minthumpugs

If you're coming in from town/meadowhall get it from a cash machine in town. I think there may be some in the entertainment complex over the road but dont quote me on it. Don't recommend relying on the cash machines in the arena, the last few years they've been empty within an hour or so and that's it.

Edit: Ignore post, misread the stage column for photoshoots :) So does this mean there's no single photoshoots for Doctor Who, only combined ones with all the guests together? Are they triple the price?

The only guests that have been announced on the forum or on the main site page are Camille Coduri, Richard Franklin and Katy Manning, but they're not on this list, whereas Colin, Deborah, Nicola and Jemma are on this one. Is this a mix up or have the guests been changed?

Hurray!! SO thrilled

Doctor Who: Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse, William Russell, Wendy Padbury, Anneke Wills, Angela Bruce. I'd also love to meet Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, they'd make a great panel. Would really love to see some Harry Potter guests too! Dreaming big I'd love to see some of the cast of Warehouse 13, especially Allison Scagliotti, Jaime Murray, Eddie McClintock & Joanne Kelly.

A lot of the stalls were anime-centric, if that's what you mean? Plush, dvds, manga, posters/scrolls etc. There was also a healthy amount of anime cosplay. There isn't a "section" per se, the dealer floor isn't huge and is pretty crammed in, but there's plenty of merch to be had, nearly came home with a big totoro last year. I'd say maybe a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the tables had at least some anime merch, if not exclusively anime (there were some that just sold manga, etc). If you want cosplayer pics, the places people were meeting up/taking pics were in front of the white panelled "wall" on the dealer floor (You'll see what I mean when you're there, it's on the far... right, I think? Or left, depends on your perspective. But it's about the only section of open space), in the area near the prop photos/the cosplay contest sign up table, or if you're lucky you can just catch someone on the catwalks near the stairs, there was a LOT of cosplay, we saw the most amazing Blaziken I've ever seen, haha.

Angela Bruce! She's doing a few Showmasters this year, just not the one I can get to :'( My partner and I are huuuuge Bambera fans. I'd also love to meet Carole Ann Ford or William Russell, just generally I'd love more Doctor Who peeps to round out the panels - Sarah Sutton or Matthew Waterhouse would be fantastic too. The Doctor Who panels were both so fantastic last year so I'm a bit sad there's not as many guests this year to liven the panels up.

Yeah, half as many guests as last year thus far (35 last year), really hoping it picks up now LFCC is over and done with. Only one or two were added last minute last year, but Anthony Head was added about a week before, so fingers crossed there's still time for them to pick up someone who only takes on con contracts at the last minute in case of work coming up. Not as many "headliners" this year, esp since Robert is doing several uk cons this summer.

as for #2 - last year it was still possible to order tickets directly from the venue's website for a few days after the tickets store closed (up until a few days before the convention if I remember right), not sure what the situation will be this year, and obviously can't speak for the Early Birds being in stock still. As for #4 - I heard after last year that they hit capacity on the Saturday, and the actual dealer floor certainly felt that way, but on the whole I wouldn't say it felt crowded. It's actually a pretty chilled out experience actually, because you are able to navigate the whole arena without pushing through any crowds because the entire seating area is open to walk through (and sit in - away from people!) - you can get from place to place using the catwalks and staircases, and both the auto tables and photoshoots are far away from the dealer floor crowding. Autos are in the main hallway as you enter the arena, the dealers tables are on the arena floor, and the photoshoots are in a corridor off the arena floor, completely separate (and a welcome relief from the rest of the arena, it's really quiet in there!). The autograph lines calmed down really well after about 2 or 3pm, to the point where the tables were empty and you could just walk straight up, so if you're not fussed about grabbing everyone's autos the second you walk in, you probably won't do much queueing (apart from Robert Eglund). All the guest photoshoots were done in about 10-15 minutes (5 for some), as slotted into the timetables - you'll need to get there in a decent time for the prop photoshoots though, because the lines get very long, that was probably the only proper queueing we ended up doing the whole weekend apart from getting in (which was also really quick and seamless). The only panel I experienced overcrowding in was the Doctor Who ones, which ended up standing room only, but there were still several seats available (even in the row we were in, about 4 rows from the front), and if you got there in a decent time (like at the very end of a previous panel), you were fine. At least last year, you were able to sit in through several panels in a row without leaving, which was nice, but might change this year obviously since last year was the first year. It's very well laid out and organised in terms of crowd control, I was extremely impressed.

Hahaha I'll look out for you tall_dave! I'll be easy to spot in my ridiculous black and red spotty skirt and bright red newsboy hat, even though I am extremely short There was a pretty sizeable Doctor Who contingent last time, I hope there's more of the same.

As Littlemisstrouble6179 said I didn't encounter one at all last year, apart from at the very start of the day where the Doctors (Paul McGann particularly) had a fairly sizeable queue and were telling folks to come back later, but it settled down quickly, by the afternoon the tables were pretty dead. But after hearing about the queue drama at LFCC I would definitely expect Robert Englund to have to use the system.

I don't know if anyone remembers me from last year (I was Adric!), but me and my partner (who's American, and cosplayed Ancelyn from Battlefield) met some great Whovians last year, and was wondering if anyone's planning on going this year, would especially love to meet up again if some of the same peeps are going :) I'll be Dodo this year, and my partner's going as an Turlough. I'm mostly trying to scope out a One to get a pic taken with, I'll admit

Fantastic, but a shame it seems there isn't opportunity to pre-book photos for it (apart from the McCoy/McGann)! Surely they'll end up rammed on the Saturday?

I'll be Adric from 80s Doctor Who, nothing like a bright yellow tabard to make you feel fashionable

Does anyone know if you will be allowed to take your own photographs at autograph tables if you're buying an autograph too? Instead if the professional photos, I mean, just at the table on your phone or whatever. If so, will there be a fee for it or anything? I know it can be different from con to con so just wanted to clarify so I can budget for it if necessary.