Special Guests

Ian McElhinney is a Northern Irish actor and director best known for his roles as General Dodonna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Val-El in Krypton, and as Ser Barristan Selmy in the HBO series, Game of Thrones.

Over a career spanning more than thirty years, McElhinney has accumulated a number of credits for film and television including roles in Hornblower, Cold Feet, Queer as Folk, and The Tudors.

Announced in 2010, McElhinney was confirmed in the role of Ser Barristan Selmy in the long running series, Game of Thrones. As a knight who had served in the Kingsguard for almost forty years, the character was one of the more honorable men in the Seven Kingdoms. Having read the books, McElhinney mentions that he was pleased with how show runners had used the character, however was disappointed with how and when he met his demise. Appearing in the first, third, fourth and fifth seasons of the show, his character served as a key instigator, until meeting his gruesome death at the hand of the Sons of the Harpy. After 25 episodes, his sudden exit marked the farewell to a kind and noble presence in the series.

In recent appearances, Ian McElhinney has portrayed General Dodonna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a role that was initially donned by Alex McCrindle. McElhinney also appears as Granda Joe in Irish Sitcom Derry Girls, and as Val-El in the Superman prequel series Krypton, airing on SyFy around the world. In 2020, McElhinney made his long-awaited debut in Doctor Who, appearing in the two-part season 12 finale.

More recently, McElhinney has appeared in The Deceived, BBC drama Bloodlands and ITV’s Unforgotten and The Split, and historical drama A Small Light.

Chris Barrie is a British actor and comedian. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show Spitting Image (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003). Barrie starred as Arnold Rimmer in 13 series of the sci-fi space comedy Red Dwarf between 1988 and 2020, and as Gordon Brittas in seven series of the BBC leisure centre sitcom The Brittas Empire Chris Barrie played the character Arnold J. Rimmer in all twelve series of Red Dwarf, appearing in almost every episode of the series. He starred in the 2020 special Red Dwarf: The Promised Land, alongside the main cast of Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn. In addition to starring in the TV series, Barrie also narrated the first two Red Dwarf books, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers (1992) and Better Than Life (1995), including using his vocal talents to recreate the voices of the other characters, as they sound in the show. Barrie played Gordon Brittas, the title role in The Brittas Empire, a BBC sitcom running from January 1991 to February 1997 for seven series, with 52 episodes, including two Christmas specials. Brittas was the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Each episode featured a disastrous occurrence, which Brittas was sure he could sort out, oblivious to the fact he was usually its cause.[2] Barrie also appeared as Brittas in the stand alone fitness mini-series Get Fit with Brittas in 1997

Colin Charles Baker is an English actor. He is known for playing the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who and Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series The Brothers. He has also performed prolifically in stage productions across the UK, particularly pantomimes and radio playes.

Colin starred as the colourful sixth Doctor Who from 1984 – 1986. He had previously appeared in the 1983 story ‘Ark of Infinity’ opposite Peter Davison as Commander Maxil, a Gallifreyan Guard. The Sixth Doctor was brash and didn’t suffer fools gladly. However, viewers warmed to the eccentric new Doctor as he embarked on intergalactic travels in the Tardis accompanied by his companions Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant), and later Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford)

Colin has returned to Doctor who on a number of occasions to take part in special anniversary episodes like ‘Dimensions in Time’ and ‘The Five Ish Doctors’. More recently Colin has appeared in Jodie Whitakers final episode ‘The Power of the Doctor’ and ‘Tales of the Tardis’ looking back on the classic series episode ‘Vengeance of Varos.

Luke was literally born into gaming as he is the son of Gary Gygax, the co-founder of Dungeons & Dragons, the first Roleplaying Game ever created. Luke began his creative endeavors at an early age as he was literally raised playing D&D. He designed the Bullywug and played the iconic fighter/magic-user Melf whose eponymously titled Acid Arrow and Minute Meteors are still used in the latest version of D&D. Luke recently retired from the Army after over 30 years, and spends his time creating new material through his publishing company, Gaxx Worx (gaxxworx.com). His latest products are set in his World of Okkorim fantasy milieu. You can get digital copies at the Gaxx Worx webstore.

Luke is also the founder and head of Gary Con (garycon.com), a memorial convention in honor of his Dad held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin every March. Lake Geneva is Luke's hometown and it was where his father founded the convention Gen Con, TSR Inc and wrote Dungeons & Dragons. The city is truly the Heart of Tabletop Roleplaying Games. Gary Con grew out of the memorial held after his father's funeral where family and friends gathered to celebrate his life by doing what Gary loved so much; playing games and sharing camaraderie with fellow game enthusiasts. Gary Con has grown and embraces all the talented designers who laid the foundation of our community and welcomes games and gamers of all types from around the world.

When Luke isn’t creating adventures or coordinating Gary Con, he enjoys spending time with his wife Bouchra, their three daughters, Miriam, Amira and Sabrina, and their faithful hound, Grogu.

Jason is an actor, a regular on screens, small and large over the past few decades. His first big job was a huge commercial campaign for Miller Lite beer UK that made his face instantly recognisable to television viewers in the U.K.

Roles in TV dramas, commercials and theatre followed. In 1992 he got the part of Rifleman Harris in Sharpe. A modest part in one of British television’s most cherished shows took up the best part of the next five years, a show that eventually reached around the globe.

That’s probably how you know Jason best, but he has appeared in many films including Memphis Belle, The Russia House, The Steal, Fifth Element, Turn of the Screw, Fairy Tale: A True Story, About a Boy, Going Off Big Time, In America, Road to Guantanamo, The Infidel and Shadowdancer. As well as classic TV shows like The Bill, Bergerac and Boon and many others.

In 2021 his Sharpe memoir was released to great acclaim and is now on it’s third edition. Jason is now the unofficial, go-to source for questions concerning the TV production and cast of Sharpe. While on location he also shot a huge amount of video which has become a series of films documenting life on Sharpe which has entertained battalions of fans across the world at toy-soldier/ war-gaming / military modelling / living history/ battle re-enactments in the US and UK. www.riflemanharris.co.uk