Sam Peffer

Next on my list of celebrity autographs is an extra-special one, British artist Sam Peffer.



Born in 1921, Sam fought for the Royal Navy during World War II. Upon returning to England, Sam was an amateur boxer but decided against turning professional, and turned to his artwork instead. By the mid 1950's Sam was the head of the art department at the advertisement company Pearl and Dean. Sam then went independant and made a living by painting book covers for such companies as Ace, Monarch, and Panther Books.




Then came Bond, James Bond. In 1954 Ian Fleming's debut 007 novel, Casino Royale, was published. In 1957, Sam (being employed by Pan Books at the time) created the first of his James Bond book covers. This brilliant peice of artwork symbolised everything that was great about Bond and the world in which he lives.



Sam created covers for many of the early James Bond novels, but when the film series began in 1962 with Dr. No (starring Sean Connery) the demand for Sam's work wained as the covers were replaced with images from the films.

But that didn't stop him. Sam moved onto creating British Quad Posters. Very saucy ones indeed.





Now, onto the autograph! As a big fan of James Bond, about 10 years ago I hunted down Sam's address in the UK and hand-wrote a 1 page fan letter to him. Not only did he send back a nice autograph, but he also took the time to write a letter to me as well. So, not only is he a brilliant artist, he's also a really nice guy too!




If you like what you've seen in this blog, please check out his website www.sampeffer.com for more information on his career.

Until next time!

Alyssa Milano

Next in my list of celebrity autographs is Alyssa Milano.


Alyssa first became popular (here is Australia) thanks to her role as Samantha Micelli in the TV sitcom Who's The Boss? which initially ran for 8 years (1984-1992), and then entered repeat hell (ie: Saturday mornings on Foxtel's 111 Hits Channel).


During the show's run, Alyssa had roles in other projects, such as the teen-movie Dance Till Dawn (quite good), and the greatest Ar-nuld movie of all time, Commando.

When Who's The Boss finally ended, Alyssa had a role in the forgettful movie Double Dragon, alongside Party Of Five's Scott Wolf.


After this, Alyssa felt she had trouble shedding her 'Girl Next Door' image which still lingered from her Who's The Boss? days. So, like most child stars, she decided to nude up, which she did on numerous occassions. For those interested, check out the films Embrace Of The Vampire, Poison Ivy II: Lily, and her guest role in the TV series The Outer Limits.

In 1997, Alyssa found her next big role, albeit short lived, as Jennifer Mancini in Melrose Place.

Then in 1998, Alyssa starred alongside Holly Marie Combs and TV's badgirl Shannon Doherty in the supernatural-esk series, Charmed, about 3 sisters who don't really work hard but still managed to live in a mansion, using their witch-powers to fight evil.

Since her days on Charmed, Alyssa has made numerous cameo appearances, most recently in the romantic comedy movie New Years Eve.

Now, onto the autograph! During her final season on Charmed, I wrote to Alyssa requesting an autograph. After the show wrapped up, I thought this might have been in vain, however soon after I received this gem in the mail:


Until next time!

Paul McGann

I haven't been posting here in a while, so I thought I'd kick-start my revival with yet another Doctor Who themed celebrity autograph, Paul McGann.



For those of you who don't know Paul, he played the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who tele-movie.



When the classic Doctor Who series expired in 1989, it took a joint effort between the Yanks and the Brits to get the show back on the air. This tele-movie was (sort of) a pilot, and they threw everything they could into it, including money.

Long gone were the wonky sets, cheap special effects, and dodgy aliens. Producer Philip Segal, who was the main driving force in this production, tried everything to keep the roots of Doctor Who in tact, whilst updating the story for an American audience. In keeping with tradition, British actor Paul McGann was cast as the The Doctor however when it was decided that The Master was going to be the villain, American Eric Roberts was cast in the role.

The film was also set in the US, San Fransisco to be exact, on 31st December 1999 (back before the Y2K bug was ever mentioned to the mass arena). Yee Jee Tso played the role of Chang Lee, a young man split between his allegance to The Master and The Doctor, and Daphne Ashbrook was cast as Dr Grace Holloway (the Doctor's "companion", and also the person who inadvertantly kills the Seventh Doctor).

Oh yes, Sylvester McCoy makes an appearance at the start of the movie as the Seventh Doctor, who then dies and regenerates into McGann's Eighth Doctor. Without McCoy's involvement, the audience (especially us Who-nerds) may well have discarded this tele-movie as non-cannon, and it wasn't until the show was revived in 2005 that this tele-movie was confirmed as part of the franchise (in the 2008 episode The Next Doctor, and 2010's The Eleventh Hour).

Anyway, back to Paul McGann... whilst the Doctor Who tele-movie was killed in the ratings (in the US, it went up against the final episode of Roseanne) the Eighth Doctor managed to live on in novels, comics, and for McGann's sake, audio plays.

Paul McGann was also cast in Alien 3, and most recently (well... 2009) as The Vicar in Lesbian Vampire Killers. This is a top notch film, a bloody brilliant comedy (well I laughed). This film also stars James Corden, who you Doctor Who fans might recognise as Craig Owens in the 2010 episode The Lodger, and 2011's Closing Time.



Now, on to the autograph! Paul McGann and Star Trek Enterprise's Dominic Keating were the guest at a mini convention here in Melbourne a few years ago. Not only was I lucky enough to interview Paul on behalf of the Doctor Who Club of Victoria, I also obtained this sweet signed photo:



Until next time!

Colin Baker

Next in my list of celebrity autographs is Colin Baker.


Continuing my Doctor Who theme of late, Colin Baker played the 6th Doctor in the long running scifi series, from 1984-1986.

Having appeared in the 1983 episode of Doctor Who, as Commander Maxil in Arc Of Infinity, alongside (or against, to be exact) the 5th Doctor, played by Peter Davison, Colin Baker is currently the only actor to have appeared in the series before taking on the lead role.


Having impressed the series producer John Nathan Turner, Colin was cast as perhaps the most deplored incarnation of the Doctor yet. Arrogant, egotistical, and quick to anger, the 6th Doctor also didn't win over many fans with his choice of wardrobe. But this was where the brilliance of Colin Baker shone.


For those who stuck by the show, through production delays, script problems, and and attack on the show's future, they saw Colin Baker's 6th Doctor warm to his friends whilst battling his sworn enemies. During his short time on air, the 6th Doctor fought the Cybermen, the Rani, a Sontaran, Davros and the Daleks, the Master, and an evil incarnation of the 12th Doctor. This run also included a guest appearance by the 2nd Doctor, Patrick Troughton.


However, poor viewing numbers meant Colin Baker was axed, and replaced by the 7th Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. Since then Colin returned to the stage, occasionally reprising his role as the 6th Doctor for various mediums, most noticably on CD Audio Dramas.

Now, onto the autograph! Recently, Colin Baker came to Melbourne for a small-ish convention, with John Leeson (the voice of K9). I was lucky enough to interview both of them, which will appear in a future edition of Sonic Screwdriver, the magazine of the Doctor Who Club of Victoria. Anyway, at the end of the day, I received this wonderful 8x10.


Brilliant!

Elisabeth Sladen

Next on my list of celebrity autographs is a special one, Elisabeth Sladen.


From 1973 to 1976, Liz Sladen appeared as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who, alongside both the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee and the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker. Regarded by many as the Doctor's greatest companion, she was on hand to witness his adventures against the Sontarans (twice), the Daleks (twice) and the Cybermen (once). She also starred in many other great episodes, such as Planet of the Spiders, Robot, and The Seeds of Doom.



After leaving the show in 76, she appeared in a spin-off pilot K-9 And Company (which wasn't picked up as a series), and returned to the show for The Five Doctors, Doctor Who's 20th Anniversary in 1983.

She once again returned as Sarah Jane Smith (some-what) in 1993's Dimensions In Time, and the independent video Downtime. But it wasn't until 2005's episode School Reunion when she really returned, alongside David Tennant's 10th Doctor and his then companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).


From the strength of fan-buzz surrounding this episode, The Sarah Jane Adventures began, starring Liz Sladen (of course) and her own companion K-9. The show was BBC's vehicle for children's based sci-fi, and it worked. The show gave birth to it's own toy line (Sarah Jane and a Graske are in my collection) and of course the DVDs are still for sale. In series 2, David Tennant guest-starred for episode, and in series 3, Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) also appeared, further strengthening the show's appeal for Whovians.


Tragically, earlier this month Elisabeth Sladen passed away from cancer, which really came as a shock to alot of us fans, who had no idea she was sick. A special 'My Sarah Jane' will screen after tonight's episode of Doctor Who in the UK as a tribute to Liz, but currently there's no word if it will be screened here in Australia.

Now, as for the autograph, during the 2nd series of The Sarah Jane Adventures I wrote to Liz, and was lucky enough to receive this wonderful postcard in the mail a short time later.


Until next time...

Freema Agyeman

Next in my collection of celebrity autographs is Freema Agyeman.


Who, you ask? That's definately what I said when she was announced as the 10th Doctor's 2nd companion in Doctor Who. Freema had previously appeared as Adeola in the Doctor Who episode 'Army of Ghosts' but after her character died during an invasion of the Cybermen and the Daleks, Freema was re-cast as Adeola's cousin Martha Jones, for the entire 2007 series.

Adeola


Martha

After 2 years of Billie Piper as the Doctor's companion, the character of Martha Jones' was a bold choice. Noticably in the UK because she was the first black companion, but for me it was because her character was so quick to adapt to travelling with the Doctor. Perhaps this was due to the script writing, the show had only returned 2 years previously, and the audience no longer needed (or wanted) to sit through another 'OMG, it's bigger on the inside' scenario, so that aspect was downplayed somewhat with the introduction of Martha.

As the series progressed we learnt of Martha's attraction to David Tennant's 10th Doctor, who was still infatuated with his previous companion Rose Tyler. Sure, Rose was nice, but Martha Jones is simply fantastic...


Later on, there was the Doctor Who cartoon 'The Infinite Quest' which Freema and David provided their voices for.


Freema left the show at the end of the 2007 series, as Martha returned to Earth to live with her reunited family. Of course she returned to the show, a few times in fact. As did her clone:


Since her days in Doctor Who appear all but over, Freema has appeared in Torchwood, and in Law & Order UK.


On to the autograph, when the 2007 series of Doctor Who was screening in Australia, I wrote to Freema, c/o the show's production office. It didn't take long before I received this in the mail.

Gold!

Tom Baker

Next on my list of celebrity autographs is Tom Baker.


Regarded by many as THE Doctor of them all (currently there have been 11), Tom Baker played the 4th Doctor (in Doctor Who of course) having taken over from Jon Pertwee in 1974's 'Robot' until he was suceeded by Peter Davison in 1981's 'Logopolis'.


With his outrageously elongated scarf, wide-brimmed hat, and long coat, the 4th Doctor's personality reflected his outfit, shunning the autocratic UNIT HQ which Jon Pertwee's Doctor had grown accustomed. This bold new Doctor hit a nerve with audiences of the time, and secured the show's future for years to come.

That's using your noodle!

During Tom's run on the show, he tried to install some of his own ideas. Outrageous suggestions such as a talking cabbage as a companion where quickly thrown out. But many people felt that one of Tom's ideas had merit. 'Doctor Who Meets Scratchman' was a story written by Tom and Ian Marter, who played Harry Sullivan on the show. Basically the story's premise was that the Doctor would meet the Devil.

For a variety of reasons the story never saw the light of day.

In 1978 the producers of the Bond films came calling, as they were eager to cast him as the villanous Hugo Drax in Moonraker (released in 1979). However as the filming was taking place in France, Tom was stuck in England filming Doctor Who so he had to decline the role, which was then taken by Michael Lonsdale. Interestingly the following year, the great Doctor Who serial 'City Of Death' was filmed in France. Shame they couldn't have timed it better for Tom.

During Tom's 7 year reign on the show, the 4th Doctor had various costume changes. The most drastic was for Season 18, when he was given a mainly red outfit. It wouldn't last long.


Having left the show after the 4th Doctor's demise, Tom went on to play Sherlock Holmes in 1982's The Hound Of The Baskervilles, and he appeared in cameo roles in such tv shows as Blackadder, and Remington Steele.

No sh** Sherlock.

Tom's next big role was as the narrator of Little Britain. Great show, check it out.

Recently, Tom has returned to the role of the 4th Doctor, in a string of audio adventures. Whilst I haven't heard any of his run, the vibe is they're quite good.

Now, as for the autograph, I actually fail to recall when and where I received it. I know it's definately not a through-the-mail success. Perhaps I won it as a door prize at a Doctor Who convention? My memory is hazy but nonetheless, here it is!