“Orinoco! Come here!”, cried Bernard Cribbins fondly, spotting my T-shirt as I reached the front of the queue. “Do you know, you’re one of the only Wombles we’ve had today. Maybe next time…”
I was at Collectormania, a twice-yearly fair held in Milton Keynes for film and TV fans, on 5 May 2007. It tends to focus on the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and Bernard was signing a lot of autographs for Doctor Who collectors, as he starred in the 1966 film Daleks’ Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
I was disappointed to find that there were no Wombles photographs available for signing (an 8″x10″ promo photo was included in the £15 autograph charge, though you could bring your own items to be signed instead).
So, passing up some rather bizarre shots from Carry On films, I chose a straightforward posed picture, which the lady selling the tickets explained was from Jackanory – Bernard presented a record 111 episodes over the years.
He asked my name and we chatted briefly while he signed his autograph. Then I asked if I could have my picture taken with him, and he was happy to oblige…
“Now I’m going to point at your bosoms, but I’m not really. I’m pointing at Orinoco!”
