Gallifrey One – First 2013 Guests Announced!

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Chris

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Gallifrey One, the longest-running North American Doctor Who convention, has released the first batch of guests for its next iteration, running February 15-17, 2013. There’s no shortage of amazing people announced today, but of course we’re very excited by the first name from today’s announcement!

Philip Hinchcliffe was the producer of Doctor Who from 1974 to 1977, overseeing many classic Tom Baker serials. Known for taking a page from great works of gothic horror, Hinchcliffe’s tenure includes The Brain of Morbius, The Talons of Weng-Chiang and The Deadly Assassin. One of only two surviving Doctor Who producers, this will be Hinchcliffe’s first Gallifrey One appearance, and is the first classic series producer since Barry Letts in 2005 to grace Gally.

Also known a long-serving Blue Peter presenter, Peter Purves played the role of Steven Taylor from 1965 to 1966. Alongside William Hartnell, and occasionally with his panda mascot HiFi, Peter’s character became the new “man of action” after the departure from Doctor Who of Gally 2012’s guest William Russell. This will also be the first time Gallifrey One has welcomed Purves as a guest.

Mark Strickson played the role of Vislor Turlough from 1983 to 1984, alongside Fifth Doctor Peter Davison. The final male companion of the classic series, Turlough began his time as a servant of the Black Guardian, trying to kill The Doctor, before ultimately being redeemed. Also known for discovering Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter”, this is Strickson’s first appearance at Gallifrey One since 2001.

Lisa Bowerman appeared in the 1989 story Survival but is best known for her work in Big Finish. Playing Bernice Summerfield, a character that’s grown exponentially since her first appearance in the New Adventures, Bowerman has a large and dedicated fan base. As with Mark Strickson, 2001 is the last time Bowerman appeared at Gallifrey One.

Nicholas Pegg is an accomplished actor, but of course Doctor Who fans will know him best as one of the Dalek operators in the new series and through his work with Big Finish. Pegg has also contributed to DVD extras and commentaries, not the least of which is the amazing Cheques, Lies and Videotape extra on the Revenge of the Cybermen DVD release. This will be Pegg’s first Gallifrey One appearance.

Friend of the show Gary Russell is the quintessential Doctor Who renaissance man, having worked on the main show as well as Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, played an integral part in Big Finish, and has authored countless books, both fiction and non-fiction, about our beloved show, and so much more. Russell is a Gallifrey One mainstay.

Also joining Gallifrey One as guests are Big Finish’s Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery, Doctor Who comics writer Tony Lee, and returning to Gallifrey One for his second appearance, comedian Charlie Ross. More guests will be announced as time goes on, but we at Radio Free Skaro look forward to seeing these fantastic guests tell their stories and reminisce about their time on and experiences with Doctor Who.

Memberships are available from the convention website, and currently cost $70 for the entire weekend of programming. We’ll be there as usual, again opening the convention with a live show, and we hope to see you there too!

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