Wildthyme in Person!

I wanted to share with you these pics from Utopia - the Doctor Who convention last weekend put on by Fantom Films at Heythrop Park Hotel in Oxfordshire. It was a brilliant do - with lots of brilliant moments for me, involving meeting many friends old and new. But best among those moments was the Iris Wildthyme event that I did with the sublime Katy Manning who (for those who don't know!) portrays that transdimensional ratbag in the audio dramas produced by Big Finish. 

The freewheeling, improvised, slightly crazy and surreal afternoon consisted of my beginning a talk about writing Iris... and then the fictional character herself gatecrashing the function room, which ended up in a bizarre, double-entendre-stuffed and fourth-wall-smashing interview - which then turned into Iris and Panda (who appeared from seemingly nowhere) hi-jacking the entire audience, parading them through the stately home hotel, out onto the main driveway (stealing a golf buggy on the way) and ending up with everyone piling aboard the bright red double decker that was waiting for us. Where more hi-jinks ensued and I gave a reading from 'Enter Wildthyme.' 

It was all over too fast... but, for me, it was one of those magical episodes where you're left afterwards wondering whether what just happened really did...!

I love these Gallifreybase forum quotes from people who were there to see Iris:

the Iris Wildthyme experience, which was something truly special which I'm sure will be remembered for years by everyone who was there. It really was possibly the best panel of any convention I've been to, let alone this one.

My highlight was the brilliantly surreal Iris Wildthyme talk with Paul M, Panda and the bus! More of this kind of "experience" please. And next time you visit, Iris, don't boot me off the bus - take me!