Olympus 2012 schedule

So, as some of the people reading this will probably already know, Eastercon is the British National Science Fiction Convention and is held over the Easter bank holiday weekend every year. This year, it will be called Olympus 2012, and be held at Heathrow, near London.1 I have been attending Eastercon since Contemplation was held in Chester in 2007, and I am particularly looking forward to this one. I’ve also been on the programme at every Eastercon I’ve attended, and this year is no different, so I figured I’d post what I’m going to be appearing on up here so you could all check it out!

Friday (6th April)

8pm — The SF video game canon
What are the essential science-fiction video games? What stands up to modern-day scrutiny? What was influential on later generations of games and gamers, and what are the hidden classics we should rediscover?

11pm — Late Night Horror: Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (18)
This film was made in 2001 and discovered by myself and a group of other physics undergraduates about eight years later. It’s a brilliant film for all the right (and many of the wrong) reasons! I was asked to introduce this film and also lead a discussion afterwards, and I’m excited to be doing so.

Saturday (7th April)

1pm — Superheroes in the movies
Do comic superheroes make good films? How could they be improved?

2pm — Who likes reboots?
A panel on reboots, looking at whether the upcoming Spider-Man reboot makes any sense whatsoever, amongst other things.

4pm — Why fan funds?
Olympus will be one of those rare British conventions where we have a North American and Australasian fan fund representatives visiting this shore. Come along and meet them, find out what Fan Funds are about and how you too could run for one.

6pm — Online fandom (saving fandom or killing it?)
E-zines are largely a pull not push medium, based round fast production and few review columns, leading to a proliferation of fanzines which don’t necessarily talk to each other, or make up a coherent community. E-lists allow fans to talk to each other, but also to create their own circles which don’t necessarily interact with the rest of fandom. Could technological change be leading to a narrowing of UK fanzine fannish circle?

Sunday (8th April)

9pm — Fan fund auction
The fan fund auction is an Eastercon tradition (as well as a tradition of many other conventions around the world). This year will be no different, other than for the presence of two fan fund delegates, so please do come and buy something strange and awesome!

Monday (9th April)

Noon — At what audience is modern SF TV aimed?
Too much UK material (terrestrial & satellite) seems aimed at primarily YA/teen (young adult) demographic whereas US content has a more adult feel (e.g. Battlestar Galactica). However, programmes such as Misfits, Attack the Block and The Fades seem aimed at the E4/BBC 3 audience. Some shows (particularly Misfits) seemed to transcend that, whereas something like SGU (which was targeted at young males) didn’t.

2pm — TAFF talk
John Coxon talks about his experiences as TAFF delegate.

3pm — Virtual convention
What is it like to attend a convention from your own living room? How easy is it to interact with fans over the internet? Is it more fun to attend panels online than in person? Panellists offer views from in and outside “the box”. Come along and tweet the experience (or stay in your room and follow it on #melonfarmer).

7pm — Fan fund quiz
To round out an excellent weekend of fan fundraising and related shenanigans, the fan fund administrators and delegates invite you to an evening of answering questions with your friends. Entry costs a £1 donation to the fan funds per person and prizes will be available for the best and worst teams!


  1. Of course, if you aren’t aware of this, it’s too late for you: Memberships have reached the maximum allowed by health and safety restrictions at the hotel, and so it’s too late to join up. 
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