BRIAN BLESSED!

I attended a film festival at the Quad in Derby at the weekend where i was lucky enough to see Paddy Considine's seminar, do some networking and see the legendary BRIAN BLESSED in conversation (his name should never be printed in lower case). Conversation turned out to be a misleading term as the interviewer was barely able to sneak in two questions as BRIAN BLESSED erupted a continuous stream of dialogue for almost two hours. Turned up to 11. It was fantastic.

His enthusiasm for all things, but most importantly 'SPAAACE!', was infectious, and after meeting him briefly after the show I felt compelled to put pen to paper and try and recreate his enormous personality. As the man is more or less a living caricature this wasn't too tricky.

The Mighty Chewbacca

Whatever you think of Star Wars, theres no denying that the multitude of cartoons, comics, books, toys, video games and movies that followed the original films have become a cultural phenomenon. Personally, some of my earliest memories involve some of the spaceships and aliens from this saga and the iconic creations have seeped deep into my consciousness from a very early age, no doubt feeding my imagination and thereby nudging me down the paths I took in my life.

Alien worlds, races and spaceships in their hundreds, political factions, cultural movements, languages, religious ideologies, and a detailed history to match our own, were all developed by the thousands of individuals who have expanded and built on the Star Wars mythology.

So regardless of who shot first, continuity errors and cretinous frog-rabbits, this unfathomably rich, incredibly detailed and ultimately endless wealth of creativity is why I LOVE Star Wars.

So on this may the fourth, 'May the force be with you, always.'

[Cue X-Wing flyby and teddy bear party]