PICTURES: Fans mix with stars from Dr Who and Red Dwarf at Wolvo-Con

Welcome to Wolverhampton's Diamond Banqueting Suite on Saturday where fans of sci-fi, fantasy and everything superhero were able to indulge their passions.

The Comic-Con saw hundreds of people, many in costume, descend on the Skinner Street venue for the day-long event. Among the star attractions were two Doctor Who actors - Colin Baker and Terry Malloy, along with Norman Lovett, who played Holly in Red Dwarf, John Challis - or Boycie from Only Fools and Horses, and Spencer Wilding, who appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Once seen as geeks-only gatherings, the increasingly popular conventions have spread their net to include vampires, 1960s puppet astronauts, comic book heroes, Japanese animation figures and blockbuster hits. Stall holders at Wolverhampton were selling everything from sound-reactive light-up T shirts to Harry Potter mugs to Fireball XL5 figurines.

Terry Malloy, who played mad scientist Davros in Doctor Who, said the programme had always had its superfans but events such as Comic-Con had given the programme a wider appeal.

He said: "I've been to six in the States recently and I was in Germany in October for their first ever Comic-Con. It's suddenly got a new lease of life. I get 10-year-olds talking to me about the classic series from the 70s and 80s. It's extraordinary, and fantastic, like we're part of a giant extended family."

Colin Baker, who played the sixth incarnation of the Doctor, believes the rise of 'geekdom' has become so widespread it is now mainstream.

"It's partly because the planet is not a nice place to be at the moment and people want to escape into a fantasy world. When times are good, the popularity of fantasy-type programmes drops," he said.

Comedian Norman Lovett, who played Holly in TV's cult science fiction comedy Red Dwarf, revealed he was not a sci-fi fan.

"I wasn't then and I'm still not," he said. "I thought the first series of Red Dwarf was pure sitcom, it had some great jokes in it.

"This whole sci-fi fantasy phenomenon has gone crazy, although I'm not complaining. It's an escape for people because the world is rubbish right now."

But where does a Cognac-swigging second-hand car dealer like Boycie fit into the sci-fi picture? Actor John Challis proudly points out he played ruthless mercenary Scorby in Doctor Who in the Seeds Of Doom story.

But most people still wanted to talk to him about his days in one of Britain's best loved sitcoms.

"And that's fine," he said. "As a programme, it's gold dust. People love it because they can watch it with their granny and no one gets embarrassed or offended."

The banqueting suite was a sea of colour. Friends who attended Wolverhampton High School together were bringing smiles to faces, dressed as characters from the PlayStation video game Crash Bandicoot.

Emily Watson, from Dudley, Laura Hodgkiss, of Rugeley, Holly Yardley, from Bath, all 25, and Beth Crutchley, 22, of Stafford, use Comic-Con events as an excuse to meet up and dress up.

Emily, who teaches physics at Wolverhampton Grammar School, said: "We've been doing this for about six years. It's an excuse to meet up and a fun thing to do together - adults can have fun, too."

Inspired by anime, characters from Japanese animation films, 16-year-old Isabelle Asbury, from Coppice Farm, and her friend Molly Haynes, 17, of Wednesfield, were attending their first Comic-Con. Their verdict: "It's fun," said Molly.

For aerospace worker Ian Edwards, walking into a room full of strangers dressed as a superhero was more challenging than saving the universe.

"It was like going on a first date," said the 50-year-old from Bloxwich. "But you get used to it, and now I love it. They're very social events and you pick up tips about how other people make their costumes."

Handy at model making, he was lured into the world of fandom by his son Tom, 22, a devotee of Japanese sci-fi, and became hooked himself.

He said: "If you walked round one of these events in jeans and a T-shirt, no one would talk to you but dressed as a superhero, people come up to me all the time."

Stephanie Rogers, of Webster Road, Walsall, and her seven-year-old daughter Arya(CORR) are veterans of such events. Dressed as Pikachu, a species of Pokémon, the 28-year-old college student summed up their appeal.

"You get to express yourself without being judged. You're free to be who you want to be without the critical eye of the 'normal' world on you," she said.