Sci-Fi wonderland comes to Halifax

But next weekend’s Hali-Con event at North Bridge Leisure Centre promises to make up for that with a huge show full of amazing characters and vehicles - from the stage and small screen.

The area will literally be overtaken by Daleks, Stormtroopers, Klingons and stacks more.

Headlining the day are Hattie Hayridge better known to fans of Red Dwarf as Holly and Eastenders original bad boy Nast Nick Cotton - actor John Altman.

Not many people know this but one of Nick’s first acting roles was as an X-Wing pilot in Return of the Jedi!

They will be supported by some original cast members from a mass of shows and films. Alan Flyng’s first film was Quatermas and the Planet People. He also appeared in Star Wars. Derek Lyons also appeared in Star Wars plus Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom and The Shining. Cathy Monroe was bounty hunter Zuckass in The Empire Strikes Back. Andrew Laden was Liam Neeson’s stunt stand-in for The Phantom Menace. He’ll be teaching people how to use a lightsabre.

Pixie Le Knot was Kayla in Game of Thrones and is a contortionist; Peter Roy was in Doctor Who and also played 006 in Thunderball and Simon Fisher-Becker will perform his one-man play “My Dalek Has Another Puncture”.

Among Superheroes will be Captain America, Iron Man, Iron Patriot, Batman and Spider Man.

Yorkshire and Lancashire Ghostbusters will team up with the 35 feet tall Stay Puft Man.

Mick Horn will play Chewbacca; there’ll be a full-sized Speeder Bike from Return of the Jedi; a TARDIS will be in the exhibition along with Doctor Who props; there’ll be stacks of traders selling memorabilia plus the convention will be joined by a Simpsons Couch with characters and Captain Jack Sparrow.

And there will be some brilliant cars on display including a version of Kitt from Knight Rider; a Delorean from Back to the Future; Lightening McQueen; Ecto-1 - the Ghostbusters car based on a Skoda Octavia; Del Boy’s three wheeler and his Capri love-machine; an A-Team van and loads of American police cars based on Dodge Chargers and a SWAT van.

Halifax-born organiser Martin Ballard of Red Cape Marketing said: “We’ve secured a strong line up for Halifax’s first sci-fi convention in a long time. We want to show local people what we can do.”

The party will continue into Liquid nightclub from 7pm to 9pm for actors and ticket holders to wind down where Martin says there’ll be stacks more surprises.