Collectormania 9

Every year we seem to find ourselves drawn to this event. It's interesting to see some of these people in the flesh, it's strange to see the ones who are more famous for being children in films as adults. The boy Damien from The Omen was there, for example - but there was no way I would go near! Call me chicken but I don't care, I'm staying clear of the son of the devil.

The closest stars we got to were Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber, stars of 80s cop show Dempsey and Makepeace. At the time the original series aired my wife had a bit of a crush on Michael Brandon, I knew and fancied Glynis as the character Soolin from the British low-budget sci-fi series Blake's 7. Amazingly, both looked pretty good considering it seems like a long time since seeing them on the TV.

There were some strange folk walking around though. Lots of people who look like they watch way too much sci-fi/fantasy and don't get enough daylight - and wearing cloaks! Correct me if I seem out of date but the cloak has not been an item of everyday attire for many decades. Seeing 30 somethings wearing cloaks like it was normal just freaked me out a bit. I know I should live and let live and I have seen worse sights but just not all congregated in one place. Imagine being an actor and having to be nice to people who have queued up for hours, people who are "a bit odd" (obsessive even), people who have paid 15 pounds for a photo just for you to sign your name on - the feeling of being stared at and photographed. I'm not sure it would suit me very well.

Anyways, you'll want to see some photos I expect and here they are:

A Dalek from the series Doctor Who, being pushed past me into the market area where you can spend loads of money on very little.

Davros, I think he invented the Daleks, again from Doctor Who. He's ugly as fuck, used to scare the pants off me as a child. My daughter didn't want to have her photograph taken with him, I don't blame her really. My son was up for playing with his switches but one thing you don't want to do is piss off someone who has ambition to be the master of the universe.

The Liberator spaceship from Blake's 7 the first series. The crew (Blake and his six fellow escapees) eventually have to abandon this fine craft. The effects in Blake's 7 are really naff but the stories are quite good fun.

The origins of the Liberator were unknown to Blake and his crew, the ship was equipped with these weapons. They were in two parts, the blaster that looked like a little glass sword and the battery pack in a leather case.

Orac the super computer from Blake's 7 built by a character called Avon, who was played by Paul Darrow in such a great way that you were never sure he whose side he was really on. Orac had a witty line or two for a computer in a perspex box, the lights weren't on today though - a shame because without the lights it just looks like a transparent box with lots of wires.

And Robocop, now I loved the first Robocop film, I still enjoy it today. I still hate to see the bit where he gets shot up as the ordinary human cop. Unfortunately, the other versions of it I've seen are not as darkly humourous as the first. The car was painted a matt black but it wasn't an American car as in the film.