Empire Day 1 was held on 13th November 1994, and was the first convention in the U.K. held at the Boron Wood, Elstree venue, just across from the film studio where Star Wars was filmed. At the time of this convention the studios were owned by the Brent Walker Group, which was mostly known for redeveloping sites and selling land off for houses. Just months before, Brent Walker had sold off half of the studios to Tesco, and it was then that we lost the ESB Sound Stage built by Lucas Film Ltd in 1978. At this juncture, the studio’s future was very uncertain, and the convention shone a light on the desperate situation the studio was in. Later on it would be saved by the council, and reopened as a film studio.
This was the first time Dave Prowse and Kenny Baker made an appearance in U.K. together, along with Jeremy Bulloch and Mike Edmonds who made their first ever appearance at this event, 300 people attended this event.
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