Wiffle Lever to Full: Daleks, Death Stars and Dreamy-Eyed Nostalgia at the Strangest Sci-Fi Conventions

Book review
Written by Bob Fischer
Hodder & Stoughton paperback
Release date Out now

In a moment of nostalgia-driven madness, local radio DJ Bob Fischer attends a nearby Doctor Who convention. It’s the beginning of a year-long odyssey around the UK attending a variety of media SF conventions and an excuse for indulgent, nostalgic reveries…

This is an affectionate and amusing episodic journey around the UK chronicling the oddball subculture of media tie-in SF conventions. A lifelong Doctor Who and Star Wars fan, Fischer had given up on ‘childish’ sci-fi in his 20s in pursuit of the street-cred of indie music. By his mid-30s, though — and the rediscovery of an ancient pre-teen short story in the attic (reproduced at length in the book) — he’s nostalgic for his childhood interests and strangely drawn to the weekend activities of fellow ‘mature’ fans.

Each chapter deals with a different franchise, starting with the big two of Doctor Who and Star Wars, running through Blake’s 7, James Bond, Star Trek, Hitchhiker’s, The Prisoner, Discworld, Robin of Sherwood, Monty Python and Red Dwarf — all the greats of (mostly) British TV and film SF. The events range from full-blown conventions (with guest panels and dealers’ rooms) to shopping mall signings and day trips to York’s maize maze or Portmerion. Fischer, coincidentally or by design, has wisely built some variety into the events he attends, thereby making each one different and uniquely interesting. Other events include a water-pistol war between Douglas Adams and Terry Nation fans at the location where Destiny of the Daleks was shot (!) and a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the Stirlingshire castle where it was filmed, viewed by costumed fans hellbent on re-enacting scenes at full-tilt.

Along the way, Fischer makes a host of new friends (and they’re all fine people, not the stereotypical ‘fan’ cliché), improves his relationship with his reluctant SF-fan girlfriend (against all the odds), and recalls his own past interest in each of the franchises. The current day (well, 2006) convention stories are interspersed with nostalgic recollections of Doctor Who’s regenerations, the cast massacre at the end of Blake’s 7 or Fisher’s initial attraction to his partner due to her wearing a Red Dwarf T-shirt!

This could have been cod-Nick Hornby or Dave Gorman-lite, but Fischer has found his own voice and his stories and remembrances will strike a chord with any fans who grew up watching this stuff in the 1970s and 1980s and still have a soft spot for it. However, I suspect Fischer is more of a paid-up fan than he’s willing to admit, given the number of insider jokes and references he peppers his text with. The one down side is the childish story written by Fischer (aged 9) that peppers the text: it’s not needed and I found myself skipping it in later chapters.

Overall, Wiffle Lever to Full (the title comes from Blake’s 7 star Steven Pacey’s inability to accurately remember the scripted technobabble: it was his oft-used verbal stand-in) is a light read, certainly not world-changing, but enjoyable enough. You’ll get a real feel for the fun of conventions if you’ve never attended one. Who knows, Fischer’s musings may even inspire a few timid fans to dip their toes in collective fandom. Come on in, the water’s lovely… Brian J. Robb