Comic-Con comes to Grantham’s Meres
The first Comic-Con event in Grantham is taking place at The Meres leisure centre this month – and a local TV and film actor is hoping it will be a great success.
Mark Dexter, who lives in Grantham, will be one of a number of actors attending the event on Saturday, July 22.
A RADA-trained actor, he has appeared in numerous TV series and films, as well as acclaimed stage plays, and can currently be seen in the latest Transformers movie playing the Prime Minister.
Born in Nottingham, Mark, 44, first made TV appearances as a boy with the Central Junior Television Workshop. He has appeared in numerous TV shows including Doctor Who, Ripper Street, The Bletchley Circle and Coronation Street, as well as films including From Hell with Johnny Depp. He played Prime Minister David Cameron in the Channel 4 film Coalition.
Appearing with Mark at Comic-Con will be other familiar faces from TV including Hattie Hayridge, who played Holly in Red Dwarf, and Nick Joseph, whose credits include Star Wars. They will be signing autographs and talking to fans.
Mark said: “I think this could be good for the town. They are popular so I thought let’s get behind it and it could work. It will be interesting to see what the demand is.
“They are fun events. Fans often get dressed up and there is a big social scene behind it.”
Mark, a married father of two, says he has a son who is a big fan of the Transformers movies and who is ‘delighted’ his dad is in his favourite film.
Mark filmed scenes with Anthony Hopkins in Transformers and says they were mainly improvised.
He added: “The films are larger than life and it was quite daunting at first to be working with a director like Michael Bay and an actor of Anthony Hopkins’ status, but it was one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done.”
Grantham Comic-Con takes place from 10am on July 22. For more details go to www.facebook.com/granthamcomiccon
Advance admission tickets cost £6 for adults and teenagers. Those 12 and under pay £4 with under-5s getting in free. Tickets are available in advance from www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Nottingham/Meres-Leisure-Centre-/Grantham-Comic-Con-/12948046
