The Teal-Vandor Convention

Convention
Name:	The Teal-Vandor Convention
Dates:	May 2, 1981
Frequency:
Location:	Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WCl
Type:
Focus:
Organization:
Founder:	Jill McCaul
Founding Date:
URL:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Teal-Vandor Convention was a one-day Blake's 7 convention organized jointly by the Liberator Popular Front and Horizon, the country's the largest B7 clubs.

From Horizon Newsletter #5 and Pat Thomas: "... we all learnt a lot (!) as it was the first convention we held. As the response was so great it has been decided to hold two separate conventions for B7 fans next year: Teal-Vandor II, run by the LPF and a new convention called At the Edge of the World. Teal-Vanor are still shorting out their venuew but "Edgecon" (for short) will be held on 7th and 8th August 1982 in Richmond, Surrey."

The Programme

• 9.15 Registration opens in foyer
• 10.00 Opening Ceremony in Main Hall
• 11.15 Talk - Mat Irvine (Main Hall)
• 12.00 Talk - Paul Darrow (Main Hall)
• 12.30 Talk - Vere Lorrimer & Jim Francis (Main Hall)
• 13.00 Paul Darrow (Main Hall)
• 13.15-14.15 LUNCH
• 14.15 Talk - Jacqueline Pearce (Main Hall)
• 15.00 Slide show and animated films (Main Hall)
• 15.30 Talk - Jan Chappell and Peter Tuddenham
• 16.15 Interview - Vere Lorrimer (Main Hall)
• 16.45 Auction (Main Hall)
• 17.15 Film: DEATH RACE 2000 (Main Hall)
• 19.00 Filk singing by Chris Chivers (Main Hall)
• 19.15 Drama Show (Main Hall)
• 19.45 More filk singing by Chris Chivers (Main Hall)
• 20.00 Closing Ceremony and Awards (Main Hall)

There were also autograph sessions, and a dealer's room in the smaller hall.

Convention Programme

The 1981 convention program contains 16 pages, black and white photographs, biographies, and convention/series information, has staple binding, and glossy photo cover.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Cake!

There was a raffle for a cake shaped as the Liberator.

From Horizon Newsletter #5:

The lucky winner of the Liberator cake was Claudine Wakeman-Reynolds, who wrote to us describing her journey home with said cake. This, obviously, was not an easy process - it was quite a large cake - and she was also in a rather interesting costume which was complemented by some very noticeable blue greasepaint.

She said: "The process of carrying home the Liberator cake was not an easy one. I thought it might be wise if I removed my grease-paint before attempting the journey home, it’s one thing in the morning, but at midnight!!! The tube journey was the most amusing. My friend and I were forced to run to catch a tube, unfortunately the car we chose was full of a pack of boy scouts. Naturally, there were many comments from the young boys, not helped by my blue tinged face and green flying suit! The most hazardous journey was the walking around Liverpool Street Station, with a group of ’mods' all waiting for a train, luckily not ours. The porters were most amused and helpful when we finally reached our destination."

From a Committee Member: 1981

From Horizon Newsletter #5: "Behind the Scenes... (or why things go wrong at Conventions)" by Diane Gies:

... I thought you might like to know what actually goes on 'behind the scenes' as seen by a member of the Committee. I won't bore you by describing the periodic meetings with heated discussions on what venue to use, what charity to support, what costumes to wear, what wine to bring and who is going to pick up Paul Darrow (in a car, I meant...) Sufficient say that we all muddled through and mostly everything was arranged by THE DAY. With this being the case, what could possibly go wrong. Well, apart from the extremely difficult task of getting up at the crack of dawn, my first task (and probably most important) was to collect much of the food that you lucky folks consumed. Due to our family having a bakery I volunteered to provide the French bread, several varieties of cakes and biscuits (mostly for the guests) and a giant cake in the shape of the Liberator. This was supposed to be for a 'Guess the Weight' competition... problem number one reared its head... my father had kindly taken this cake over to my house and then disappeared in the general direction of North America the day before. He had forgotten to tell me how much the cake weighed - I tried putting it on my kitchen scales... much too heavy. I tried putting it on the bathroom scales but it kept sliding off. Those of you who saw the cake will know that I gave up and it eventually became first prize in a raffle! Apart from that, my father, knowing nothing of B7, misheard my spelling of Teal-Vandor (the inscription on the cake was to read 'TEAL-VANDOR CONVENTION 1981) - we ended up with Teal Van Door... not guite the same but I sguashed off the icing of the second 'O' and hopefully no-one noticed. Next problem. At the appointed time I set off with my reluctant husband, Alec (who is not really bonkers about B7) to the shop in Kingsbury to collect the rest of the food listed above. For the first time in my memory the driver delivering the stuff had failed to arrive (probably taking advantage of the fact that my Dad was on holiday). I waited. A while later, becoming rather worried, I telephoned another branch in West Hendon - the van had only just arrived there... never mind, I said, we would go that way to pick it up. Tyres screeching (and already \ of an hour late we arrived and encountered a new problem. Have you ever tried fitting 4 people (we had to pick up Sharon and a Scottish member called Ewan staying at her house) 40 giant sticks of French bread, 6 cakes, 2 lbs of biscuits, a giant Liberator cake, 1 large tea urn, a blackboard, 2 display cases and a crateful of zines into a Cortina Mark 2 saloon? Tricky!! (If anyone had some French bread tasting slightly of rubber - you got the bit sitting on the spare tyre in the boot!

[...]

Apart from the above disasters, the HORIZON table ran out of HORIZON 2's and doubtless other things went wrong that I don't even know about - I won't mention the rather confusing Drama Show (aaaarh I mentioned it...) or the lack of the film or the confusion about videos which were not my fault (grovel grovel) BUT IT WAS ALL GREAT FUN WASN'T IT?????

Apart from the disastrous beginning (for me at any rate) things mostly straightened themselves out and poor Alec was compensated by being allowed to drive the charming Jan Chappell home. I'm sure our next convention will go COMPLETELY ACCORDING TO PLAN... you haven't been put off, have you?

Amongst the ordinary (!) things that happened at the Convention (in no particular order) were that we had Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Jan Chappell and Peter Tuddenham answering questions, signing autographs and posing for photos. Jan and Jacqueline could not stay too long as they had other commitments but certainly made the most of their time. Paul had only intended staying an hour, but this somehow turned into 3% hours so that he could attend to the enormous queue awaiting his autograph. Peter very kindly stayed practically all day and we were most grateful for all the time spent with us by all our guests. We were also lucky enough to have Vere Lorrimer, (producer of Series 4) to tell us in his inimitable style of the 'plots' of the new series and to explain some interesting facts about 'Aftermath'. Also appearing was Mat Irvine who gave a most interesting talk on various models aided by some slides, in between judging the art competition.

Apart from these main events, the dealers room was open for attendees to spend any money they had left after the auction, there was a caption competition, an art display, a model display (hidden away in a small room upstairs) - the majority of which contained the familiar, shape of the late lamented Liberator.

The kitchen staff coped magnificently with the hungry hordes and fed them ploughman lunches (great French bread, wasn't it?) and assorted drinks. Quite a few attendees were in fancy dress, which was nice to see (mostly) and congratulations to Michelle Dennis and Alex Delicado who won the best misc. character and best B7 character respectively. During the latter part of the afternoon we were entertained by the B7 Blooper Reel, a variety of SF orientated songs by Chris Chivers & Co. which was followed by the rather incomprehensible drama show (the beings taking part didn't understand it either!'!) At last came the awards and closing speeches and the day drew to a close.

Fan Reactions

1981

I was delighted and rather flattered when asked to do this report and confidently, in my usual feet first manner, I agreed, ’Of course I can do it' I thought, despite the fact that I had no real idea what was expected of me, having only been in fandom a short while, and despite the fact that I'd never done anything remotely like it before. So much for cheerful optimism. Anyway, here's my opinion untainted by preconceptions and, I hope, unbiased.

First the bad news. The main reason for disappointment at all these events (and Teal Vandor was no exception) seems to be a lack of solid commitment on the part of outside contributors. For example, being unable to enter the hall Friday night as previously agreed; guests arriving late or showing no interest at all; lack of correct projection facilities and lack of the BBC waiver needed to legally show the video's. I'm sure you can think of others! It would appear that some of the time, effort and sheer emotional energy generated by the Committee would be better spent kicking a few lethargic butts. Verbal promises are too readily broken and 'maybe' is no answer at all. As I said before, very similar problems seem to plague all conventions and ultimately it is the paying public that suffers most. Perhaps the Committee should be a bit tougher in future. It must be soul destroying to have all one's hard work undone by a few people who can't, or won't find the time.

Two people who always seem to be prepared to make time are the incorrigible Jacqueline Pearce, adding charm and a lively wit to the proceedings in a style all her own, and Paul Darrow (sigh) smiling devastatingly through writers cramp for the benefit of the autograph hunters.

Mat Irvine once again entertained us with a talk on special effects. He also . brought several models along, something I'd like to have a go at myself. However, I had to admonish him for leaving Boris the Spider behind since I'd promised my husband an introduction.

It was an especial pleasure to see Jan Chappell as she won't be in the new series.

I have no doubt that she will be sorely missed. It was particularly nice of her to drop in as I know she was very short of time.

I was fortunate enough to meet both Peter Tuddenham, a thoroughly charming gentleman who seemed much impressed by the costumes on display and Vere Lorrimer, not the superior, rather distant figure that I'd imagined, but warm, friendly and very approachable.

I was delighted by the interest shown by Mr Lorrimer who, with his colleages above is an example of the enthusiasm that keeps the public coming back year after year. Indeed, enthusiasm seemed to be the keynote of the proceedings. For much of the time an air of cheerful lunacy prevailed, and the myriad of colourful costumes helped to create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

The art show was rather disappointing to one who loves colour, most of the exhibits being black and white line drawings rather than paintings. Still, at least they were originals by amateur artists and some were very good. I found the models interesting, but feel that they would be better hung preferably against a backcloth. There may be reasons why this can't be done, but if not, how about it next year?

A suggestion about judging. I understand that each competition was judged by a single person. As all art is subjective, I feel that it would be more appropriate, more fun and considerably more democratic if all attendees were given ballot papers and invited to vote in each category. This would not only cut down some of the bickering amongst disappointed entrants but would give the public a more personal involvement in the events.

The stewards and security were run brilliantly by Lillian, a good sign being that several were free of duty at any given time. Apart from one or two bombastic so-and-so's taking tables they hadn't ordered, the book room seemed to go well enough, although the speeches in the main hall naturally drew most of the attention. Humour always goes down well and the caption competition and blooper reel were very popular. I hope both will be a 'must' for next time.

I didn't intend to mention the drama show as I was one of the misguided participants, still, all I can say is that it was an interesting idea that didn't work on the day.

That's about all I can think of, except to say that I loved the Con. booklet, although I found the humour banal. The information was very interesting and well laid out. I actually read it in its entirety several times over (I don't usually bother). Like most people I adored the cover picture, the best one I've seen of Avon, although as Paul pointed out, his hair was rather too neat. All I can say is, Mr Darrow, I'd be delighted to untidy it a little for you anytime, along with several hundred others no doubt!

Reading through this, I am surprised to find that it's rather censorious, surprised because Teal Vandor is the best convention I've attended to date. I found it the most varied, the most entertaining and the people were the nicest. My personal thanks to the Committee for their efforts and if you would like any help for next year, I'd be delighted to oblige.

Saturday, May 2nd 1981 marked the Teal Vendor Convention in Holborn, London, an event arranged by fans of the BBC tv series Blake's 7. The Convention chairperson, Jill McCaul, and her committee (Pat Thomas, Diane Gies, Anne Lewis, Jane Ellicot, Susan Masters) lined up a compact, well-run programme, managing to squeeze in talks and signing sessions by such well-known names as Jacqueline Pearce, Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, Peter Tuddenham, new producer Vere Lorrimer and BBC Visual Effects Designer (and sometime Starburst contributor) Mat Irvine.

There were displays of models (the Liberator appearing more than once), costume parades (I counted at least two Servalans), a book room and the presentation of a birthday cake (appropriately in the shape of the Liberator) to Paul Darrow.

Films shown included footage from Blake episodes (notably Aftermath from the third season), run silent with hilarious commentary by the irrepressible Jacqueline Pearce and Vere Lorrimer. Roll on next year.

2011

.... It was held in Holbourn. (Russell Square rings a bell.) I have no idea how I found out about it but I went by myself. I had attended many Star trek Conventions, including the one in a church hall in Leicester. in about1 1971. But this felt different, maybe because the actual stars were there and they were soooo nice. I remember one young lad telling Jackie that his dad, who was right beside him, really liked Servalan. Before he knew it, Jackie came round from behind the desk and planted a big kiss on dad's lips. Dad went into shock...the little lad was awestruck. I can imagine the chat when they got home, "Mummy, Daddy got kissed by Servalan!!" I also remember Vere showing some location film from Aftermath on the sands up north. Everyone was told to leave as they were filming, but a couple didn't get the message. They are clearly seen popping up in the background when Avon is fighting the Sarran. Vere said it was only much later when the episode was being put together that it was noticed and it was too late to do anything about it!! I'm glad people are liking the photos.

...Teal Vandor took place some time before the 4th series went out. I think it was in May as everyone was singing happy birthday to a certain Mr. D. All I can remember is Vere showing us the footage from Aftermath on a big screen. He may well have told us about the upcoming series......but these senior moments do tend to dim the old memories. I'm sure I saw a video on Youtube recently, (between Zukalis and er... Zukalis,) which seemed to be of Teal Vandor. I'm going to see if I can find it again.

Teal-Vandor was indeed held on 2nd May 1981 at the Conway Hall, Red Lion Square. A great day. It was jointly run by the LPF (Liberator Popular Front) and Horizon (at the time headed by Pat Thomas, with me as her trusty sidekick!) It was the only UK convention that Vere attended, as far as I'm aware.

Devora Pope took over from Judith Cross as Production Secretary (she was Vere's secretary, whereas Judith was David Maloney's)

.... I did indeed have a chat with Jaqueline, as well as with Paul and Peter. I think they were all really quite amazed at the reaction of the fans. I also got to hug Vere Lorrimere because he said I didn't look old enough to have 2 children. "I love this man!" I said.

Jaqueline also made a little boy's day. She came over all Servalan like and slinked round from behind the table where she was signing autographs and kissed his Dad! (The dad had expressed the view, on several occasions, that he really liked Servalan.) One shocked Dad, one little amazed boy!

Daughter no 2 is going to go through all the photos I have of Mr D. and then find a nice piccie of me from the same time, the 80's, and is going to photoshop a picture of me with him. I have met this man so many times at Conventions and backstage at plays it never occurred to me to get a photo of us together!!

I remember one back stage moment when my hubby said that I can't go and see any more plays. I mentioned this to Paul. "Hubby says I can't come and see any more of your plays."

Suddenly, Mr D wasn't standing there. He had turned into Avon. He slowly turned to my Hubby and said something like "You will let her come and see my plays." Hubby had been well and truly 'Avoned'.

And then Mr D was back, his usual kind considerate self. That was an amazing moment for me!