Stoke-Con-Trent has been a fixture of the Midlands’ convention scene over the last few years and it returned this weekend for its first post-pandemic event. A smaller scale convention, Stoke-Con-Trent has previously tended to feature guests from British TV shows, with a particular focus on 90s sports-entertainment show Gladiators. Other guests announced for this show included stars from Harry Potter, Power Rangers, Red Dwarf, and the DC Universe, amongst others.
For the longest time it seemed that there would be no Star Wars interest at the event but, in the last few weeks guests from both the original trilogy and sequel-era have been announced. Original Trilogy puppeteers, and convention stalwarts, Tim Rose and Mike Quinn were first to be announced and they were followed by Wookiee suit-performers Matt Tyler and Ross Sambridge. Both appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story as Wookiee slaves and Ross was also the body double for Snoke in The Last Jedi.
Previously based at Staffordshire University, the show has now moved to Stoke-on-Trent’s other university at Keele. The university is actually located just outside of Stoke-on-Trent but is easily accessible by road and there is also a regular bus service from the city centre. There was also free parking at the event which is always a bonus.
Entry to the event was by wristband mailed out to attendees before the convention. The event usually sells-out so buying tickets on the day isn’t always guaranteed. On this occasion ticket sales were entirely online and closed several days before the event so that numbers could be controlled. Other than this limit on numbers, there were no other Covid requirements such as masks, Covid passes or pre-event testing. One of the Harry Potter guests wore a see-thru face mask during signings but other than this the event appeared much like any pre-pandemic convention.
I arrived early at 8:30am and over the next hour or so a steady stream of cosplay-clad attendees began to arrive ready for opening at 10:00am. The event is on a fairly small scale so there wasn’t much need for queue management outside the venue. In fact, a queue was only formed seconds before entry for a publicity photo!
The con was based in the university’s students’ union building and was spread over 2 areas separated by the bar area. As you would expect from a students’ union it was fairly grungy, but it worked as a convention venue. There was a lack of signage which appeared to be confusing some people but the venue was small so I’m sure everyone will have found their way around eventually.
Like several other conventions this year, the event was hit by numerous guest cancellations. Many of these occurred in the week running up to the event with various reasons cited including work commitments, personal commitments, travel issues, and illness. Despite the organisers’ best efforts to replace guests, some cancellations occurred on the day of the event itself and sadly the event was the lesser for this. Luckily for Star Wars fans, all of the announced Star Wars guests were in attendance on the day.
I met all four of the Star Wars guests at the con and the first up was Mike Quinn. I had already met Mike earlier this year at EM-Con Nottingham and I on this occasion I continued my focus on getting images of guests’ lesser-known roles signed. Of course, Mike is best known for playing Sullustan pilot Nien Nunb and his table images reflected this. However, for this signing I brought my own image of Yoda from Return of the Jedi, where Mike was an assistant puppeteer. I also brought an image of the character Vazzet Dipterz from The Rise of Skywalker. Mike provided the animatronic performance for the character who was shown in the movie riding on a load lifter, as played by Tom Wilton. Mike noted that this was the first time he has signed for this character so I currently own a unique item; although I’m sure this won’t last for long.
Next was Tim Rose – most famous for playing Admiral Akbar. Tim signed an image of Salacious B. Crumb for me. He recounted the story of how the ‘B’ got added to the name. Apparently, he was goofing around with the Salacious Crumb puppet and did a piece to camera introducing himself as Salacious B. Crumb in homage to cartoon characters with initials in their name (e.g., Wile E. Coyote). Somehow this footage ended up on a behind the scenes documentary and was adopted as the official name. A lifelong Star Wars fan and I am still learning new facts about the original trilogy!
Finally, I met giants Matt Tyler and Ross Sambridge who signed images of their roles as Wookiee slaves in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Both were tight-lipped about any involvement in any current Star Wars projects, so Wookiee lovers will have to wait a little longer to find out if we are returning to Kashyyyk any time soon. Matt had a range of different table images from Solo along with some 8”x10” images of Solo movie posters. Ross had a wide selection of table images from both Solo and The Last Jedi and also had a selection of merchandise available for signing (see price list below).
The prices for Star Wars guests were as follows…
Mike Quinn – Autograph £25, Selfie £10, Photoshoot £25.
Tim Rose – Autograph £20, Selfie £5, Photoshoot £25
Matt Tyler – Autograph £20, Photoshoot £25.
Ross Sambridge – Autograph on 8”x10” print, or your item £20 (or 2 for £30), on (supplied) Funko Pop £30, on (supplied) 3.75” carded figure £35, on (supplied) Black Series figure £40. Photoshoot £25.
Star Wars Group Photoshoot £43
Away from the autographs there was a small selection of merchandise stalls with a mix of modern and vintage items. There was also a display of movie cars at the front of the venue including a Back to the Future DeLorean, Lightning McQueen from Cars, a 4×4 from Jurassic Park and several cars from the Transformers franchise. Also, outside the venue, there were wrestling matches taking place presented by The Barracks Pro Wrestling School. East Midlands Garrison were also present for photo opportunities around the venue.
Overall, this was another 2021 event that was sadly diminished by guest cancellations. It is a small convention, which probably means it won’t be a must-attend event for most autograph collectors. However, it’s a great convention for families on a budget or those new to convention-going. The big positives of Stoke-Con-Trent for seasoned autograph collectors are the relaxed vibe and the fact that you have much more time to chat to guests than many larger conventions.
No date has been set for the next Stoke-Con-Trent although it is expected to return in 2022.
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