The Best Weekend Ever - Part 3: Sherlocked Saturday.

The alarms went off early on Saturday morning and in a flurry of make up, hairspray and bacon butties we were ready and off to the station. Sherlocked was my very first convention and I really didn't know what to expect. We arrived at the Excel and you could feel the excitement from everyone in the room. We got a pic of the Saturday time table and did a lap of the venue to get acquainted with where everything was. I was super nervous and my tummy was full of butterflies but once we had got our bearings and made a plan of action I was much calmer. Saturday was pretty full of photographs so we decided to leave looking at the stalls and exhibits until Sunday. 

As silver pass holders we were assigned photos and I bought extras that I couldn't miss. Despite what you read in the papers there were lots of different ticket options for different budgets. It wasn't a cheap weekend but it was worth every penny. Here are the stories of my Saturday pictures with the lovely folk of Sherlock!  

First up was Jonathan Aris (Anderson). This was my first Photo shoot experience and I didn't know what to expect. Vicki had been to a few things before so I made her go first! We were called into line and filed round the snaking line taped to the floor. We waited for previous shoot to finish and out came Mark Gatiss and Una Stubbs. Then we were up. We quickly moved in to the photo area our passes were stamped and we put our bags on the table. Before I knew it I was next in the queue. Jonathan was friendly and much more handsome than his character on Sherlock. So a quick hello, nice to meet you, smile, flash of a camera and I was done. I was please he was first. He set me at ease for the rest of the pics we had lined up. 

Clive Mantle (Bob Frankland - Hound of the Baskevilles) was such a lovely gent so friendly and pleased to see everyone. And seriously tall I'm no shorty and he made me feel positively petite! He had so much time for everyone when you saw his autograph queue he was always chatting. 

Louise Breckon-Richards (The Lady in Pink -A Study in Pink) she was also brilliant asking us if we'd had a lovely day and who we had seen. We asked if she was tired and she said she was but didn't mind because she was having lots of fun. These meetings really added to the great atmosphere of the day. 

Louise Brealey (Molly Hooper) was a little ball of energy and enthusiasm. Greeting everyone with hugs and smiles. When we weren't queueing properly (not standing close together) Louise would run round and push everyone closer. She kept telling us off when we let gaps appear. "you lot just want me to touch you all again" and off she would go. It's so much fun when the star is having fun too. Then with a "hello lovely" and a big hug the Loo Brealey experience finished! 

We rushed to Una Stubbs (Mrs Hudson) as her shoot was close to finishing. She was stood chatting to the staff as we walked in called over "Come on in ladies". She is tiny. I can't stress this enough she is a teeny person and so so sweet. I went over for my picture and she said "Don't you look lovely." Complimented by Mrs Hudson! So happy. As I was leaving I told Una my mum was super excited that I was meeting her, she responded "Do tell your mum I said hello". I want to keep her she is so adorable. 

Rupert Graves (D.I. Greg Lestrade) was wonderful and so handsome. Really really handsome. He was game for anything pulling faces, striking poses and even giving piggybacks! As Vicki and I entered the queue we started chatting to Harley who was VERY excited to meet Rupert. She had only got tickets to see him and Mark Gatiss. She was lovely and Vicki and I did our best to calm her down before her pic. Rupert was utterly charming and greeted me with a big smile and "Hello love". When I requested a hug he said of course and we clinched! I love this picture! Rupert was an absolute highlight of the day and I heard many people say how much he was enjoying himself and it really came across. He got a lot of new admirers that weekend! We caught up with Harley after who was so please she got a hug from Rupert too. A fantastic experience all round! But the best was yet to come.

To be continued.....

Much Love

Charlie x