Clacton Sci-Fi
Convention

by Susan Griffiths

In theory this should have been the one convention I should have had no problem getting to, given that it's in my general part of the world but in previous years something has happened meaning that I've missed it!

I set off on the Sunday morning with a couple of friends, Dave and Janine, to go in search of Highfield Holiday Camp, where the event was being held. We were aided by the event being well sign posted, and after finding an elusive parking space, we headed on in. It cost £7.00 on the day (it was £5.00 in advance for organised people!), which I guess, isn't bad when you think about the amount it costs for entry at some conventions and events these days…

The event wasn't massive, taking place in two large rooms, one of which was split in half to provide seating area for the talks and dealers tables… and four Daleks, too! The dealers had some fun stuff and while it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before I still picked up a couple of items of interest… The second hall housed the main dealers area as well as the autograph signings. The area the autographs were being signed, which was on a raised stage area, was cause for concern as there was not a great deal of room to actually queue up in unless you used the stairs.

Roy Skelton, the voice of Zippy and George in Rainbow, was one of the guests in attendance and possessed the ability to not only go from voice to voice at will, he also held conversations with himself in a variety of said voices. He is also known for his Dalek voices - and treated us to an example. It was amazing to hear him do such a thing considering he didn't need special audio effects to do it! Some parts of the convention were just plain odd - for example, "have your photo taken with a Star Trek girl for £2…" - not actually one of the actors, just someone in costume… well, I guess people are eager enough to have their photos taken with anyone in costume at conventions… There was also a questionnaire asking for opinions of what attendees would like to see in the world of sci fi and what the best show was. Other little touches included trivia information on the walls at regular intervals, for example, snippets about Star Wars and other sci fi shows and films. While we didn't spend a lot of time at the event (after all, we had to go and see what Clacton Pier was like!!) it was a fun way to pass a couple of hours, get some autographs into the bargain - and get to have a trip to the seaside too!