How Star Wars' Darth Vader helped Norwich man's cancer fight

Richard Walker

KIM BRISCOE
28 October 2009 10:00



He is best known around Norwich for donning his Chewbacca costume for Star Wars events, but now a city grandfather has told how he is battling prostate cancer with the help of his hero Darth Vader.

Richard Walker, the chairman of the Norwich and District Star Wars Club, was recently diagnosed with the cancer, but has not let it stop him from organising the club's third Norwich Sci-fi Film, Comic, Toy and Collectors Fair this weekend.

The 59-year-old, from Mile Cross Road, said he had received words of support from Darth Vader actor David Prowse, who is due to make a guest appearance at the event in Norwich on Sunday and who publicly spoke out earlier this year about his fight against the disease.

Mr Walker, who lives with his wife Sandra and has three daughters and six grandchildren, said: “I've just had my first implant put in which is supposed to stop the cancer in its tracks.

“David's a very nice bloke and he's coming up on Saturday afternoon and staying overnight so we're going to have a chat about it.”

Prowse, 74, discovered that he had the cancer following his participation in a charity event in aid of a prostate cancer charity, where a representative asked whether, as a man over 50, he had had a PSA test. It stayed in his mind and on a future visit to a GP he requested the blood test that eventually led to diagnosis.

Mr Walker said Prowse's appearance at the convention at the University of East Anglia's LCR was likely to be his last for a while, as he is due to have an operation on his hips next month which will put him out of action for about eight months.

His fellow Star Wars actor Kenny Baker, 75, who played Luke Skywalker's trusty R2D2 android, is also due to appear, alongside the popular Kai Owen from the Torchwood television series, Jeremy Bullock who played Boba Fett in Star Wars, The Bill's PC Tony Stamp (Graham Cole) and Terry Molloy, who lives in Norfolk and is played Davros in Dr Who and Mike Tucker in The Archers.

The fair, from 10.30am to 4pm, features many more special guests, 100 dealer stalls, film props, rare autographs an toys for sale, as well as the club's Heroes and Villains costume group.

One member will be bringing along eight life-size Daleks which, weather permitting, will be in action outside the venue.

Mr Walker, who helped to found the club in 1999 and has seen it grow from six members to more than 800, said there were people coming from as far as London and even some Americans who organised their holiday to England to coincide with the fair.

He said: “It's the biggest event of its kind in East Anglia and we've had lots of interest - in particular lots of women phoning up to check if Kai Owen can definitely make it.”

Queue jumping tickets are available to buy in advance by calling 01603 461828. Tickets on the door will costs £15 for a family ticket, £5 for adults and £3 for children, OAPs and students.

Do you have a story for the Evening News? Contact reporter Kim Briscoe on 01603 772419 or email kim.briscoe@archant.co.uk

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