Buffy The Vampire Slayer

BUFFY ACTRESS CASTS A SPELL ON WITCHCRAFT FANS

ANGELA TAYLOR

09:00 - 03 January 2004

Witch hunters descended on Aberdeen yesterday to catch a glimpse of Amber Benson, better known as powerful white witch Tara from cult TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Fans queued from about 10am to meet Miss Benson at the Forbidden Planet shop for a signing session not due to begin for another five hours.

The queue stretched from the shop, down Schoolhill and through the Bon Accord Centre and by 5pm, two hours after the session started, it was still as long.

She is the third Buffy cast member to visit the shop, and early indications are that she was the most popular yet.

The first star of the US show to visit the shop was Anthony Head, who plays the slayer’s watcher and mentor Giles. Fans queued from the Schoolhill shop to the Cowdray Hall to meet him.

Claire Kramer, who played evil goddess Glory, was also popular with north-east fans.

Miss Benson, who was nursing a heavy cold, said she was delighted to be in the city.

It was the first time she had been so far north, but she had previously visited Edinburgh and Glasgow.

"It’s beautiful. I love Aberdeen and I really want to explore it. People have been really friendly and there’s no monsters - at least I’ve not seen any yet."

She added that she was constantly surprised by the number of fans who turned up to events.

"It’s very weird. You don’t imaging this being your life when you’re on set for 17 hours a day working. You’re kind of displaced from reality."

The actress said she had never had any nasty encounters or letters because of her involvement in the show, which deals with many occult issues, but she had received pamphlets extolling religious virtues, and letters from people who promised to pray for her.

The Buffy the Vampire series has ended but Miss Benson remains busy, mainly writing.

She recently worked with Chris Golden to write Ghosts of Albion, which was turned into an animated film for the BBC. The story was also broadcast on radio.

The pair are currently writing two books based on the animated show. She added that she filled her free time on the Buffy set by writing, while most of her co-stars knitted.

Miss Benson was also promoting her new film Chance which she wrote, produced, directed and stars in. She portrays the title character, a girl looking for love in all the wrong places.

She spent Christmas and Hogmanay in Edinburgh and had planned to join the Hogmanay celebrations but was not too disappointed when they were cancelled because she was ill in bed.

Forbidden Planet manager Jenny Mitchell said Miss Benson’s appearance was probably the most popular yet.

She said: "Signings in general are always popular but the Buffy ones are the biggest. It’s good for us. On the day there’s not much in the way of sales, but it’s getting the fans in and getting our name promoted among the fans and local people."