The BBC has announced a special three day event is going to be held over the course of Doctor Whos 50th Anniversary Weekend. In short it is a convention, which will boast a number of guest stars and surprises, details of which have yet to be released. The event will take place at the ExCel Centre in London. 15,000 tickets will be up for grabs for the weekend that will start on Friday 22nd November to Sunday 24th November. Full details have yet to be announced about the itinerary, the guests and whether the guests will be from just the current series or the classic series as well as last years official convention held in Cardiff only featured guests from the Matt Smith era. Amanda Hill is Chief Brands Officer at BBC Worldwide gave the following statement:
Generations of fans young and old have been captivated by the Doctor and weve seen Doctor Who go from strength to strength, enjoying something of a global march over the past few years attracting new followers from Turkey to Brazil to South Korea. This year long celebration is an opportunity for fans around the world to come together and celebrate the glorious past, present and future of Doctor Who.
The event is a big step up from the 2012 Cardiff Convention, which was ultimately a sell out. I attended the Convention myself at the Millennium Centre and got the feeling that this was just a warm up for a huge bonanza for the 50th Anniversary. Although I personally and I am sure other fans will be disappointed that the event is being held in the centre of London rather than the series present home as London isnt the easiest city to get to or around and also as ticket prices are likely to be high, a costly stay in London may be off putting. Also the Cardiff Convention was also able to offer a tour around the TARDIS set before it was junked at the Upper Boat studios, so it would seem the chances of anything like that being offered this time are slim. Additionally in Cardiff the Doctor Who Experience is open to the public so a repeat of last year would be very successful, although at the time of last years convention it was yet to be completed, but a selection of exhibits were on show at the Millenium Centre. Its doubtful there will be many if any exhibits for the Anniversary event due to transport costs and the gaping holes that would be left in the Doctor Who Experience. The Doctor Who Experience itself will no doubt hold a series of special events itself. Personally expect the event's trump card will be the guests, being in London, many of the older cast and crew from the series will be readily available to attend. he BFI screenings of past episodes have been sell outs and had a number of guests from different eras of the series, even going back to the very first episode. Going down this road, the event is clearly going to be aimed at the more mature fan and people will flock from all around the world to attend. The BBC held an official convention at Longleat House in Wiltshire in 1983 for the 20th Anniversary, which brought gridlock to the whole area. Could history be about to repeat itself? Are you going to be there, or are you celebrating the 50th Anniversary in your own way, let us know in the comments.