Doctor Who fandom: Convention with a purpose, Eighth Doctor Paul McGann to attend RoberCon
Fan convention RoberCon is more than a chance to geek out with your respective fandoms. It has a noble purpose, worthy of the Doctor’s call to action: kindness.
Nesteled into a New York valley, almost within earshot of Pennsylvania, Binghamton New York typically welcomes its fan convention RoberCon visitors in person. This year, unbowed by the global pandemic, they have resigned to move the convention online, on Sep 26 and 27. Like many other fan conventions in 2020, grand hall rooms will yield to virtual events. And RoberCon has a full lineup of fun to follow.
Special guests Paul McGann (Eighth Doctor) and Miriam Margolyes (The Sarah Jane Adventures and the Eighth Doctor audio story The Beast of Orlok) will be available for one on one video chats and autographs. They will also be participating in their respective RoberCon Q&A Panel.
These panels offer a plethora of magnificently inspired Whovian delights, including:
- Tesla and ’Timeless Children’: Discussing Doctor Who Series 12
- Ladies First: A Lovefest for the Women of Classic Doctor Who
- Doctor Who on Big Finish: Audio Adventures in Space and Time
Many fandoms will be represented at the event, as well as more expansive pop culture, gaming, and writing panels and workshops (including a panel on Ray Bradbury that I won’t be missing).
Of course, conventions are about more than just guests and panels; they are an opportunity for our diverse communities to meet and mingle. Thankfully RoberCon is ready to welcome vendors and fan groups as well.
Is your upgrade in progress? There’s still time to enter your favorite cosplay at the Costume Contest and exterminate the competition!
Peter Capaldi and his “angry eyebrows” at Comic-Con International 2017. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
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More beneath the surface
But quite importantly, while you’re preparing to virtually gallivant your geekdom, know that proceeds from the event will go to the storied Roberson Museum & Science Center.
Like so many of us, the museum has undergone hardship this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. During quarantine, its doors were closed between March and July, and RoberCon will be 2020’s only fundraising event.
The Roberson Museum & Science Center has been at the heart of its community since 1954, and the small entrance fee to participate in RoberCon will go a long way to supporting its events, exhibits, and educational programs.
So, while I’m not sure that it will make you a good man, or a bad man, or a hero, or a president, or an officer, it will be kind, and that above all is what the Doctor calls us to do.
So get your attack eyebrows and screwdrivers at the ready, and I’ll see you there!
Learn more about RoberCon by following their social media accounts: on Facebook and on Twitter.
Next. Doctor Who: Steven Moffat’s monsters are a masterclass in fear. dark
Will you be attending RoberCon 2020? What other virtual conventions have you participated in this year? What guests and events have been your favorites? Comment below!