SHADOCON GUESTS

I've just returned from the fabulous one-day Shadocon with some great memories and a few more photos.

Here's the lovely Ayshea Brough, who played Shado operative Ayshea Johnson in the UFO TV series.

She chatted candidly about her time in UFO, and the seventies pop series, Lift Off with Ayshea, as well as her time living in Beverley Hills, which she described as a lot smaller than you'd imagine. 

Michael Jayston and Susan Jameson, who appeared together in the UFO episode, Sound of Silence. They both talked about there time in UFO,and filming in Black Park. Susan was asked about New Tricks and working with her husband, James Bolan. Michael talked about his Doctor Who appearance in The Trial of a Timelord, where he played The Valeyard, a character described as the Doctor's darker side.

Keith Alexander, appeared by Skype from his home in Australia. He talked about UFO and that he was to have been offered a character with a larger role in the series, but he'd been working out of the country when the series was formulated.When he returned he was offered the part of Shado operative Keith Ford as consolation. He recalled the end of filming party and the fact he is still in possession of Keith Ford's socks!

Gary Raymond who played Col. John Grey in the UFO episode, The Man Who Came Back, talked about his time appearing as the saboteur Acastus, in the Ray Harryhausen fantasy film classic, Jason and The Argonauts. He also talked about working with Richard Burton in the film, Look Back in Anger.

Alan Harris, who appeared in UFO in several episodes, in particular as a Skydiver sonar operator in 'Destruction' . Alan also appeared in The Protectors and Space 1999, as well as brief appearances in Doctor Who, once as a Sevateem Council Member, and later as a Vervoid monster. He talked about his time working on the set of Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back, and explaining filming techniques to Princess Diana when she visited the studio. 

Director Alan Perry opened the proceedings, following a  HD showing of the UFO episode, The Dalotek Affair. He talked about  his time with Century 21, and how, during UFO,  he nervously stood up to 'mischievous'  George Sewell who wound him up over his direction  only to find he was just pulling his leg, and also how he'd used Ed Bishop for commercial voice overs he'd directed  following UFO. 

The final guest for Shadocon was the charming Shane Rimmer, who recently celebrated his eighty eighth birthday. I did mention to him that IMDB had him down, as being born in 1932, however he did assure me and the assembled audience that this was wrong and he was born in 1929. He also talked about his liking for Ed Bishop and the late, great Roger Moore, whom he'd worked with in The Spy Who Loved Me.