This March, if you have £100 (roughly $160) and plane tickets to Cardiff, you can attend the first annual Doctor Who convention! So far, the only confirmed guests are Matt Smith and Stephen Moffat, but we’re guessing that the likelihood of an appearance by Doctor Who superfan Chris Hardwick is very high. But even if that doesn’t happen, then we still have good news about one of our favorite nerd hosts: Hardwick’s show The Nerdist was picked up by BBC America for five more episodes! Whovians rejoice!
First, this convention, which is being presented by BBC Worldwide. Tickets — of which there are exactly 1,500 — will be going on sale on Monday at the price of £100 for one day. The convention actually takes place over the weekend of March 24 and 25, but the programming is the same for both days, so it’s only necessary to attend one day, both of which go from 9 AM to 6 PM. However, this is merely the entrance fee — for photo and autograph sessions with Smith and Moffat, that is an extra £20 or £25. However, the entrance fee by itself will get you some souvenirs: the ticket itself is said to be a souvenir, the standard convention lanyard, some sort of bag, and an “exclusive behind the scenes images postcard pack.”
Other attractions at the convention will include a session on the special effects work of Doctor Who by Danny Hargreaves and demonstrations featuring the prosthetic makeup.
As was mentioned before, the only confirmed guests are the Doctor himself, Matt Smith, and the current showrunner Stephen Moffat. But now, could there also be a Nerdist panel featuring celebrity Whovian Chris Hardwick? If not, Hardwick still has some celebrating to do: BBC America just announced a five-episode pickup for The Nerdist, a version of his very popular podcast. The half-hour pilot aired back in September as part of the channel’s Ministry of Laughs block. The five new episodes will be two one-hour specials and three half-hour specials, all schedule to air throughout next year alongside other network events. The first hour-long Nerdist will air this Christmas Eve, just in time for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special!
(via Bleeding Cool, The Hollywood Reporter)
