TimeGate Brings ‘Doctor Who’ Convention Fun to Atlanta

It was a great weekend last week as lots of Doctor Who fans descended on the Marriott Century Center for TimeGate 2016, Atlanta’s Doctor Who convention.

They were ready to attend panels and get photos taken with guests like eighth Doctor Paul McGann (still amazingly good-looking 23 years after the TV movie aired); Terry Molloy, who played Davros, creator and master of the Daleks; Nicholas Briggs, who voices the Dalek leader and various other parts and writes and directs audio dramas for Big Finish, which produces books and audio plays based on Doctor Who. All these guests have also worked with fellow guest Jason Haigh-Ellery, executive producer of Big Finish, and they provided many entertaining and informative panels during the weekend.

In addition to panels and photos, attendees at TimeGate had a chance to buy loads of Doctor Who and other merchandise and dance at a marvelously produced dance put on by event coordinators Markster, complete with colorful lights and go-go dancers on Tardises. They attended a cabaret for charity, featuring the talents of the guests and hosted by marvelous Moxie Magness, chief cosmetologist on the Starship Enterprise.

In exciting news, we learned that next year TimeGate will regenerate and be reborn as WHOAtlanta, and the headline guest will be Colin Baker, who charmed con-goers with hs  appearance several years ago.

Here are a few other things we learned at the Con this year:

1. When not playing Davros, Terry Molloy is a funny and charming man who travels with an 80-year-old stuffed bear named Monte.

2. When not a Dakek, Nicholas Briggs is also a funny and charming man.

3. Paul McGann is one of four acting brothers who grew up in Liverpool. His brother Stephen plays the doctor on Call the Midwife.

4. When you get Molloy, Briggs, McGann, and Haigh-Ellery together, prepare to laugh.

5.According to McGann, an actor can earn a living in Britain on radio alone. Radio dramas are still very popular there. Terry Molloy has been on a radio program called The Archers for 43 years.

These are just some of the interesting sorts of things you can learn at conventions. And you can dress up, too, if you want to!

I’ll be looking forward to the new WHOAtlanta next year, at a new time, May 5-7!