Collector Absolute Mania!
A view from a fan
Absolutely worth the wait! I was first introduced to the Mania in April 2004 when I attended Collectormania 5 and successfully emptied at least half of my bank account in exchange for as much memorabilia as would fit into my car. Twelve months later and not much has changed. I was however especially looking forward to Collectormania 7 as confirmed guests included a handful of Harry Potter cast members.
Travelling from Stafford to Milton Keynes isn't the longest journey in the world but it did mean an early start to the day. I arrived at Middleton Hall at 9.30am and the shopping centre was already buzzing with life. Queues of people were lining up to meet the cast members who were busy scribbling away and posing for pictures for dedicated fans.
In between working my way through the maze of stalls I was able to meet the handful of HP cast members. I first met an unrecognisable Jamie Yeates - Marcus Flint. I always knew that clever make-up techniques were used to make him appear very Slytherin Worthy but I was still taken aback by his natural, rather friendlier appearance in real life.
Wriggling through the crowds I did eventually manage to meet all of the cast including Jamie Waylett - Crabbe, whom has been kind enough to send me autographs in the past and Christian Coulson - Tom Riddle. I also met a very chatty Devon Murray - Seamus who appeared to be in very high spirits in deed! He really isn't very different to the character he portrays in the film. I think that he was just as keen to meet HP fans, as we all were to meet him. He told me that they have now finished filming and that he has just returned from stints in Australia and New Zealand and that he was glad to finally be back in the UK. He also recommended that I get Ray Park's autograph (Dark Maul - Star Wars), as he reckons "it will be worth thousands!"
I ended the day by finally meeting Tom Felton - Draco Malfoy. I already met Tom last year at Chelsea Football Club at his Fan Club launch but couldn't resist a second chance. He is always so polite towards his fans, and believe me he’s got a fair few! I was lucky enough to squeeze in the queue when there was a rare gap but he was certainly the most sought after autograph of the day.
All of the cast I met on Saturday were extremely polite and grateful towards all of their fans, making time to chat and have photos taken with each and every one of us. I had a thoroughly enjoyable day and can't wait until the next one. The only problem is, after meeting such a lovely bunch of people it has only made me even more anxious for HP and the Goblet of Fire movie! Roll on November 2005!
Jess