{"id":442,"date":"2016-06-10T20:41:30","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T19:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/?p=442"},"modified":"2023-05-31T18:48:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T17:48:08","slug":"ive-seen-les-miserables-1027-times-superfans-star-wars-madonna-harry-potter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/2016\/06\/10\/ive-seen-les-miserables-1027-times-superfans-star-wars-madonna-harry-potter\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I’ve seen Les Mis\u00e9rables 1,027 times’ \u2026 superfans of Star Wars, Madonna, Harry Potter and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the super fans is\u00a0John Hand who is in his early 40s and from Luton. He works for the BBC and has been a Madonna<\/a> fan for 32 years.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"PoweredThis article titled “‘I’ve seen Les Mis\u00e9rables 1,027 times’ \u2026 superfans of Star Wars, Madonna, Harry Potter and more” was written by Interviews by Homa Khaleeli, for The Guardian on Tuesday 22nd March 2016 18.16 UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Some people go to a therapist. I built a giant Millennium Falcon\u2019<\/h2>\n

Martin Creaney, 42, is a Star Wars fan from Victoria, Australia. He works in a DIY store.<\/em><\/p>\n

About five years ago I brought together my love of science fiction and Star Wars with my woodwork abilities. First I built a spacecraft from an anime show I loved. Then I thought I would try a Millennium Falcon \u2013 but I had no idea what I was getting into. The plan was to make it look as if it had crashed through the ceiling, so I only had to make a corner of the craft. But as it went on, I decided to just make the whole thing. The problem was I had built that first corner so big, it ended up being huge: it\u2019s 1.8 metres long and 1.5 metres wide.<\/p>\n

It took about 15 months to finish, what with all the fine detailing. Woodwork\u2019s more than just a hobby to me, but it\u2019s not how I earn my living. So I\u2019d work on it for an hour or two in the evening and then at weekends. I\u2019m especially proud of the gun turret on the top, because I figured out a way to make it move up and down and swivel around. Some people pay thousands to go to a therapist. I play around with wood. A passion makes a big difference to your life: as I worked on this, the worries of the day would melt away.<\/p>\n

\"The
The fine detailing on Creaney\u2019s wooden Millennium Falcon.<\/span> Photograph: Paul Jeffers\/The Guardian<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve seen the Star Wars films dozens of times. I loved the new one<\/a> \u2013 it was like renewing old friendships. I grew up loving these characters. It was pure escapism: a classic story of a young man being drawn into an epic adventure. My favourite was Chewbacca: he was so different from everyone else, and could express so much without words. I was a bit of a shy kid so I guess I liked the fact he didn\u2019t have to speak much. Plus he looked so strong and cool.<\/p>\n

My sister made me set up a Facebook page to show my work, and I found the comments really humbling and emotional. One just read: \u201cThank you, thank you, thank you.\u201d Another guy, only half-joking, said: \u201cI may have shed a tear when I saw this.\u201d I can understand, because it\u2019s about seeing your own passion reflected in what someone else has done. That connection is nice.<\/p>\n

When I examine my Millennium Falcon, I see things I should have done better. I had planned to mount it on my wall, but after all the nice Facebook comments I\u2019m trying to figure out a way to show it to others, maybe at a fan convention. It\u2019s nice to have your passion recognised.<\/p>\n

\u2018I always keep a wand in my car\u2019<\/h2>\n

Katie Aiani, 28, is a web and graphic designer. She lives in California and claims to be the world\u2019s No 1 Harry Potter fan.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\u2018I\u2019ve
\u2018I\u2019ve been told it\u2019s worth \u00a340,000\u2019 \u2026 Katie Aiani surrounded by her Harry Potter memorabilia.<\/span> Photograph: Sharon Hardy Ludwig\/Mercury Press<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One evening when I was 11, my father was reading a Harry Potter book to my seven-year-old sister. I heard the words \u201cear wax\u201d, so I started teasing her, saying it was disgusting. She was so cross she threw the book at me. She said it was the best thing she\u2019d ever read, then shoved me in my room and shouted: \u201cDon\u2019t come out until you\u2019ve read it!\u201d<\/p>\n

By the next morning, I\u2019d taken all her other Harry Potter books, too. I loved the fact it was about an average child doing something extraordinary. Hermione, Harry\u2019s friend, became my hero. I didn\u2019t like reading before, but because of her I wanted to be top of my class. And I managed it.<\/p>\n

The books helped me in other ways. My sister and I used to hate each other and fight all the time. But Harry Potter brought us together, gave us something in common. When I got my driver\u2019s licence, we would go to conventions. I even paid for her to travel with me to the UK so we could visit all the Harry Potter film locations.<\/p>\n