Collectormania Milton Keynes – May 2013

Saturday 25th May 

I join the line to get in at around 8.20 and when I finally get in I grab a few virtual queue tickets and then wait in line for Ariana Richards, the girl from Jurassic Park. She is great and chats to everyone.

Next I meet Alfie Allen, Ellie Kendrick and Oliver Ford Davies from Game of Thrones followed by Mary Ellen Trainor and Julian Sands. 

I then have two photo shoots, the first with Ariana Richards and the second with Lou Ferrigno. 

I then left by the free bus to Milton Keynes train station in a hope of getting to London in time to see Edgar Wright at the London MCM Expo, this is where my hope of being on time for anything this afternoon went out the window. I missed the first train to London but caught the next one, got to Euston then got the Underground and DLR to Excel.  

I got there around 13.30 which meant that I still had 15 left before his talk finished. I then saw the queue to buy tickets, it filled an entire hall and would take at least two hours to go through it, no chance!  I decide to leave and see if I could catch a matinee at 2.30 but the DLR and underground take so long I do not get to the Leicester Square area until 2.45.  

I see if I can get evening tickets to The Weir at the Donmar Warehouse but they are sold out. I then see if I can get tickets to see Peter and Alice and they are sold out too. In the end I settle for Relatively Speaking at the Wyndham Theatre.  

I then wait at the stage door at the Donmar and meet Dervla Kirwan and Brian Cox who were happy to sign autographs and pose for photos.  

I get something to eat at a Chinese Buffet which tasted awful and wasted some time walking around the National Gallery.  

I then go and see Relatively Speaking.  

Afterwards I go to the stage door and meet all the cast including Felicity Kendal, Kara Tointon, Jonathan Coy and Max Bennett. 

I then meet Ben Whishaw at the stage door to Peter and Alice as it is opposite to where I am. He was very friendly and spend ages signing autographs and posing for pictures.  

I the head over to the Audience at the Gielgud theatre in a hope of meeting Helen Mirren and Richard Fox but after a while I needed to leave to catch my train back to Milton Keynes, I did get to meet Nathaniel Parker though.  

At Euston I miss my train by two minutes so have to wait another 30 minutes until the 23.04, unfortunately, that train is cancelled and have to wait until 23.44 before the next one. The problem is everyone in the station wants to get on it, after a long wait as soon as the platform is announced there is a mad dash to the train, I am one of the lucky ones who get a seat. I finally get back to the hotel after 1am! 

Sunday 26th May

I only need to meet three people today, Lou Ferrigno and two people from Game of Thrones. I am second in Lou’s queue and wait about 25 minutes for him to arrive. In the mean tine I watch the relentless line of people getting Billy Pipers autograph.

When Lou does arrive he does not look very friendly, he moans about the position of the table and then when the guy in front of me asks if he can have a photograph with him rather than saying no directly to the guy he tells his handler next to him to tell him there is no posed pictures. When I get my autograph he does not say hello or look up but i do get a thanks at the end of it. 

Next I meet Mark Stanley and Luke Barnes from Game of Thrones, both were very friendly and happy to pose for a photograph.

 I then check out of my hotel and go to Ikea for breakfast before driving home.