My work: Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century. The Doctor Who Franchise. The Hobbits. And a new book to write after the previous three were published in late 2012.
Some favorite places: Coastlines of Ormond, Papailoa, Kaikoura. White Cliffs of Dover. Steaming Tongariro and Ruapehu. Southern Alps. New Mexican mesas. Victoria Embankment.
Before summer ends, I hope to add to these lists of places and publications, all which trigger cascades of memories.
Having a year to do whatever I please is a rare gift. When I concluded my teaching in May 2012, the year before me seemed incredibly long and promising—New Zealand, the U.K., and plenty of U.S. destinations awaited. Now my sabbatical is nearly over, but the past year has brought me professional pleasure and recognition (plus a great deal of work) around the world. In this long overdue update, I’ll share a few highlights from my travels and three of my favorite fandoms: The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings (pretty much of anything Tolkien wrote), Sherlock, and Doctor Who.
New Zealand: Signings, Sightings, and Sunburn
Wellington celebrated the arrival of The Hobbit, and I was there in the middle of the celebrations. My Red Carpet Tour pulled into Wellington during premiere week. Not only did I run around town with my friends—visiting the Middle-earth market and former filming locations, taking photos of the huge Bilbo stamp on the side of the post office, waiting alongside the red carpet to see the stars (which is where I got the sunburn)—but I had a book signing for The Hobbits. As you can see from the photo, I signed in the shadow of a rather large Nazgul.
New Zealand’s beauty and warmth—people as well as places—steals my heart every visit. This time I stayed a month—first with a Hobbit tour of both islands (including Hobbiton, a Hobbit lovers’ playground), then a few days in Queenstown before another week in Wellington spent exploring on my own and, better yet, being able to see The Hobbit at the Roxy on Miramar and spending time with actor/writer/director and all-around good guy Gregor Cameron.
As a result of this trip, I also was invited to talk about hobbits on an Australian National Radio program. So, while back at home, I “talked Tolkien” with an Oxford professor and the Melbourne-based interviewer, making this a most unusual conference call.
This has been a good year for meeting, however briefly, people in the film industry I admire. At a Hobbit party in Wellington a few days before the premiere, I met Peter Jackson, as well as many of the “dwarves.” That must have been a good omen because, months later in London, I met Danny Boyle, as well as got James McAvoy’s autograph. I also talked with Welcome to the Punch director Eran Creevy after a BFI screening. The BFI seems to be my lucky spot—I almost literally ran into Mark Gatiss before a Doctor Who screening.
Locked Away in London’s Archives
London wasn’t just director or actor encounters. In 2012, I conducted research at the National Theatre archives and British Library after giving a paper at the Film and Media Conference. In 2013, I went back to the archives, often submerging myself in research for hours and only realizing it was time to stop when the archives closed. The recordings stored at Blythe House (where I watched performances of Rhinoceros and Hedda Gabler that I wouldn’t have otherwise ever been able to see) were particularly helpful. I was a bit wary of all the security—think of the opening of the original Get Smart—but everyone at the archives was incredibly kind and helpful. So, too, were the staff members at the National Theatre archives, BFI Reuben Library, British Library, and Westminster Reference Library, where I spent hours, sometimes day after day, listening to recordings or poring over old newspapers or theatre reviews. Then it was “home” to my flat to write about the day’s findings. I wrote more than 20,000 words in London, including book chapters and film/television columns.
But London wasn’t all work, no plays—I saw two performances of Macbeth, starring the indescribably intriguing James McAvoy (I learned about acting just by watching his performances); The Audience; Peter and Alice; This House; People: The Judas Kiss; and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Add to that Posh, Antigone, and The Last of the Haussmans, and 2012-13 has turned out to be a great year for theatre.
Celebrating Who in a Variety of Times and Spaces
London is a magical place when it comes to my Who sightings. Captain Jack called me at my hotel—a line I’ll never tire of repeating. More precisely, I interviewed John and Carole Barrowman for my PopMatters column while we all were, for once, on the same side of the Atlantic. When I was planning my trip from home, that opportunity seemed about as likely as walking down the Strand and seeing a near life-sized cutout of the Fourth Doctor promoting an appearance by Tom Baker. He is my Doctor, and so, on a freezing morning, I joined the patient queue outside a stamp shop. Despite the sign inside reading “no individual photos today—people are freezing outside”, Mr. Baker graciously took the time to chat with each person and shake hands. Last summer I met Christopher Eccleston after a performance of Antigone at the National. When David Tennant asks me to lunch, the last of my Doctor Who fantasies will have been fulfilled. Until then, I'm very happy with my cast encounters.
A London Doctor Who tour a few years back also introduced me to the wonderful guide (and now friend) Helen Thomas. Because of Helen and her amazing connections to people with tickets to BFI events, I enjoyed the celebration of the Third Doctor—complete with panels of cast and crew who worked on the episodes or restored them. From the front row, I could see Katy Manning a few feet away on stage.
Much closer to home, Orlando—through Hurricane Who—also has been a great place for sightings. In November I met the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, and reconnected with so many actors, writers, and fans associated with Doctor Who throughout the years. Favorite memories from last year’s convention include my on-stage interviews with Caitlin Blackwood (young Amelia Pond) and off-stage chats with Caitlin and her charming mother.
Another high point from this convention—a book signing. I may never have three books, from two publishers, released within a few months of each other, but I enjoyed chatting to fans about the objects of my fan obsession. Hobbits, Sherlock Holmes, and the Doctor seem like an odd trio of interests, but I wasn’t the only one who could spend hours discussing them individually or collectively.
What's Next
By Monday I should be able to share what I think is exciting news about my latest book, the result of all those hours in the archives and many, many hours of watching or listening to films, television episodes, and radio plays. The sabbatical may be coming to a close, but my journey as a traveler and writer should continue for a long time to come.
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