The ‘Non-Con’ 1999

by Isobel Smith  

“Odd” - that’s the one word that seemed to echo my feelings when I packed my suitcase for my annual holiday to Porthmeirion. It felt very strange not to be packing familiar items such as cloak, maid’s outfit, rosettes and badges. This time it was only ‘normal’ clothing. As I checked into my usual B&B on the Thursday night, I thought that the next day  would usually have been the convention and I thought to myself that more than anything I would miss seeing the various people that I have been seeing regularly for the past fifteen or more years. On the Friday night I had a visitor at my guest house, this was Glenis McCairns, and as we chatted, we remarked that we should have been in the Hercules Hall listening to Dave Jones’ introductions to what has been the highlight of my year.

I visited Porthmeirion on the Saturday and Sunday of that week. It was very hot, dry and sunny - as if to rub salt into the wound. It felt very peculiar to be walking around the Village without the usual costume and to be thinking that it must be nearly time for the chess game or the election parade. On the Saturday my first point of call was the ‘new’ Prisoner shop. I wandered in... It felt that I was in a dream. All the unique character that had been there had disappeared in a sea of chrome and a brash newness prevailed. I missed the familiarness of what was the original Prisoner shop and more than anything I missed Max a great deal. I thought that the warmth and open friendliness of what I knew was gone. (I still have not made up my mind whether or not I like this new look - maybe I am old fashioned but I prefer what is familiar rather than something that is so obviously new.)

By the Sunday, I was still feeling rather wistful but at least there were some well-known faces to chat to and to catch up on all their news and their thoughts on the November convention. This was rather mixed but on the whole it was felt that it was better than nothing (this was written before the final March 2001 convention date had been set - Ed). I sat on the wall by the Prisoner shop  whilst the Shrewsbury Group interviewed Heulwen, one of the staff of the new-look shop, and who had been an extra in the programme itself. Her memories were very interesting to listen to and I chatted to her myself later in the week. Afterwards I wandered through Porthmeirion and hummed the Radetsky March to myself and I thought to myself, I swear I could hear people yelling “Six for Two!” - but I could have been mistaken!

During the following week I visited the Village but not as much as I would have done, should it have been after a convention weekend. It gave me a chance to catch up with ‘old’ friends which included Alan, Elaine and Chris from Liverpool, and together we watched a very tame squirrel from the window of Lower Villa Winch (the cottage where they were staying that week). Again, the main topics of conversation were the lack of a convention that year and the film (Village Day) première. (I think people must have been sick of me plugging the film but I feel David Stimpson should have as much support as we, as a society, can give him, as he has put life and soul into this project. He deserves a big audience at the première (he got it - Ed) and.... by the way, readers of tpf, have you bought your copy of the film on video yet???

Now safely back home here in North Norfolk, I have heard that the powers that be have discussed with Mr Llewelyn and they have agreed that we will again be conventionless for 2000 but there are plans ahead for the year 2001 that we will be returning to the Village like Sherlock Holmes after his terrifying fall into the Reichenbach Falls with Professor Moriarty (what is the Prisoner connection with Professor Moriarty? - a character Patrick McGoohan would be perfect as, by the way). I look forward to this convention a great deal and I already have in mind several ideas for new reenactments and, as I still have almost a whole year  in which to plan it, it gives me a chance to plan something very special. I hope during the new Millennium that the society gets a chance to meet our Honorary President and to thank him for giving us a television drama that is as relevant now as when he devised it those thirty-three years ago. So, I hope to Be Seeing You in the new century, won’t I........?

The answer to the Moriarty question is that Leo McKern played the role in Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, a film made in 1975 - Ed.