniversary, and lets face it, would I rather be studying anything else?!

 Please feel free to comment with any motivational words of wisdom and who knows, you may even make it into my acknowledgement page ;-)

 I'm on the final stretch of University life now, with just over 3 months left in lectures until I delve into the big bad world! I'm currently juggling my Dissertation with all of my huge pile of planned assignments, plus I am also trying to find time to write out applications for work experience placements in the media sector. 

 I'm also thinking of volunteering at my local animal shelter in the near future - probably after University as it will be a big commitment - and was wondering whether any of you had any experience of this or anything similar and could pass over some friendly thoughts or advice? 

 I'm off out and about over the coming weeks, starting with watching some of the live Britain's Got Talent Auditions next week, a weekend in Wales (where I'll hopefully do some location hunting), and I have lots of pre-paid concerts and gigs lined up over the coming months! 

Please don't hesitate to use any of the methods on the contact me page to get in touch and share your views.


 Don't forget - Doctor Who is back on our screens on Saturday 30th March - BBC One. 

Thanks for reading, blog to you soon :-)

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