Warwick Davis Takes Gatwick by Storm

Storm-troopers, that is.

Warwick Davis, our very own Professor Flitwick, entered Gatwick North with the special galactic escort December 21 as part of a promotional enterprise between Star Wars and World Duty Free’s Gatwick stores.

Davis plays Weeteef Cyubee, a member of Saw Gerrera’s (Forest Whitaker) team. Leaky previously shared details on the rebel fighter, but on this occasion he joined forces with the empire to take over World Duty Free’s twitter account for a Q&A session. According to Frontier Magazine, he also posed for pictures with fans and a Lego model of Darth Vader.

This was the second phase of a campaign running in conjunction with the release of Rogue One, which premiered last month. The first phase of the launch featured the entrance of Darth Vader himself, also accompanied by Storm-troopers, into the Gatwick South store to “take-over.”

Eugenio Andrades, Divisional CEO UK, Central and Eastern Europe at Dufry, which operates World Duty Free, raved about the response the campaign has generated among fans:

“The first phase of the launch on the 23 November in Gatwick South was incredible and it was fantastic to see the enthusiasm and excitement it generated amongst our customers…the second stage of this campaign…we are delivering a truly unique experience to our customers, with the appearance of Warwick Davis alongside the Stormtroopers and models of familiar and new characters from the Star Wars saga.”

Crawley Observer reported that there was a second exhibit at the Gatwick South store where passengers could view replicas of the costumes worn by their favorite Rogue One heroes and try out a virtual reality helmet.

Guy Stephenson, Gatwick’s chief commercial officer, said of the entire experience:

“Star Wars is famous the world over and the installation of costumes and droids from the film has clearly surprised and impressed passengers and staff alike. It has been great to see people stopping to take pictures or try out the virtual reality helmet.”

Fans coming through Gatwick may have missed the opportunity to meet Davis, a Star Wars veteran and icon in his own right, but they can continue to view the display through January 17, 2017. To read Frontier Magazine’s coverage of the campaign, click here. Crawley Observer’s report can be read here.