Jump to content

Patrick Stewart experience


lone gunman
 Share

Recommended Posts

Okay, I accept the 'better to see some than see none at all' thing, and was probably still quite angry when I wrote that...but I still really want to know who knew about how long he would be there, and when.

 

People have said they'd heard rumours on the Saturday, and I can't believe that nobody behind the scenes had time to make that announcement anywhere, not even here. Surely it wouldn't have taken two seconds to come on here and tell us? The percentage of con visitors who would have been checking the site the day before (and day of) his signing has got to be pretty small, and that wouldn't have caused mass rioting...

 

Just so frustrating to travel all that way for one person and have nothing to show for it except disappointment... :wub:

 

As for his sign...getting someone on a ladder to chuck a sheet over it would have done. :D

Edited by Kinggodzillak
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 94
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Well this is the second time my husband has met him and today we spent 75.00 on his signatures. He didn't look up, didn't acknowledge anyone in the queue, just signed and pushed things on. There were absolutely no photos, not even just walking down the queue. This is the 2nd and last time we would ever go to see him. It ruins the experience after such a good day with all other guests. The no photos at all is unfair, I can understand no posed photos but if you are just in the queue waiting, why can't you take a photo. It was rushed and uncomfortable and very disappointing.

 

The above comment simply does not come close to reflecting my experience and pleasure of meeting Mr Stewart on Sunday.

 

Having previously survived the JCB-controlled 'Shatner Experience' in Milton Keynes, it was more than obvious that SM were adopting the same procedure, which I felt was acceptable on this occasion given the limited time available for signing. Having been herded through the conveyer belt system to the signing table, I expected nothing more than the three in-person autographs I had requested. I was therefore delighted when, after signing the first piece he stopped, looked up and asked how I was. That provided the opportunity to open up an albeit brief and limited chat on the success of his recent Shakesperean roles and the resulting move of the production to the West End, all ending in smiles and encouragement to go and see the play(s). I found him extremely friendly, good-natured and more than happy to engage in a brief conversation.

 

It may have been that he was simply resting his hand but for me it was a fantastic and unexpected experience, all the more special for having been prompted by the man himself. My apologies to the people around me in the queue who may not have been so successful but I left completely happy and satisfied with the experience.

 

Well it seems that you were one of the lucky ones then as we had watched him for quite a while and he barely looked up and didn't hardly talk. When you compare him to people like Nana Visitor and her wonderful personality, there is no comparison. I know he is very much in demand but it doesn't cost anything to look at each person (who is paying a hell of a lot of money in some cases) and say hello then go back to signing. By the time he told the previous person in this thread he was signing and could not shake hands, he could have shaken the hand. I understand these people are incredibly rushed but a smile costs nothing and can make your day. I know these stars are not anyones property and we have no right to a quick hand shake or conversation but to not even look up is very upsetting. Without the fans these people would be nobodies. At the previous convention in London he did exactly the same and it was just as uncomfortable there yet it cost 45.00 per autograph. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE and look forward to every event and always have a wonderful time looking around the stalls and getting very starstruck! but nevertheless, my husband was very disappointed and I am disappointed for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well this is the second time my husband has met him and today we spent 75.00 on his signatures. He didn't look up, didn't acknowledge anyone in the queue, just signed and pushed things on. There were absolutely no photos, not even just walking down the queue. This is the 2nd and last time we would ever go to see him. It ruins the experience after such a good day with all other guests. The no photos at all is unfair, I can understand no posed photos but if you are just in the queue waiting, why can't you take a photo. It was rushed and uncomfortable and very disappointing.

 

The above comment simply does not come close to reflecting my experience and pleasure of meeting Mr Stewart on Sunday.

 

Having previously survived the JCB-controlled 'Shatner Experience' in Milton Keynes, it was more than obvious that SM were adopting the same procedure, which I felt was acceptable on this occasion given the limited time available for signing. Having been herded through the conveyer belt system to the signing table, I expected nothing more than the three in-person autographs I had requested. I was therefore delighted when, after signing the first piece he stopped, looked up and asked how I was. That provided the opportunity to open up an albeit brief and limited chat on the success of his recent Shakesperean roles and the resulting move of the production to the West End, all ending in smiles and encouragement to go and see the play(s). I found him extremely friendly, good-natured and more than happy to engage in a brief conversation.

 

It may have been that he was simply resting his hand but for me it was a fantastic and unexpected experience, all the more special for having been prompted by the man himself. My apologies to the people around me in the queue who may not have been so successful but I left completely happy and satisfied with the experience.

 

Well it seems that you were one of the lucky ones then as we had watched him for quite a while and he barely looked up and didn't hardly talk. When you compare him to people like Nana Visitor and her wonderful personality, there is no comparison. I know he is very much in demand but it doesn't cost anything to look at each person (who is paying a hell of a lot of money in some cases) and say hello then go back to signing. By the time he told the previous person in this thread he was signing and could not shake hands, he could have shaken the hand. I understand these people are incredibly rushed but a smile costs nothing and can make your day. I know these stars are not anyones property and we have no right to a quick hand shake or conversation but to not even look up is very upsetting. Without the fans these people would be nobodies. At the previous convention in London he did exactly the same and it was just as uncomfortable there yet it cost 45.00 per autograph. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE and look forward to every event and always have a wonderful time looking around the stalls and getting very starstruck! but nevertheless, my husband was very disappointed and I am disappointed for him.

 

I wasn't really over-awed with the experience of meeting Patrick at comic-con because of the rushed atmosphere, but the latest news is that he is playing Claudius in Hamlet next year with David Tennant as Hamlet!

 

Thats got to be worth a ticket.

 

To be fair what can you expect him to do in such an environment?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With only 3 hours at the show, the signing was always going to be fast to get people through, so regrettably was going to be some what conveyor belt like.

 

Having said that, I've never know Patrick to actually do posed photos anyway, and by all accounts I don't think he is much of a hand shaker either.

 

Under the circumstances this was probably the best way of getting through as many autos as possible in the time.

 

And as someone said way back in the thread there was a superb Patrick Stewart lookalike around, and he seemed more than happy to pose for photos, i think a number of people thought he was the real deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw a glimpse of him from when I was in one of the Heroes queues and he was looking up, laughing/smiling.

It was as expected for me. Rushed, but of course it would be. I was number 380 and /i met him at about 1.15, and he left around 2... although there was a dead ringer for him walking around after!

I said it was great to meet him again, and I said I asked him a qn at the last show, and he asked me what his answer was... i told him, and said thanks afterwards. My only meh was I held out my hand to shake, as I always do, he was looking down, and my hand was waved away and told no, which was odd.

Haha, there were two of them? I saw the one in the red suit and he was quite tall, lurking in the Emily Dale area. I wish I'd gone and taken his photo now!

 

Oh, and Nana Visitor seemed really nice from what I saw, smiling and laughing a lot. She was at one of the bars with some people for lunch, I think. I was queueing for the cash machine and she was very polite as I had to make a gap for her to walk through the queue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2) If Showmasters knew he wasn't going to commit to the whole day, some sort of warning would have been nice. Surely this was known before 8.am this morning, when I last checked the site?

I would refer you to the third post in this thread - I have added some bold for emphasis:

"The guy managing the queue told us that in the lead up to the event, Patrick had given a choice of either 1200 signatures or 3 hours of signing time. They wanted to opt for 1200 signatures which explains the high number of virtual queue tickets given out, but when he arrived this morning he told them that 1200 signatures was no longer an option, and instead he would be leaving at 2pm to catch a plane at Heathrow at 3.10pm."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Manhandling in any situation (and it happened more than once yesterday) is totally uncalled for.

A foolish blanket statement. "In any situation"? So manhandling would be uncalled for if somebody tried to attack the staff or another customer in the queue in front of them, or even Mr Stewart? You diminish the power of your argument when certain tenets of it are demonstrably false.

 

As for his sign...getting someone on a ladder to chuck a sheet over it would have done. :D

Which given the state of health and safety regs and the general fear of lawsuits would probably have required

* somebody certificated to actually use a ladder and work at heights (yes, even a metre off the ground); and

* a sheet suitably certified as being treated sufficiently recently with an approved flame retardant

I'm only half joking there, speaking from experience of working in several different offices in the UK, you have to be remarkably careful when doing these sort of thing (at least in public :P )

 

By the time he told the previous person in this thread he was signing and could not shake hands, he could have shaken the hand.

And then the next half a dozen people in the queue want to shake his hand and the whole thing just breaks down because everybody wants to do it then; far better to nip it in the bud and not let the whole queue get the idea about shaking hands. When you're only signing for a few hours and trying to keep things moving at a rate of knots, even two or three seconds per customer not wasted can ad up to another 20, 30, 40, 50 people he can sign for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a very good experience meeting him, I was prepared for a Shatner experience, so was pleasantly suprised when I went upto the desk, and while he started signing i asked him how he was, and he replied 'im very well thank you, how are you?'. I said that I was great and it was great meeting him as he was a great actor. He then looked up and smiled and said 'oh thank you very much'. More than I expected. I thought he was very pleasant.

 

Sorry to hear people's bad experiences with Patrick, I guessed on the day that there would be several hundred people disappointed that they either wouldnt meet him, or that they'd feel they were 'herded' through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My train left Nottingham just before 7.30am, as soon as I got off the train at St Pancras I went to the Underground. I got into EC at 10am on the dot, then I went to get VQ tickets for Patrick Stewart, my numbers were 555 & 556. I managed to meet him around 1.30pm, just half an hour before he left. I found him to be very nice & friendly, I said to him ''Thank-you for being here today'' he replied ''Thank-you for coming here today''. I feel very lucky to have met him.

Edited by Kiwi 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to our gold passes, my girlfriend and I was lucky enough to get to him around 20 minutes after he arrived, and I must say, although it was rushed, I was positively surprised. While writing his name, he managed to look each of us in the eye, smile at us, ask me how I was, answer my: "I'm fine, and you?" with a "I'm good", and then he nodded and smiled as we left. So overall, a good experience for the both of us :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Official or otherwise, I believe it's generally been explained in this topic as far as I can tell from quickly reading through it.

I havent seen it anywhere? Do you mean the reason why it wasn't announced sooner that Stewart would only be signing for a few hrs? Can you point it out, thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

See, that pic above is why big guests like Patrick sometimes seem annoyed or tired during an event. They are practically mugged if they even step 5 inches away from their signing area by fanboy vultures.

 

I would of loved to meet him, but I never do that sort of thing to guests. I respect them too much. If I were a guest at a Showmasters event, Id be ok if I had the same sort of experience as Nana Visitor and the medium to small guests at these events, but If I was treated like Patrick by the fans and con goers, I wouldnt want to return to an event.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...