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Darth Vader fans bring the force to seaside town

Grace ShawYorkshire
BBC/Carla Fowler Sci-fi Scarborough's founder Steve Dickinson - a man with grey hair and a beard standing in front of a blue light and an extra-terrestrial model, which is wearing a pigs face mask covering their entire head and dark-coloured overalls.BBC/Carla Fowler
Founder Steve Dickinson said Scarborough's annual sci-fi festival is run "by fans for fans" at the seaside town

Characters from a galaxy far, far away have landed at a seaside resort for a sci-fi festival.

Fans of Daleks, Stormtroopers, Time Lords and other extra-terrestrial entities from the world of film and TV, including Doctor Who and Star Wars, dropped into Scarborough Spa on Saturday for the town's 11th Sci-Fi Scarborough convention.

Organisers said they expected up to 2,000 intergalactic enthusiasts to attend the event, which runs until 16:00 BST on Sunday.

Founder Steve Dickinson said the festival was held "by fans for fans" and would feature appearances by comic book artists and actors including Paul McGann and Janet Fielding, as well as cosplay competitions, installations and live music.

BBC/Carla Fowler A person dressed in a Doctor Who Davros character standing outside Scarborough Spa. The individual, who is wearing a semi-scary looking mask, a black leather jacket and a silver-robotic glove, is surrounded by metal-looking structures around their body.BBC/Carla Fowler
Doctor Who character Davros was one of the costumes on show at the seaside sci-fi festival

"There's a lot of Wookiees, Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, R2 units, Daleks, and Doctor Who's Davros," he said.

The festival started in 2014 and has since grown with fans from across the country attending the event.

BBC/ Carla Fowler Person in a white Star Wars Stormtrooper costumeBBC/ Carla Fowler
Founder Steve Dickinson said people in "screen-accurate costumes" walk around the sci-fi event

"We work on this all year," said Dickinson.

"It's a labour of love.

"We just want to put on the best show for Scarborough."

New for 2026 is an "evidence room" in which people can speak to paranormal experts and UFO investigators.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

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