SHERLOCKED: Official "Sherlock" Convention

[J.P.]

So Gatiss and Andrew each had at least 1 security guy, Una had the lady in the t-shirt, and how is Loo just walking around with nobody?!   

 

She's so small and swift - nobody noticed her :D

 

Edited to add:

As for the bodyguards, I don't know if they were assigned to particuar guests. But yes, it might be they chose the most frightening one for Ben. This guy looked really professionally scary. An iconic face, I wouldn't wonder if he gets a job in a movie. The American who threatened Mrs Hudson looks like a teddybear compared to him. :D

 

I was trying to make a photo of him - secretly. I feared that if I start shooting him he might shoot back.

[Carol the Dabbler]

But at least Martin and John look alike...

 

Umm, yeah, kinda.  But they don't talk much alike.  And they sure don't dress alike!

 

... until you paid a package or an extra fee, you had no chance even to have a look at the lead actors and say hello. I can imagine how bad it must be for people to know that people they admire are walking around somewhere behind the walls, and it is the closest they will ever get to them....

 

Seriously?  I thought they gave some talks that were open to everybody -- or at least anybody who got into the queue early enough?

 

Actually we have. Speedy's. :D

 

And there is a Sherlock pub...

 

https://twitter.com/Ladybird699/status/598902200954462208

 

Speedy's, yes!  It's just like on the show, plus the people are nice and the food is really good.

 

I've never been to the pub, but as I understand, it's a Sherlock Holmes pub, not just a Sherlock (the tv show) pub.  (Whereas Speedy's is ours.)

[Carol the Dabbler]

Just had a look at the pub's menu in the Tweet that Jenny linked to -- and whaddaya know, there's a Molly Hooper dinner -- and as most of you probably know, Molly is not a canon character, she's unique to Sherlock.  So the pub is clearly acknowledging  the show as part of their universe.

 

(They also mention some guy with the unlikely name of Benedict Cumberbatch, but I don't recall such a character in canon -- or the Jeremy Brett series -- or Elementary.  Wonder where they came up with him?)

[Carol the Dabbler]

Here's the pub's full menu.  Everything's named for an actor or a character, though the connection between the person and the food often seems tenuous at best -- e.g., the Baker Street Irregulars Scampi Salad (?).

 

[Arcadia]

Sigh, it's going to be ages before I have time to go thru all the convention material. Wonder if I can get Wifi on the beach this summer....

[sfmpco]

Here's the pub's full menu.  Everything's named for an actor or a character, though the connection between the person and the food often seems tenuous at best -- e.g., the Baker Street Irregulars Scampi Salad (?).

 

Bit pricey for my wallet but looks interesting.

[J.P.]

... until you paid a package or an extra fee, you had no chance even to have a look at the lead actors and say hello. I can imagine how bad it must be for people to know that people they admire are walking around somewhere behind the walls, and it is the closest they will ever get to them....

Seriously?  I thought they gave some talks that were open to everybody -- or at least anybody who got into the queue early enough?

 

Well, to be honest, I didn't really looked closer at the options, just another luxury that came with the package. There was a talk with Sue and Steven on the second stage - that's for sure.

 

Here are timetables I made for myself out of the information posted on the Showmasters website.

 

 

 

First column is the main stage, the second - the second stage, the third - the excluseve stuff and te rest are the photo schedules for the guests. The dark red fields were, so to say, my time slots, the signing took place some time inbetween. I missed the group talk on Saturday and even don't know how it happened. 

 

Well, none of the main actors were "available" for free. Someone like me would probably still have a lot of fun with Arwel and Danny, who both had their own stands, and the free talks on the second stage were interesting, but I think you really could be there for two days and the only glimpse of stars you could have, was to look at them from the distance during the signings. Something like this would only be attractive if I didn't have to travel around the world and book ridiculously expensive hotels.

[J.P.]

The Last Confession:

 

And now comes the part where all regrets and facepalms originate from: I should, I shouldn't, I didn't, I did wrong… I forgot… etc., etc.

Okay, two exclusive encounters. The first on Saturday was a 30 minutes chat with Andrew and Ben.

The best example of sharing being not an advantage. We were split into two groups (4 and 4 people) and each had 15 minutes with each of the guests.

Imagine, you sit with 4 people you don't know and a "star". You are hungry, tired, dehydrated, your blood sugar reached the deep end, and your ears ring from the noise you were experiencing the whole morning. You are not nervous or excited, at least the emotions didn't reach your consciousness. But you can sense an enormous pressure your body and brain are exposed to, even if you don't feel the effects directly. And probably the strongest stress factor in this is: this HAS TO be awesome.

There is no moderator to coordinate the discussion. You know it is not decent to demand the whole attention for yourself. You think the others at your table are better prepared and have questions smarter than yours. Ah… what were your questions/themes anyway?…

And now imagine the others are in the same mindset.   There is an almost visible, big "And now what?" floating under the ceiling.

It's how the highlight of the day turns into a small talk that makes a casual chat with your neighbor at the trash bin look like a deep philosophical discussion.

Still Andrew Scott is a sweetheart and makes it easy. He is very talkative and open, it showed already during the signing, he is so damn enthusiastic you sometimes think he is another fan. He says he is still kind of shellshocked about how big Sherlock has turned out, about being a part of it and how it changed everything.

I realize that even if I am not a person who likes to hang out, hanging out with Andrew would be fun.

Ben was… I struggle to find the right word in fear it would be misunderstood. Reserved is too much, he was more… introvert? A bit earnest. Probably incredibly stressed, having a cold… I mean he was great, everything what you can wish for a conversation - very attentive, when he talks to you he talks to YOU, makes you feel noticed.

I hoped to see his funny side, but hell, he owes us nothing, surely not fitting into our wishful thinking conceptions.
I just wish I would say something more intelligent than asking about his visit to Poland.

What is funny - Almost exactly 4 months before the Con, as I started looking for Sherlock online, I told to myself: "You better stay away from this Cumberbatch guy - stick to the show itself and the characters. You don't want to become a fan of an actor again, do you? It's a waste of energy". I mean it's okay to admire someone's talent and work, but he seemed so damn easy to admire as a person - and what I definitely didn't wanted, is the inner fangirl taking over. It's pathetic at my age... Well, and here I was, sitting next to Ben at one table chatting about Cracow…

We weren't said whom we would meet personally as I bought the ticket. So much for life's strange ways...


The Round Table…

Okay, okay… so I did it.
I vented about the languages.

Steven got a bit defensive and said the German court scene was shot in a corner of another set and that every production has the same issues with foreign languages and accents, and basically I should learn to deal with it :D
Then the whole thing started to slip away and somehow we landed at Ugly Duckling and I earned a real big, fat from Mark. I still cannot decide if it was more hilarious or humiliating. What I surely should say was: See? That's what happen to fans who spend too much time waiting.

Since then Mark was mocking me with "entschuldigen Sie bitte" and other bits in German - even later at the signing. (BTW: His accent was much better than the bits in Many Happy Returns and TBB. :P)
But I wish I said something constructive or nice instead.

Note to self:
DON'T.
TRY.
TO BE.
FUNNY.

NOT IN
ENGLISH.

NEVER.
AGAIN.

Another tidbit I remember from the round table was that someone asked Steven how he deals with ideas (like if he makes notes)
To what he said that he never makes notes because if the idea is really good he would never forget it.
Which makes me wonder - How would he know?  But again, I didn't ask.

 

I really wish I could be more coherent about everything, but I overestimated the whole thing and the impact it had on my mind…
Sorry, guys.

Ask questions if you like.

[sittything]

OMG, I can't believe you got to sit down one on one with an actor, in your case Ben and Andrew.  That is one of those things that in my head I would love to do, and in reality I would just sit there gaping at them.  Same thing would probably apply to me and the round table.  Who all was at the round table?  How many fans other than yourself?

[J.P.]

Again: nine fans, and on the other side Mark, Steven and Sue.

 

As fun as it looks like, to me it has a big

"You f****d up the best chance in your life"-tag attached to it.

[sittything]

Sorry, if I missed where you said that about the round table earlier.  I'm woefully behind on all of the threads this week.    

[J.P.]

Ah, if you mean the word "again" - sorry, it wasn't meant to remind you of the earlier posts, but to say that also at the round table we were nine folks.

[sittything]

Oh, OK.  lol      

 

I just assumed I had missed something (which I had!) since I've hardly been on here all week.    I still want to go back and read everything you posted when I get a chance.  So many photos and stuff I've missed!

[Arcadia]

I have a question ... what does the part about Ugly Duckling mean? I don't remember encountering this before.

 

I know what you mean about Ben; even from my distance, I get the sense that what attracted me to him the most -- his goofy side -- has been rather tamped down, for some reason. You're right, he owes us nothing, but it makes me a little sad nevertheless. He's still my favorite actor, though. :D

 

I could never do what you did and meet any of these people "up close and personal"; I would freeze on the spot and not be able to say a word. Or babble like Molly at her worst moment, and be humiliated.

[Carol the Dabbler]

"Ugly Duckling" is a phrase from Mycroft's computer screen in "Last Vow" (the scene where he and Greg are discussing Sherlock's bolt holes) -- apparently a code name for something in eastern Europe.  Not something I noticed either -- but it's been mentioned on this forum before.  Hang on -- OK, here it is.

[Arcadia]

"Ugly Duckling" is a phrase from Mycroft's computer screen in "Last Vow" (the scene where he and Greg are discussing Sherlock's bolt holes) -- apparently a code name for something in eastern Europe. Not something I noticed either -- but it's been mentioned on this forum before. Hang on -- OK, here it is.

Thanks! I do dimly remember that now.

 

That's brings up another question though ....

 

Okay, okay… so I did it.

I vented about the languages.

 

Steven got a bit defensive and said the German court scene was shot in a corner of another set and that every production has the same issues with foreign languages and accents, and basically I should learn to deal with it :D

Then the whole thing started to slip away and somehow we landed at Ugly Duckling and I earned a real big, fat from Mark. I still cannot decide if it was more hilarious or humiliating. What I surely should say was: See? That's what happen to fans who spend too much time waiting.

Huh? ? Exactly what did you say, JP?

 

(Don't worry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to!) :D

[J.P.]

It was about the TERRIBLE German accents in Many Happy Returns and equally terrible lines in TBB (the people with the London A-Z book), and how such things can ruin the experience of watching such wonderful show, making you cringe in your seat and want to run away.

 

I could never do what you did and meet any of these people "up close and personal"; I would freeze on the spot and not be able to say a word. Or babble like Molly at her worst moment, and be humiliated.

 

I suppose the above described "highlight" was my version of Molly at her worst. From all options you brewed in the back of your head for weeks, you chose the least useful and most likely to make an ididot out of yourself.

 

Re: Ugly Duckling: I mentioned it in an earlier post

 

As I mentioned Ugly Duckling to Mark, he looked at me as if I just jumped out of an UFO, and for a moment I wished the East Wind would take me away... He had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. He never paid attention to what was on Mycroft's computer - it was all the props department's business. 

So. Okay.

The problem is, that with THIS SHOW you can actually never know if a detail has a relevance or not. The damned squash ball is just one example.

 

... and the further explanation is HERE

[Van Buren Supernova]

Good sharing J.P and thanks for that.

 

Although you regret some of the experiences I believe it's still something amazing to remember.

 

And me too, I could never do what you did. It would freak me out being in those crowds. I would just accept that I would never able to meet BC and thankfully, it's fine for me (as long as I don't sink further and like him more bcs he seems like awesome person in real life).

[Shadow Dweller]

Or, perhaps Ugly Duckling is a codename for a target or M.I.6's team/agent assigned there. Don't be discouraged, today's meaningless tidbits could turn into pivotal and plot-driving point tomorrow :D Ugly duckling >> swan >> origami >> opera house shape in TSoT >> anyone remember Irene Adler's original job in ACD? Opera Singer. Perhaps Ugly Duckling is her, working for Queen and country.

[J.P.]

Some Additional Bits and Pieces:

As we were walking along N Gover Street, we saw Twins in Sherlock cosplay. This was a bit of a moment. :D I wonder what people who don't know the series might think of seeing the n-th person in the same outfit...

 

I also saw a girl at the DLR station, she had a shirt with a really beautiful, black and white portrait photo of Ben on it. And that was not just a print on the front, but the photo was all over the shirt. It looked fantastic (from the technical POV) and intimidating at once.

 

 

During the event I have seen plenty of Belstaff coats. Some were copies, mostly very good ones, but there were few that looked like the real thing.

 

 

During the VIP meetings a young teacher who was in our fan group asked the guests to give a short message for her class graduating this year, a message she wanted to record on her camera. She got it twice: from Andrew and Ben, and from Mark and Steven. I saw the second being made: it was funny and it looked like something that was rehearsed before, and not an impromptu improvised message. I tell you, those folks are geniuses, every single one of them, and Steven is as good an actor as Mark.

Now this woman has something to remember! This was also the only case I saw someone dancing and jumping from happiness during the con. 

[J.P.]

Or, perhaps Ugly Duckling is a codename for a target or M.I.6's team/agent assigned there. Don't be discouraged, today's meaningless tidbits could turn into pivotal and plot-driving point tomorrow :D

 

Oh, then I will claim my rights as a proud mommy of the idea.

 

But seriously, I still think that e.g. the dog statue could be an inspiration for Redbeard, even if nobody did it consciously. We see much more than we are aware of, and things we not-see might reappear in our minds in the most surprising ways. The dog was there, on the shelf, from the beginning, maybe someone got inspired...

 

I have experienced or witnessed such effects several times, even at the con someone had similar experience: LINK

[Arcadia]

"Ugly Duckling" is a phrase from Mycroft's computer screen in "Last Vow"....

Re: Ugly Duckling: I mentioned it in an earlier post

.......... and the further explanation is HERE

Clearly I am not paying very good attention ....

.... I would never able to meet BC and thankfully, it's fine for me (as long as I don't sink further and like him more bcs he seems like awesome person in real life).

Surrender now. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

 

Or, perhaps Ugly Duckling is a codename for a target or M.I.6's team/agent assigned there. Don't be discouraged, today's meaningless tidbits could turn into pivotal and plot-driving point tomorrow :D Ugly duckling >> swan >> origami >> opera house shape in TSoT >> anyone remember Irene Adler's original job in ACD? Opera Singer. Perhaps Ugly Duckling is her, working for Queen and country.

People, people, people!!!! You are missing the obvious! "Ugly Duckling" is clearly a reference to our very own Carol the Dabbler, who in real life is actually a world class spy living in Poland. She only gets called up for the really difficult ... oh, wait, I wasn't supposed to tell you that .... (runs and hides).

[SherlockedCAMPer]

 

Or, perhaps Ugly Duckling is a codename for a target or M.I.6's team/agent assigned there. Don't be discouraged, today's meaningless tidbits could turn into pivotal and plot-driving point tomorrow :D Ugly duckling >> swan >> origami >> opera house shape in TSoT >> anyone remember Irene Adler's original job in ACD? Opera Singer. Perhaps Ugly Duckling is her, working for Queen and country.

People, people, people!!!! You are missing the obvious! "Ugly Duckling" is clearly a reference to our very own Carol the Dabbler, who in real life is actually a world class spy living in Poland. She only gets called up for the really difficult ... oh, wait, I wasn't supposed to tell you that .... (runs and hides).

 

 

And don't forget her husband Alex...our very own Mr. & Mrs. Smith ;)

[Carol the Dabbler]

Hush!  You'll blow our cover and we'll have to get a real job!

 

[T.o.b.y]

Again: nine fans, and on the other side Mark, Steven and Sue.

 

As fun as it looks like, to me it has a big

"You f****d up the best chance in your life"-tag attached to it.

 

Oooooh! I feel for you so much. If it's any consolation to you, if someone sat me down with any of the principle members of the Sherlock cast and crew, I'd probably go from shell-shocked awkward silence to unwarranted mirth and horribly rude comments / questions that sounded intelligent inside my head just a second ago. I can't even make smalltalk with my own extended family (the last big family gathering, I hid in the kitchen, only to be joined by 4 maiden aunts who came there with the same intention and then started an argument on how to best stack the dishwasher).

 

I don't think, though, that any of the famous people you met will remember you in any negative way. You can't be the first fan they encountered who was nervous and a bit overwhelmed.

 

Just remember it for the good part: You got to sit down with these people and talk to them. You know what they look like up close and what their voices sound like without the aid of a microphone. Even if you've had the presence of mind to ask the question of all questions, there's no knowing if you'd have gotten a good answer.

 

I don't believe you F***ed up anything. I know, I wasn't there, but as long as you didn't personally insult anybody or got their lawyers to sue you, it should all be fine. Bathe in the envy of all the fans world-wide who never had and never will have your opportunity and leave out all the rest...