GWD Round Table

Zine
Title:	GWD Round Table
Publisher:	Geraint Wyn Davies Fan Club out of Virginia
Editor(s):	Rosemary Shad
Type:	newsletter
Date(s):	1994-?
Frequency:
Medium:	print
Size:	Letter sized
Fandom:	Forever Knight
External Links:
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GWD Round Table was an actor-centric newsletter that offered news and information about Forever Knight actor Geraint Wyn Davies. Each newsletter was approximately 10 pages, letter-sized and side stapled. Issues contained letters from fans, actor news, ads for fanzines (though very few of these) and other show related merchandise.

The editor's stress, "Remember, this is not a Forever Knight fan club... It is a club for Geraint."

A similar zine was Nigel Bennett News.

Some Statistics

The editor took a survey of the fan club's members and published the results in v.2 n.3:

• the 200 membership mark was passed in January 1995. As of February, there were 219 members in 35 states, Canada, Germany and Australia
• average age of those including this optional information was 34. The youngest member was 11 and the oldest was 64
• 93% of the members are female
• the fan club gets an average of 7 letters a day

Special Edition

cover of special issue

A Special Edition newsletter was published in October 1994 and contains 8 pages. It is primarily an account of a visit to the set while the show was being filmed and includes many photographs.

This issue also has a warning/plea from the editor to stop sending things/packages/letters directly to the actor's house as he is finding it very distressing:

Fandom and fan clubs have always been where people could meet others to talk, share common interests, discuss and generally get excited about their favorite star. Unfortunately, in a few sad cases a handful of people, whether part of fandom or not, have given the name a different meaning. Take the Sharon Gless stalker, the David Letterman threats, the Jonathan Frakes grabber, and very close to home, the Nigel Bennett phone threats.... It is very easy to say that this lunatic fringe element many be only one or two people out of thousands of fans, but if you were the favorite star or those fans, who would you feel?... Out of courtesy to Ger, or any other star for that matter, if you know anyone who is writing or giving out his address, please ask them to stop. This kind of behavior can ruin it for everyone.

v.2 n.2

Vol II, issue no. 2 was published in November 1994 and contains 10 pages. The front page includes a handwritten greeting from GWD.

front page of v.2 n.2

• parody of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" "brought to you by Nia Wyntrensyca, Rosemary Shad and the late night atmosphere at the Silver Diner"
• fan's account of a trip to visit the set of "Forever Knight" on September 10, 1994
• two letters from fans commenting on the show
• the winner of the caption contest was announced, but as there were only five responses to the last one, the activity is being canceled
• reprint of an interview with GWD
• some excerpts from letters saying how fabulous the GWD Fan Club is
• birthday announcements
• ads offering and asking for missing episodes on VCR tapes

From the set visit report:

What impressed me most about the visit? I was amazed by how different everything looks on camera than in real life. There is a magic going on, the art of illusion. Somehow from chopped up little scenes in front of plywood sets comes a beautiful finished project. The setting and process of filming is not glamorous, but the end result is superb." She adds, "I'll remember how sweet Ger was, how concerned for our comfort and well being. He acted like we were in his home, which in a way, we were. He didn't act like the star of this show, a celebrity, an idol loved by many fans, including the ones visiting him that day. He treated us like friends, and sometimes it's hard to remember that he's not my personal friend. He's an actor; I'm his fan, and as such, I have no claim on him or his time or his personal life. I can love him all I want, but I have no right to be offended or feel hurt if he doesn't answer my fan letters or disclose the private details of his life. With a guy as warm and wonderful as Ger, it's easy to forget that.

v.2.n.3

cover of v.2 n.3

Vol II, issue no. 3 was published in February 1995 and contains 8 pages.

• an open letter from a fan to GWD
• some excerpts of articles about the show from some newspapers and magazines
• some club stats regarding number of members, average age, number of letters the fan club gets a day...
• some excerpts of letters from fans regarding the show and the fan club, all relentlessly positive and glowing
• birthday announcements
• a vampire cartoon (not FK)
• some general announcements and reminders about writing letters to the producers of the show and regarding some charity events, including Weekend with Ger
• an invitation and ad to join the Adrian Paul fan club: "PEACE: The Adrian Paul Fan Club"

v.3.n.1

cover of v.3 n.1

art in v.3 n.1, by Jacy

Vol III, issue no. 1 was published in August 1995 and contains 13 pages

• information and encouragement to support the fan club's charity, the Children's Hospital, so far they've raised $8000 and the goal is $10,000
• there is a raffle/auction for the leather flight jacket worn by GWD in "Dark Knight"
• a vampire cartoon (not FK)
• the editor says there are 340 members, and that 250 of them have never written the club anything more than the check to join, that 30% of the members do all the work. This includes a plea for some feedback.
• some fans write in comments about the episode, "Curiouser and Curiouser," "Baby, Baby"
• a feature called "Morgan's Deli" passes on info on members' personal losses
• some excerpts from fan letters, almost all very positive except for one that didn't like some aspects of an episode and asks "Maybe they should let fans write the story lines?"
• fans' birthday announcements
• want ads for merchandise including a rare zine ad, The Heart Has It's Reasons (sic)
• an illo by Jacy
• an ad with photo for FK badges for sale

There is a warning from the editor about repeating rumors:

Rumors about FK and USA, Ger's future with the show, the stars' coming and going, and the changes, have been rampant the past few weeks. Even some remarks Ger made at the Weekend seem to have been taken out of context and changed to fit the story. Ger felt at the Weekend that he could speak freely and openly about anything. Do you want him to become guarded with his answers? Or worse, shy away altogether from doing another Weekend?? I have always thought our club had the best fans, and I must say some of the things on the net that we have seen are not from our members, but we can still help squelch rumors before they can take how and spread... simply IGNORE THEM!!!... Don't repeat anything unsubstantiated.... Find out where the info came from... and don't accept as an answer, 'I saw it on the net' or 'they say'-- Better still, just tell anyone offering you a rumor you'd rather not hear it. Take your rumors and incorporate them in fan fiction... at least they'd serve some purpose there -- as fiction.

v.3 n.3

Vol III, issue no. 3 was published in February 1996 and contains 22 pages.

cover of v.3 n.3

art from v.3 n.3, Maryann Jorgenson

some fan-made badges for sale from an ad in v.3 n.3

• the editors note there are now 500 members
• there is an ad for a play GWD will star in, "The Taming of the Shrew" at Trinity St. Paul's Church in Toronto
• fans' birthday announcements
• Morgan's Deli, a column for fans to pass on wishes and prayers for personal losses and such
• a word search puzzle
• fan reviews of three episodes, "My Boyfriend is a Vampire," "Trophy Girl," "Sons of Belial"
• an excerpt from an AOL Question and Answer session with GDW is reprinted
• text of "Hauntings" read by GWD
• a non-FK poem by Kendrew Lascellas called "The Box"
• an illo of Nick and Natalie by Maryann Jorgenson
• detailed info on Weekend with Ger #2 to be held June 28–30, 1996 in Thousand Oaks, CA. Limited to 100 attendees, those who weren't at the last Weekend, those who are "active members" as of March 15, cost is $48

From the editor:

[Fandom] as with anything that promotes good will, friendship, and perhaps, the opportunity to bring a little fantasy into our life, there is always that handful to tear down the walls of goodwill. Fan involvement is wonderful, and fan fiction and caring about a show' s characters is an excellent outlet for all of us. But, folks, IT IS A SHOW!! Ger is not Nick Knight, nor is Nigel LaCroix, nor Catherine a doctor. There is a wealth of mail from those who cannot seem to, or even want to, distinguish between the characters and the actors. A week has never gone by when we don't get mail for Ger from this group. At times it seems just as pathetic to me as it is upsetting. Many of these things are what has given fandom a bad name, an undeserved bad name from a very small fringe group. . . the lunatic fringe, stalkers, harassers, those who threaten and those who demand, the fanatics, and those who let their fantasies become reality to a dangerous point. I'm talking about the few to whom we should be saying seriously what Bill Shatner once said in jest 'Get a life.' Fortunately for most of us, those in this fringe usually are not joiners. They are too much a part of their world and those like them to be involved in fan clubs, but their actions still reflect on fandom in general. The advent of cyberspace and the rapid dissemination of information through computer networks has made it easier for them to reach more people, to perhaps infect and spread their own fantasies to others. We all have to be careful about how we interpret everything we see and hear. It has become very easy to become hyper and go overboard, with rumors being spread and causing actions so widely spread before checks can be made that the actions cannot be stopped even if the information proves to be unfounded. We all need to use caution before becoming involved to the point of no return.

There is a lengthy letter from a fan who pleads with other fans to allow GWD his privacy and not bother him:

What we forget, and I think most of us have had thoughts like this at least once, is we're not only invading his private life, but his family's, too. Now, we each know we're not crazy, but Ger and his family don't. To them, we're strangers. And even though we think we know him, we really don't. For the most part, we know the celebrity persona.

There is news of the show's cancellation:

Most of you already know that this was the year that USA network, in whatever infinite wisdom guides them, decided to cancel FOREVER KNIGHT. I cannot profess to understand their decision but it is one they've made and will not change despite the valiant efforts of all the fans who've fought to make them see the error of their ways. Again, I won't mention names because you guys all know who you are. The outpouring of support for the show was the most impressive thing that I have seen in years. Fans from all over wrote to the station, campaigned to save the show... And there were some clever campaigns... there were blood drives, charity fund raisers and one faction even sent unscratched lottery tickets to USA with instructions that if they were winners to use the money to fund FOREVER KNIGHT. There was also a group that attended NATPE, the convention in Las Vegas where shows are put on display for programmer and TV executives so that they can consider purchasing them for their stations to air. For whatever reason, J. Parriott decided not to submit FOREVER KNIGHT. A group of fans, went to NATPE and took it upon themselves to spread the word creating an interest for the show (There's an article about their efforts reprinted in this newsletter). All these efforts appear to have been in vain but there is still hope -- there's hope for occasional movies in the genre of Alien Nation, I am told. So all is not lost. My thoughts are that this is USA's loss. FOREVER KNIGHT will go on whether it's with the movies or fan fiction. The show, like it' s characters, will never die.