Guests

Gareth Thomas - Jacqueline Pearce - Storm Constantine - Ed Bishop
Frank Maher - Steve Englehart - Mike Billington - David Walsh - Andrew Sewell

Gareth Thomas
Probably still best known for his legendary performance as 'Blake' in the cult British sci-fi series, "Blake's 7", Gareth Thomas is a very busy man.  In recent years he has returned to the screen to guest star in the first episode of "The Strangerers" but has spent most of his time on the stage.  He appeared in Equus at Salisbury Playhouse in April, played Sir Toby Belch in 'Twelfth Night" in 2000 and 1999 saw him tour with "The Clearing" and "The Crucible".   His latest TV appearance was as David Baddiel's father in Sky TV's 'Baddiel's Syndrome' and he has recently on stage at the Brunton, Musselborough as Polonius and The Gravedigger in 'Hamlet'.
We were happy and proud to have this wonderful actor joining us at Eclectic 21

Jacqueline Pearce
For four years, Jacqueline Pearce portrayed Servalan, arch-villan, leader of the Federation and protagonist first to Blake and later to Avon.  The incredable life she brought to the part made her an unforgettable baddie!  Film credits include "Princess Caraboo", "How To Get Ahead In Advertising" and "White Mischief".  Other TV staring roles include "Dark Season" and "Moondial".
She played in 'Deceptions' by Paul Wheeler in September 2000 in which she portrayed a psychiatrist and has just appeared as Caroline at the New End Theatre, Hampstead in a new comedy 'Aphrodite Blues'.
We were overjoyed to be able to confirm Jacqueline's appearance at Eclectic 21

Storm Constantine
A magnificent writer in the gothic fantasy genre, Storm Constantine has to date had twenty books published and has a massive audience.  She is best known for her exotic and untethered vision of fantasy characters; her first trilogy introduced the hermaphroditic race of the Wraeththu. Her work is steeped in occult lore and forbidden sexuality which makes them unique in the genre and irresistable to readers looking for something refreshing in their reading habits.  Her writing derives from a myriad of historical stories that go back to the origins of civilised humanity in order to explore the themes of dualism and its archetypes.  Her latest book, Silverheart, was written in conjunction with Michael Moorcock and follows the desperate search of a thief needing to discover the secrets of his heritage before he is destroyed by them.
We were delighted to have her with us at Eclectic 21

Ed Bishop
Best known for his part as Commander Ed Straker in Gerry Anderson's 'UFO', Ed Bishop has a long and varied acting history.  His first professional appearance was in Granada Television's 'Drama 61' and from that he went on to play minor roles in Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita', 'You Only Live Twice', 'The Saint' and 'Man In A Suitcase' among others.  In 1966 he was cast as the voice of Captain Blue in 'Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons'.  Another Kubrick film followed, '2001: A Space Odyssey' before again staring for Gerry Anderson in 'Doppelgänger'.  In 1969 he landed the part of Straker.  Other credits include 'Diamonds Are Forever', 'Whoops Apocalypse!', 'Dick Turpin' and 'The Professionals', plus many, many more.
It was an honour to have him join us at Eclectic 21
 

Frank Maher
Legendary stuntman Frank Maher made shows such as The Sweeney, The Avengers and The Prisoner possible.  For The Prisoner, he came up with the idea of doing a Western-type episode, Living In Harmony, as well as taking a guest role as third gunman.  He also had guest roles in Danger Man, Man in a Suitcase and The Saint.   He took on the role as Stunt Manager on Deparment S and Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).  Frank has now retired from stunt work, and spends his time writing adventure novels.
We were proud to have this wonderful and adventurous man with us at Eclectic 21.

Mike Billington
Best known for his part as Colonel Paul Foster along side Ed Bishop in Gerry Anderson's 'UFO', Mike Billington has a varied acting history.  Film credits include 'The Spy Who Loved Me', 'Antony & Cleopatra' and 'Flicks'.  TV credits include 'The Quest' and 'The Onedin Line'.  In 1980 he wrote the story, 'Silver Dream Racer' which was made into a film starring David Essex.  Guest appearances include 'Magnum PI', The Professionals' and 'The Prisoner'.
It has been years since Mike and Ed Bishop have appeared at the same convention, and we were proud to have him join us at Eclectic 21 

Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart has worked for just about everyone in comics, including Marvel and DC.  He wrote scripts for TV's 'Nightman' - based on one of his comics.  He's done television animation and developed a character for Stan Lee Media.
We were excited to have this ingenius man with us at Eclectic 21.

David Walsh
David Walsh - our very own Servalan!!!  David was a fan guest and helped us out with panels and interviews.  It was a pleasure to meet him and an honour to have him with us

Sylvia Anderson
We were thrilled to have joining us the creative talent behind Anderson Productions! Sylvia Anderson was co-creator of such masterpieces as Captain Scarlett, Stingray, Thunderbirds, UFO, Space 1999.  She first became involved with puppets almost by accident when the only work she could get was the filming of some children's books.  Interestingly, she was the original model for Lady Penelope and has a silver disc for the sale of 250,000 records for Lady Penelope’s singing duet with Parker  :-)  Unfortunately, due to work commitments, she was unable to make it to the convention.  Thanks to Jeff Smart who provided some very rare footage of her and her work for us to show.

Andrew Sewell
In 2000, producer Andrew Sewell bought the Blake's 7 rights from the estate of its creator, the late Terry Nation, and is turning the cult series into a multi-million pound TV film.  We were excited to have Andrew joining us on the Saturday and thank him for the panel that he did.