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Gallifrey Archives
The Nine Lives of Gallifrey One
February 13-15, 1998
The Airtel Plaza Hotel, Van Nuys

Guests: Colin Baker, Deborah Watling, Matthew Waterhouse, Stephen Cole, Gary Russell, Martin Day, David J. Howe, Paul Cornell, Andy Lane, David A. McIntee, Keith Topping, Jacqueline Rayner, Gary Gillatt, J. Michael Strazcynski, Jeff Conaway, Julie Caitlin Brown, David Gerrold, Dorothy C. Fontana, Erin Gray, Richard Hatch, Anne Lockhart, Herb Jefferson Jr., David Owen, Phil Brown, Mark Allen Shepard, George Johnson, Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz, Paul Simpson, Amberwolf, Eric Hoffman and Stephen R. Donaldson.  (Philip Segal had to cancel due to film commitments.)

Retrospective

The celebration of a new era of Doctor Who was in full swing as The Nine Lives of Gallifrey One commenced. The series that the new film fans had hoped for didn't happen, but fandom was still feeling the effect. 603 attendees - the first time the convention had broken the 600 mark since its first year - joined together at the Airtel Plaza Hotel to welcome Colin Baker back to Los Angeles for the first time in four years. This time, Colin was able to stay the entire weekend. Also welcomed back for a return trip was Deborah Watling, who had been so wonderful at her first Gallifrey appearance in 1991. The two celebrities were joined by a third, never-before-seen-in-L.A. guest in Matthew Waterhouse, who had ceased making convention appearances for some time. Entirely financed by Tim Kendrick, a Connecticut fan who was in the process of forming a Doctor Who organization in his area, Waterhouse's visit was a last minute addition and was very well received.

That's where the Doctor Who fun merely began. BBC Books editor Stephen Cole, who had become responsible for the entirety of the BBC's public face of Doctor Who - books, videos, audios, etc. - was contacted early on and agreed to make his first convention appearance outside the UK. With Cole's confirmation, the floodgates of Doctor Who novelists were suddenly opened. Both Gary Russell and David McIntee, who had been extremely popular guests during their first visit the previous year, consented to return. Popular novelist Paul Cornell, who had appeared at an earlier Visions convention, came to Los Angeles for the first time along with then-girlfriend Jacqueline Rayner (who would later go on to work at BBC Books and write for and executive produce for the BBC the Big Finish audio adventures). Writing duo Martin Day and Keith Topping also made the trip, having never ventured to a non-UK convention either, in a visit that, like Waterhouse's, was totally privately financed, by Doctor Who fans Lisa Gaunt, Felicia O'Sullivan and Audra McHugh. Author Andy Lane, who had been visiting the US on work-related business, joined us along with his wife Helen Stirling. David Howe, considered one of Doctor Who's best historians and author of numerous non-fiction works, came to the convention with his wife Rosemary and son James. And Gary Gillatt, the editor of Doctor Who Magazine, and David Owen, its book reviewer, had been convinced to make the journey to Los Angeles, and later mentioned how amazed they were that Gallifrey was more like the British conventions they were used to than the American conventions they'd heard about.

Meanwhile, Gallifrey's tradition of alternate, non-Doctor Who guest programming kicked into high gear this year. J. Michael Straczynski made his regular trip to the convention for a Sunday afternoon presentation, while series castmember Julie Caitlin Brown consented to a return visit after her first appearance and phenomenal cabaret set the previous year. Former producer George Johnsen, who had left to form his own production company, joined us as well for a look at his current projects. Jeff Conaway, who had starred on "B5" as a regular for four years, also came along with his girlfriend. A guest of previous years, David Gerrold appeared, joined this time by author/producer Dorothy C. Fontana of "Star Trek" fame.

"Battlestar Galactica" was also well represented on site, with special guest appearances by series stars Richard Hatch, Anne Lockhart and Herb Jefferson Jr. The lovely Erin Gray of "Buck Rogers" also made a special Saturday appearance, while "DS9" extra/regular Mark Allan Shepard and "Star Wars" original cast member Phil (Uncle Owen) Brown both signed autographs all weekend. The guest list was rounded out by returnees Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz (who had since moved away from "B5" and was now working on "Star Trek: Voyager" doing effects), Paul Simpson of Dreamwatch Magazine, musician Amberwolf and our own Eric Hoffman.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend came about three months before, as famed science fiction novelist Stephen R. Donaldson - a long time friend of Colin Baker - approached the convention to visit while his good friend would be in town. Donaldson, a New Mexico resident, had previously assisted with a disastrous local Doctor Who event in Albuquerque that had left its guests unpaid; the Gallifrey committee was delighted to welcome him to L.A. and he proved to be an immensely popular guest, joining Colin Baker in the first-ever live taping at a Gallifrey of HOUR 25, the local science fiction radio talk show on KPFK.

Another big surprise of the weekend was a hastily arranged visit by Kate and Rebecca Nation, the widowed wife and daughter of the late Terry Nation, the creator of the Daleks who had recently passed away. Dedicated to his memory, Gallifrey 9 featured a special panel on his contributions to the series; both Kate and Rebecca, touched by the convention's tribute, contacted the event wanting to attend. Additionally, the convention's Charity Auction, now a permanent staple of main afternoon programming, raised $3,600 for Colin Baker's charity, the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death, the second time the con had raised money for the organization.

While the convention itself was filled with memorable programming, perhaps the most memorable and most successful party in Gallifrey's history took place on Friday night. Entitled "The Centauri Celebration" in honor of "Babylon 5" (which had, through its own popularity and the appearance of Straczynski and other members of the team, become the unofficial secondary focus of the convention), the party took over the main ballroom the entirety of Friday night. The Celebration featured a marvelous assemblage of nobles from that race on the series, while the remainder of the ballroom was a very successful carnival, casino gaming area and dance. Equally, the group had, at the behest of chairman Christian McGuire, assembled with papier mache and wire a sizeable replica of Stonehenge rocks and a stone pillar on a lark, for reasons unknown but they added a tremendous effect.

Many discussion panels, both with fans and Doctor Who writer pros, were hosted over the weekend. "Mulder & Scully Frustrated, Oh My!" was a follow up to the popular X-Files discussions over the past few years. Eric Gjovaag of Seattle fandom presented a hilarious look at "Six Degrees of Brian Blessed," while David Howe presented a rather offbeat "Serious Discussion of Doctor Who History" which was anything but. The Gallifrey roundtable on Friday night this year was called "A Facelift for Voyager?" Other discussions included "My Favorite Monsters," "As Deep Space Turns," "If You Were Editor (of the Doctor Who Books)", the "Doctor Who Debate," "Knocking Holes in the Babylon 5 Arc and Filling them Up Again," "Doctor Who's Greatest Moments," "Masked Menaces in the Serials" with Charles Lee Jackson II of LASFS, "Telesnaps: A History," "Star Wars: Whither the Special Editions," "The Business of Publishing," "So You Want to Write a Doctor Who Novel," "What Do You Mean, You Don't Have Email?"" and "Slaying Vampires & Stargates Galore".

Eric Hoffman hosted a look at classic comics in the serials as well as on the Colin Baker years. This was also the first year of the "Devil Goblins' Kaffeeklatsch," the late night story readings. Local effects makers & fans presented "The Joy of Effects" on Sunday, and "The Future of Who in Print" was a popular panel on Sunday afternoon. Also fun as the tribute-worthy Terry Nation Memorial Dalek Attack and Ice Cream Social at the end of the weekend.

Chairman McGuire took over hosting duties at the Cabaret after John Levene's departure from the convention, and this year was joined by Tadao Tomomatsu, a Minnesota fan who had moved to Los Angeles. Stephen Cole, who in another facet of his life was a singer in a UK band, performed a song, as did Matthew Waterhouse. Colin Baker chose to reprise a very funny act he had done in the past, reading excerpts from legal briefings which left everyone in stitches. Likewise, Deborah Watling, who in her first appearance had merely read from a book, performed two lounge acts, one solo and one with Paul Simpson on the keyboard, a rendition of the musical number "Secondhand Rose". Meanwhile, the British contingent had put their heads together several hours before the cabaret, and as a result, Gary Gillatt, Steve Cole, Dave Owen, Paul Cornell, Jac Rayner and Keith Topping were on stage with a hearty performance of the Doctor Who song "Doctor in Distress" from the 1986 hiatus crisis. Meanwhile, the Gallifrey committee had put together for the first time a video presentation, entitled "Behind the Scenes of Gallifrey One" edited by Greg Hart, which showed - humorously - the preparations for a convention such as this (picking the chairman out of habit, picking guests by dartboard, and signing the hotel contract because of a "Men in Black" memory wipe being only a few of the examples.) Additionally, the Cabaret was complemented with a lengthy set by Julie Caitlin Brown, who had brought her new CD release to the convention and sold most of them right after the performance.

The convention's original title was "The Ninth Symphony of Gallifrey One," which changed to "Gallifrey One's Ninth Symphony". For reasons left unknown, chairman McGuire chose to change the title with the mailing of progress report one to "Nine Lives" with the Colin Baker / cat theme. For a switch, instead of the usual SF names for each room (the Babylon 5, Buckaroo Banzai and later Space: 1999 themes), this year's convention rooms would actually be named with Doctor Who names -- how appropriate!

More than any Gallifrey before it, number nine was proof that Gallifrey was a big player on the Doctor Who convention circuit. It didn't just bring Doctor Who actors to Los Angeles . . . British fandom was now migrating over here on a regular basis.

Photo Archives

Three shots of Colin Baker; three shots of Debbie Watling; three shots of Matthew Waterhouse; Andy Lane with Paul Simpson; Herb Jefferson Jr. and Anne Lockhart with Anne's kids; Herb and Anne.

Anne Lockhart; Warren James of HOUR 25 interviews Colin Baker; the Centauri Celebration begins, with Christian McGuire and his 'wives' Joyce Sperling, Wendy Wiseman and Cathy Beckstead; Warren James with Christian; candid shot from the Centauri party; Christian, Nikki Raymond and Terisa Lambert; Cathy Beckstead; dancing at the party; Bill and Jacque Watson; Colin at the TARDIS; Colin Baker with Terry Nation's daughter Rebecca and his widow Anne; costumers Jennifer Tifft and Lathon Wells.

At the costume contest with Corey Klemow, Jacque Watson, Jennifer Tifft; Dave Owen; David Gerrold and Dorothy Fontana; David Gerrold solo; Martin Day, Andy Lane, Paul Cornell and Keith Topping; Debbie and Matthew; Debbie behind the TARDIS; two shots of Debbie; doing "Doctorin' the TARDIS" at the Cabaret with Steve Cole, Gary Gillat, Jacqueline Rayner, Paul Cornell, Keith Topping and Dave Owen; Warren James interviews Stephen R. Donaldson; Dorothy Fontana.

Eric Hoffman and some 'friends'; Eric Hoffman; two shots of Erin Gray; audience members including Ruth Leventhal; the authors panel; Anne Lockhart, Richard Hatch and Herb Jefferson Jr.; Gary Russell signs; former DWM editor Gary Gillatt and former BBC Books editor Stephen Cole; tech director Greg Hart and cabaret stage manager Korina Johnson; Herb Jefferson Jr.; Andy Lane and David McIntee.

Jacque Watson and Joyce Sperling in Centauri gear; three shots of Babylon 5's Jeff Conaway; authors panel including Gary Russell, Dave Owen, Andy Lane, Paul Simpson, Gary Gillatt and Steve Cole; fans Jim Terry and Kat Hedges; two shots of J. Michael Straczynski at the Babylon 5 panel; three shots of the delightful Julie Caitlin Brown including performing at the Cabaret; Keith Topping.

Fan Laura Gjovaag at a books panel; party hostess Maribeth Tate-Mitchell; Mark Alan Shepherd out of "Morn" gear; author Martin Day; propmakers Mike Moore and Max Cervantes at the props discussion panel; Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz at his talk; author Stephen R. Donaldson; Chad Jones and Shaun Lyon; a far shot of the authors panel; another shot of Mark Alan Shepherd; "Robbie in the Lobby"; Gary Russell and Shaun Lyon.

Colin, Debbie and Matthew; Keith Topping, Gary Gillatt and Steve Cole; Matthew and Debbie; Debbie and Colin; Julie Caitlin Brown rehearses for the Cabaret; Julie alone and with her boyfriend; Jeff Conaway with his girlfriend; Colin Baker; two shots of various authors at Closing Ceremonies.

Another authors shot; Shaun Lyon; Eric Hoffman; Keith Topping and Paul Cornell; Michael Pell with the sleepy Christian McGuire after the Centauri Party; Phil Brown ("Uncle Owen" of Star Wars) and his wife; Rainy Smyth and her daughter Melina, dressing for the Cabaret; two candid shots of Richard Hatch; Gary Russell, Dave Owen and Andy Lane; Dan Sandifer and Glen Anderson; Wendy Wiseman in costume.

The Gallifrey 1998 sign board.

Video Stills

In mid-1997, during an Orange County dinner following an exhausting move of a committee member, Gallifrey committee members Christian McGuire, Shaun Lyon and Arlene Satin discussed a plan for filming a video to be broadcast as one of the "acts" of the upcoming February 1998 Cabaret. After three hours and a variety of ideas, an initial framework was established, then much of the committee was let in on the gag. Greg Hart, who was set to become Gallifrey's new Tech director after a tremendous help during the 1997 convention, would direct the video.

The subject of the video would be "Behind the Scenes of Gallifrey One," which would detail for the attendees a humorous look at the way the convention was supposedly organized. Filming began at the August and September 1997 Time Meddlers meetings, involving a large group of club members in various sketches. The video would open with a shot of the three initial instigators "under the covers" of Gallifrey One, then a variety of set pieces such as "Selecting the Chairman," "Preparing the Con Suite" and "Committee Meetings" - the latter of which wasn't exactly far from the truth.

The seven-minute video would take several avenues away from the original plans, due to an October 1997 committee schism and subsequent changes to the script. Two originally planned sequences went unfilmed, one involving "Office management" with Deanna Bayless and the other "Preparing the Video Room" which would have involved several people in a dark room watching a "porn video" (simulated, of course) until they were suddenly stumbled upon.

The video was very well received at the convention, and so plans were put in motion for a second year's video that summer.

Opening titles; the group that did the filming of the "I Want to Know..." song (not in the video); Christian McGuire is elected chair by default; "Stop Me Before I Volunteer Again!"; David Keller conceals "classified" TARDIS preparation; Tech Services' own Johnny... "just kidding!"; Dan Sandifer wants to know if he should pack a soda from 1974; Christian: "All those in favor of being on committee, step forward!"; Jim Terry is the only one who doesn't step backward; reports from the committee: Joyce Sperling stands in for Ingrid, "Yes, we'll have guests," while Ed Hooper is asleep and Gary Louie says, "Yeah, we'll have a Lego exhibit, I mean, art show."

Selecting the guest of honor; unloading the trunk; auditions for cabaret include Scott Beckstead juggling, Cathy Beckstead and Jacque Watson's "Who's on First?" and Jim Terry sings "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen"; Matt Mitchell and Shaun Lyon lose their shirts in testing the poker game; Christian greets an incognito Colin Baker and trusts him with a driver: young Patrick Beckstead. And... there... goes... the... car.

A representative from the Men In Black attempt... subtle negotiation on the hotel contract; signing the contract; the entire group tries out for Cabaret, "I Want To Know Where Love Is"; Shaun and Dave signal the end... or is it?; our tribute to Gary Louie, who passed away just before the convention.

Artwork and Illustration

Program book cover by Alan Hale; the original convention logo as publicized the year before, for "Gallifrey One's Ninth Symphony: Opus 1998"; the logo cutout from the website; cabaret program cover; progress report and flyer designs by Shaun Lyon.