Dent_1

Nothing wrong with a bit of bias (passionate) advice! You know what, something holding me back is that, from what I've seen, he doesn't have a terribly great looking autograph. I'm not one of these fanatics that demand every letter legible, and it's all very subjective, but I wouldn't say I'm all that fussy about this. in all the years I've been collecting autographs I have only been disappointed with two signatures (Karl Urban and Peter Dinklage), and a Capaldi Diamond Pass is a lot of money for an auto lacking in visual appeal.

Good to know. Where are we looking? Would be interested to see what he signs for people.

Thanks. Sound advice. When Sigourney was announced in 2015 it took me a nanosecond to decide on getting her Diamond Pass at nearly 400 smackeroos. So when I um and ah over those who cost much less, I question how much I really want them you know? Only other one I've ever bought was Famke Janssen. Even a few people got to see Sigourney on VTs, not many though, and she's about as big/busy as it gets. I usually try for just one day, keep my outlay (travel costs etc.) to a minimum so even with a bit less opportunity I might take a punt and chance it. I'm a little less inclined to queue for many hours before opening these days as well and with how busy the shows are these days, and more photoshoots, its ever harder to get a VT that will be of use. That said, I remember Gillian Anderson when she did LFCC: they said she got through about 1000 VTs, personalised for everyone and was open queue at the end of the day, so I have seen it happen as you describe. Still, I try and get everyone as early as possible in the day. I hate the stress of not knowing whether I will or won't get them, and in my experience, meeting a guest earlier into the day, or at the start event (Fri/Sat) can result in better interactions and signatures you get.

Not a guest I will be meeting but a real coup for Showmasters and Dr Who fans in particular. All that nonsense over the announcement. The fuss over the prices. Don't we all wish every guest were only a tenner but some rare guests will cost more to convince to attend, and a very RARE guest he is. Whilst you never know for sure, I think there is a solid chance this could be a once and done appearance. I enjoyed him a great deal in 28 Days Later and Cracker.

In a bit of a quandary with Capaldi. Used to be mad on 'Old Who' when I was a kid, when it was not a 'cool' program to be a fan of. Then 'New Who' came along and I never really gelled with it, the most attention I gave to Tennant for a while and a bit of Matt Smith who I really didn't like and came to appreciate. Then I was really impressed when they cast Capaldi, someone much older and in the more traditional mould. Only seen maybe 4 episodes with him in and thought he is the best of the New Who doctors. A great actor in general too (fantastic in his Peep Show guest spot). Anyway, I'm not a mad Who fan these days, but sort of feel I need him to sign me a Who pic. Do I face the scrum of VTs? Do I say sod it and go Diamond Pass? But then a general rule I have is that if I have to think about it too much then maybe I don't want them enough. Part of me thinks I would prefer a photoshoot over an auto (something I have never done before). What to do, what to do...

So looking forward to this new sequel, but somehow didn't know he was in it, so thanks! I'm never picked up an autograph from a "horror guest" but Halloween is one of my all time favourite films, so I think seeing Nick Castle is a must. High-res images of him as Michael Myers seem in short supply however.

For whatever reason he doesn't seem to do them all that often, certainly not compared to other marines from Aliens anyway. I've been going to events since 2008 and don't recall him being a guest at any shows. With the likes of William Hope turning up I sometimes wish I had started a group piece when I was lucky enough to see Sigourney Weaver and Bill Paxton back at LFCC2015.

William Hope is the main guest I attending LFCC for. I have needed to meet him for years and nice to see another rare Aliens guest at the show. Absolute bargain as well.

Given he is a one-day only guest, and will no doubt be insanely busy, I would put safe money on the "no personalisatons" rule being in place. That said, if a guest were so inclined to bend the rules, the eager kid would be who they would do it for, especially if they see all the other actors have personalised. I have a Star Trek First Contact poster signed by all the main cast and it still irks me that Patrick Stewart didn't personalise when all the others did. I ask for just the signature on multiple cast signed items now. Fingers crossed for you.

Post LFCC I scan in my new autos and find myself looking back over ones collected in years past, often trying to whittle down my favourites, which always makes me wonder which are other people's favourites too, and why? I know many people say there is little point posting autographs (compared to say, photoshoots) because, for the most part, signatures all look the same, however I enjoy seeing what photos/items people have chosen to be signed, what coloured pens etc. Plus it is great to see any extra personalisations/messages. These are mine... 1. Sigourney Weaver My favourite actress bar none. Never thought she'd ever turn up at a con over here. Gracious and down to earth. I had her sign several things for me but as Alien3 was the first of that series I watched as a kid, this photo has more sentimental value. Sigourney was suitably impressed I brought this image from a fashion shoot she did with Helmut Newton where she put on her Alien3 costume. The best guest Showmasters have ever booked IMO. A real Hollywood star and such a rare opportunity. 2. Gillian Anderson Second favourite actress. Was obsessed with the X-Files growing up and like Sigourney, Anderson was a top 5 dream guest I never thought would happen. I'd heard for years (online) she supposedly hated signing X-Files stuff so was shocked she was announced for LFCC... either she had mellowed or all that was BS because she class act in all respects. Gillian didn't like that she was 'grimacing', in the photo, as she put it, but I like the shot from the 1st movie when X-Files was at the height of its popularity. (Check out the massive 'cell-phone!') 3. Sir Patrick Stewart A living legend and one of my favourite actors. I've met him several times now, and each time he seems to be embracing the convention scene more which is nice to see. He has signed lots of things for me but this shot, from my favourite scene, from the best Trek film (First Contact), is my favourite. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I got a personalisation: a rarity to say the least. 4. Sir Roger Moore The late great Sir Rog. I would loved to have met him but sadly never did, but he often did private signings, for charity I believe, through his agent at Pinewood which is how I got this one. Despite the usual disclaimers that all requested messages should be short etc. I thought I'd chance my arm and ask if he would put his favourite Bond line, on my favourite Bond pic, no hard feelings if he would prefer not to. He very graciously did. I've never seen such autos from him anywhere. He was such a great, and fun Bond, and from all accounts an all round decent person doing a lot of work to help others. 5. & 6. Carrie Fisher & Mark Hamill Rather than being a fan of them/their work in general I met them for my love of Star Wars, and because I thought I would regret missing the opportunity. As it turns out, they ended up being two of the most fan friendly people I have ever met. Both incredibly busy due to their popularity but really took their time and put in the effort to make their interactions with fans memorable. Both very eccentric as well. It was quite the ordeal to actually get to meet them: Fisher in the days before Diamond passes when she was filming Force Awakens and hadn't make a UK con appearance in years, and Hamill at the 'other' (SW franchise) event that was run so tightly very few VTs got to see him. These are two of my favourites because the interactions with the actors really made me like them as Hamill and Fisher as opposed to just Luke & Leia. 7. Alice Krige / 8. Steven Williams / 9. Karl Urban Three guests who stood out for just being downright nice to meet, who make you wish every guest was as pleasant as them. You can't stop Krige talking to fans. Williams was very humble, and the complete opposite of his character in The X-Files, and Urban is a very down-to-earth 'star'. He clearly appreciated the Dredd pic when at Destination Trek (a fantastic film). 10. Ursula Andress / 11. Famke Janssen As a massive Bond fan, these two need to be here if only for rarity. Ursula is part of film history, and Famke one of the few memorable modern Bond girls. Ursula started writing my name and then after the 'u' stopped herself from writing the French 'Luc', and checked it was with a 'ke', hence the weird gap in my name! Famke, despite being something of a nightmare at last year's LFCC, suprisingly obliged with a quote. Curious to hear what other people's favourites are, and the more pictures the better!

I agree! How are great guests like Helfer not being talked about? I came to Battelstar very late (after the cast were no longer frequent visitors to UK cons), and I have been waiting YEARS for Helfer to come back to a UK show so I could get her autograph. She was my number one guest to meet at this show. When I went to her table she was very polite and welcoming. Gave you a proper greeting, shook hands, asked how you were, lots of eye contact. Took time to ask if you wanted your auto personalised, wrote additional messages. I didn't have a great deal to say, and as a consequence always wish I had said more, but that aside, she was genuinely warm and friendly and I am happy I finally got to meet her. That is a nice photo you got there Rob!

So what is the equal and opposite reaction to my action? I could have met her, but wasn't desperate and had to go vs. someone who desperately wanted to meet her, got to. If I had met her, I would have been taking time, and one less chance from away from someone else. I fail to see how giving tickets (that have not been used) to others is such a bad thing. I'm not spiritual, I just think it is nice to surprise people sometimes with no expectation of anything in return.

Saturday Entry ticket £220 on autographs £25 auto vouchers left over from last year £25 on a photoshoot £30 on petrol/parking Frankly I am stunned at the amounts some people have spent... simply because I don't know who can like so many guests/need so many autographs require to get to numbers like £5k.

LFCC 2015 with Sigourney and MJFox headlining was the most badly run scrum of a show I have ever been to. Apart from the superb guests, a horrible event. LFCC2016 was a massive improvement. More space, better organised. So much easier. LFCC2017 seemed like something inbetween those two events, and a step back from last year. I only saw 8 people for autographs (Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Roy Scammell, Tricia Helfer, David Morrissey, John Rhys-Davies, Dave Prowse, and Ian McDiarmid) and 1 photoshoot. None of them were 'big' guests but what an ordeal it was trying to get them all.... I don't have a problem with Diamond Passes for rare (expensive) guests who genuinely wouldn't attend otherwise, but it does annoy me when Showmasters make certain guests Diamond who don't need to be, which further decreases the chance of seeing them on VT. Additionally, autographs feel something of an afterthought these days. Talks are ok, but often not that different than interviews that can be seen on either DVDs or online, and take away time from the autograph table. Photoshoots, whilst nice personal momentos, again take away more time. I think they are a good way to guarantee you meet a guest, but the cynic in me says the organisers see it as an easier way to make money than via autos. I mean come on, 28 batches for Cumberbatch on Saturday? Has there ever been as many for a guest in a single day? Getting autographs at these shows seems to get more difficult with each passing year, and it is sucking the fun out of it for me. I remember when Gillian Anderson first attended at LFCC 2012: an insanely popular guest who had 2 photoshoot sessions on the Saturday, and blasted through almost 1,000 VTs as I recall, and went to open queue at the very end of the day. She even personalised! And only £45 too. A bargain for a guest of her calibre compared to offerings in the years since, and I imagine many fans of many budgets got to see her. It feels like those days are almost gone. My biggest annoyance at this show though was the poor layout of certain autograph areas. On the concourse it was a nightmare queuing for anyone as people would always be cutting through the line (because they needed to actually move around the event), plus there was not enough room for the queues themselves. Then you had the auto area around Dormer and Conleth where the queues collided with the ones for guests on the other side, and then on top of that are the people attempting to move through that area. I am amazed at the comments saying how well organised the show was! This being one of the two main auto areas, was an utter shambles. That area is simply not big enough for the amount of guests and attendees crammed into it. It needed to be more like the autograph area where Morrissey/Mads were, because those lines were allowed the space they needed.. I can only reiterate what others have said about crew not taking VTs from people who joined the lines. I joined several queues and was not asked for my ticket. If I had wanted to, I could have also joined several queues without a VT and been unchallenged because the crew had no awareness. All in all, I really enjoyed meeting the guests I did, but did not really enjoy the show at all. * VERY annoying the cloakroom was not open on the 1st floor like last year. Sorry I'm not interested in excuses they are handled by the venue. Showmasters choose this venue, run the event, and more than one cloakroom was open at previous shows. ** The so called bag-check on entry did not happen for me. I find it bizarre to suggest some people where not checked because they may not 'fit' a suspicious looking 'profile'. What utter twaddle. Not even the most experienced member of security can read the minds and intent of thousands of attendees accurately. I was there and the reason for inconsistent checking was obvious: poor organisation. Not enough staff to do it/not set up in such a fashion to catch/stop everyone going through before being searched (like last year). As I went through, I found there were people getting checked on either side of me, and I found myself walking down the middle between them. Nobody asked me to stop, or open my bag. No-one even looked or came near me. I wanted to get in the show, not stand still and beg someone to rifle through my things, so I just kept walking. In light of recent events in this country, I found this very concerning.

Pardon me for saying so but that seems a bit stingy. Personally, I don't think anyone should have to queue up for these things at 5am. I have done 7am a couple of times and that is ridiculous enough. With each passing year, Showmasters seem to make it ever more difficult for the 'average customer' to meet the bigger guests using the VT system. I do buy into the argument that certain guests would not attend without the use of Diamond Passes but some guests are made Diamond when they clearly do not need to be. Also too many guests are overloaded with photoshoots to the point that time at the autograph table seems like an afterthought. It is getting too hard to get autographs IMO. And what about the great many 'normal' punters who go to these shows, traveling far and wide, with no idea how these events work? There is a part of me that shakes my head smugly because I know how they work, but there is part of me that feels sorry for these convention-noobs who will be gutted they missed out meeting an idol, simply through inexperience. I think if I have a ticket, no longer intend to use it, why not maybe give it to someone and make their day? I know I would be grateful if the shoe were on the other foot. My friend got in mega early on Saturday, he'd already bought a Diamond pass for Natalie Dormer and, unbeknownst to me, picked me up a VT so I could see her. I met my friend late in the afternoon, and he surprised me with this ticket (VT number 8!) so I could basically just walk up. So I go to her auto table at 4pm, and I'm told she won't be back until 5:20. I only want to meet her to get an auto for a friend of my wife's, and given I was near enough done for the day, I couldn't hang around when I needed to start the trip home (and my friend who gave me the VT could get me the auto I need on Sunday when he goes through with his Diamond anyway). So I'm standing at her queue, the VT sign up to, 250 or whatever it was, and a man and his son were reeling from the news they will probably not get to meet her as their VT was 500+. So I gave them VT8 and they went from devastated to elated in the blink of an eye. He couldn't stop shaking my hand and couldn't thank me enough, said it was the best thing that had happened to him all day. So why not pay a bit of karma forward and help someone out if you can? Lighten up.

I have met John at two previous events, but met him again to get a better 8x10 signed. I can only reiterate what others have said and compliment the man for the effort he always puts in. He is one of the nicest guests I have ever met. Makes the effort in terms of conversation and puts extra blurb on every autograph. I had a photoshoot with him for the first time too, and did not expect the tickle at the back of the neck - certainly a good technique to make for a decent photo... although I had to have 3 attempts because the photographer kept catching me blinking ffs!

I met him at last year's LFCC but the photo was damaged so met him to get a replacement on Saturday. He is very much a pro, and is always friendly, polite and can be chatty. He said he was enjoying the show, and I said I thought it was busier than last year. Totally deadpan he said he couldn't remember last year's show, which I suppose if fair enough given how many he does! I told him he did well with the best seat in the place with the the massive high backed leather swivel chair he had.

David Duchovny John Lithgow Judi Dench Ian McKellen Robert Carlyle Jeremy Irons Sean Bean Michael Fassbender Any of those would be insanely popular I would say! And in terms of repeats: Gillian Anderson and Charles Dance please.

I know people have already said as much but for God's sake the man is 83 years old. When I met him I asked a question but he had trouble hearing me. He just seemed to me like an older gent maybe just a bit overwhelmed by the loud and manic surroundings, especially with live-wire Lucas next to him. To be honest, I didn't get a great deal out of him on the Sat, nor when I met him at LFCC in 2012, but he was polite enough, exchanged a greeting and handshake. Many guests don't even give you that! I'm glad I met him again, I just wish more people made the effort given it was his last UK appearance. I was surprised at how quiet he was.

I've checked in Settings Overview and the email address there is current. It's not my main one but I've checked my inbox and junk and deffo no email from you Sindel. You can reply either via email or on here... it may be of use to others reading, and myself(!) for future reference? I would have been fascinated to see the missing 3 pages on Famke's thread. I agree, given the issues present that had to be a fair outlet for people. Still, I was surprised 10 (edited) pages survived, never seen anything quire like it on here. Some people cannot accept any criticism, constructive or otherwise, UK native or not!

Hi Queen Sindel, Thanks for taking the time to reply rather than just deleting, not that I'm saying you would automatically do the latter, but I have seen it happen on here before. Are you saying you have sent me an email? (I've checked which email account I registered with and have not had anything come through). I think the only other thing I recall saying originally was that no-one seemed interested in meeting Mads back at Collectormania '08. Sadly it was true as the photos show. I said to him at the time I really thought he was one of the best Bond villains and he said to me, pointing away from his table "I wish you would tell everyone else" because no-one was coming up to him. Everyone was going nuts for Bruce Campbell as I recall, and to a lesser extent, Brent Spiner. I felt it was such a shame as most guests could learn a thing or two from how Mads treats his fans. Beyond that I also remember in my original post saying that he was down-to-earth and sincere. That I wouldn't be meeting him only because I have already had the pleasure. Just to be clear I am not being defensive Sindel, I am just genuinely struggling to see what the issue was. And I say that as someone who has had stuff deleted before and never outright questioned it. I appreciate moderation could be far 'worse'/strict, and I'm not trying to be unsympathetic to the judicious choices that have to be made, but it has been noted before that moderation can be a bit heavy on here. For the sake of balance I was amazed that last year's Famke Janssen 10 page criticism fest was allowed to stand - moderation was certainly far more laid back on that one!

Right so I come back to this thread to find my comment deleted... Saying what? That nearly 10 years ago he was £15 an auto (when UK audiences had really only known him for Bond). That given how much great work he has done since Casino Royale, and how he is now part of two huge franchises (Star Wars/Marvel) and how many more fans he has, that I thought his higher prices last year and this year and more than justified. That of course he should be charging more given how popular/busy he is these days. That whatever his price was/is people should go and meet him because he is fantastic with his fans and no-one will come away thinking it wasn't money well spent. That he was the first guest I had ever met. That whilst I was only one of 10 people to get a photo with him (as can be seen on Showmasters photo archive) it is great people now flock to meet him. There have been what, two people in this thread who said that at £60 it was maybe a bit high for them personally. Nothing nasty or unpleasant towards Showmasters or the guest, just a personal statement people make all the time on here. Yet my comment gets wiped? Seriously, I see nothing wrong with what I have said. Sticking up for Showmasters. Being complimentary towards the guest. Who is there to get upset about the above? The ridiculously heavy handed moderation on this forum is really tedious sometimes.

Since when was this a thing? (Needing an all weekend pass for a diamond guest)

Take my advice and go for Glover. If we're making comparisons, besides GOT, Glover has a far greater and impressive body of work. He had a decent role in the best Star Wars film, he was a main Bond villain, a main villain in Indiana Jones, was Aragog in Harry Potter. And he's been in The Saint, The Avengers, Doctor Who to name but a few. The others on your list will no doubt be doing the convention circuit for many years to come... Not to be morbid but Glover is 82 now and with all the great names we've lost of late (many of whom were convention regulars) I'd make the effort to meet him whilst you can. Especially given how nice he is.

The announcement of the evening for me, by a LONG way. Veronica has been in so many great sci-fi films/shows. I met her in 2011 at LFCC, and she was an absolutely lovely guest. Very friendly, talkative and generally just nice. I'd recommend to anyone she is well worth meeting. I will definitely see her again to have her sign something else. PS. more Alien guests please (still waiting on Yaphet Kotto to come back after he cancelled in 2012!)