By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Anglicon has announced Doctor Who‘s Annette Badland to their guest list. With three out of the four guests being Who alumni this leaves Red Dwarf‘s Robert Llewelyn with a serious handicap (don’t worry Robert, you’ll just have to work harder to bring the people in). Badland played Margaret Blaine, mayor of Cardiff and secret Slitheen, Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day in the Who episode “Boom Town”. But Badland’s credits far exceed the world of Who. With her past history one can almost safely call her the Queen of children’s television. Since learning her craft from Loughton’s East 15 Acting School, Badland has entertained children (and their parents) for over 30 years starting with the supernatural short story series Dramarama (1985). More children’s television followed in the form of mini-series A Little Princess (1987), James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, and Happy Families.
Badland carried on into the 1990s and 2000s as Ursula Crowe of Wizards Vs. Aliens, Doomsday Dora of The Sparticle Mystery, Mrs. Dooley of The Queen’s Nose, Dolly Buckle in Black Hearts of Battersea, and Mrs. Maria Tapioca in The Worst Witch series.
But for people who love a little drama in their life, does Babe Smith of BBC’s soap series EastEnders ring a bell? How about Charlotte in Bergerac and Ethel Tonks in All the Small Things? She’s done The Bill and Casualty too. In fact Badland can even do comedy and has never shied away from a role be it Marlene, a Yorkshire factory boss with a love for sumo wrestling in the low-budget Secret Society (2000) or as Michael Palin’s dream girl, Griselda Fishfinger, in Jabberwocky (1977). Annette Badland will be bringing over 40 years of success on stage, screen, and television to Anglicon.
Anglicon will be held at The DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport Hotel from August 5-7, 2016. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Anglicon’s official website here.
