US Movie Theatre Showing for Genesis of the Daleks

Tuesday, 1 May 2018 - Reported by Marcus

Fathom Events, in association with BBC Worldwide, have announced a big screen outing in the United States for the 1975 Tom Baker story Genesis of the Daleks

The screening, on June 11th, is to mark the upcoming Blu-ray release of Tom Baker’s complete first season in Doctor Who.

Audiences will see a special cinema length Director’s cut of the story hailed by fans as an all-time classic. The 90-minute version was first seen by viewers in the UK on Saturday 27 December 1975 but has never been screened outside the country.

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companions, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan, are transported thousands of years into the past to the ancient planet Skaro where they are given a mission from the Time Lords to prevent the evil scientist Davros from introducing to the universe the most destructive race of killing machines ever created, the Daleks.

The event also features a first look at In Conversation with Tom Baker a newly recorded interview with the Fourth Doctor himself.

More details on the Fathom Website

FILTER: - Fourth Doctor - Special Events

Lethbridge Stewart: 50th Anniversary Novels

Sunday, 22 April 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books have announced the forthcoming release of a new series of novels celebrating fifty years of the Brigadier!

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Laughing Gnome (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

The Laughing Gnome

December 2011, and the Lethbridge-Stewart clan are gathering. The patriarch, Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is not well. In fact, he’s dying.

He’s determined to face his end with dignity. He has lived a long life, seen a lot of strange things, saved the world more times than he can count, but he has also made a lot of mistakes.

What if he had a chance to revisit some of those mistakes?

In 1968, Doctor Who viewers were introduced to the character Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart.

Created by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln for the serial, The Web of Fear, Lethbridge-Stewart returned the following year in The Invasion, now promoted from colonel to the brigadier in command of UNIT. A legend of Doctor Who was born, and the Brigadier (as he became to be known) continued as regular fixture in Doctor Who until 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. He would return to the series several times during the 1980s, and be mentioned often in the revived series from 2005, with a guest appearance in Doctor Who spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and his daughter, Kate, was introduced to the series in 2011 as a semi-regular feature. Beyond the TV series, the Brigadier has enjoyed a long life in spin-off media, including novels, short stories, audio plays, comics and, of course, his own series of novels with Candy Jar since 2015.

To celebrate this milestone, Candy Jar Books is releasing a series of six titles. The first five fall under the banner of The Laughing Gnome, and follows Sir Alistair, Brigadier Bill Bishop and Dame Anne as they adventure through time, visiting the 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and the 2010s! These are followed by a novel that takes the readers right back to the start of the Brigadier’s journey and reveals the decision that changed his life forever!

The Laughing Gnome consists of Scary Monsters by Simon A Forward, The Fear of Web by Alyson Leeds, The Danger Men by Nick Walters, Day of the Matador by Robert Mammone, and Lucy Wilson and the Bledoe Cadets by Tim Gambrell. These are followed by On His Majesty’s National Service by David A McIntee & Dr Lynette Nusbacher.

Simon Forward, who previously wrote Blood of Atlantis, says:

To be invited back to contribute to the Brig's fiftieth anniversary celebrations is a huge privilege. And with that privilege, like great power, comes great responsibility. We have a duty to the character and to Nick Courtney, the actor who ensured him such a long life in our imaginations. And we have the pleasure of throwing him into new situations and adventures. For my part, I'm aiming to pit him against a terror that is very much a part of his time but one that should resonate with our present. An international thriller, a haunting episode from the past, for our very British hero, teamed up with a returning character from Blood of Atlantis. Who you could call Watson to the Brigadier's Holmes, but then he'd have to kill you.

Alyson Leeds, penning her first novel for the series after her contribution to The HAVOC Files 4, says:

Doctor Who was never part of my childhood. Born in the late ‘80s, I did not have a Doctor of my own, and by the time of the revival I was in my late teens. Though I enjoyed the show well enough it was the expanded universe of Who, the novels and audios, that made me a fan. It was here that I first met the Brigadier, and where he instantly became a favourite character. It had always been my ambition to write, and I hoped that I might eventually get a chance to write for the world of Who. Never did I imagine that my first novel would roll both ambitions into one! That I should be writing for the Brigadier, and at so significant a point in his history, was certainly beyond my wildest dreams. Fifty years on from the Brig’s first appearance, so beautifully realised by Nicholas Courtney, many have talked about what makes the Brig such an enduring and beloved character. I find his simple honesty of spirit appeals to me most. He is not a complicated man; he does what he thinks is right, in a way that does not compromise his duty or his beliefs. In a world increasingly beset by troubles, a hero who will not hesitate to step forward and do the best he can is a perpetual breath of fresh air. My part of the story takes the Brig and Anne back to their ‘beginning’, to 1969 and the Underground. Having lived her life and come to terms with the losses she has felt along the way, Dame Anne is suddenly presented with the opportunity to change the past and save someone dear to her – her father. There will be consequences, that is undeniable, but how far would any of us go to save someone we loved?

Nick Walters, author of Mutually Assured Domination and The Man from Yesterday, says:

Candy Jar is doing something rather special and unexpected to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Brigadier. When Andy [Frankham-Allen, range editor] first told me about it a few years ago it sounded bonkers. A simple ‘X Doctors’ style reunion nostalgia trip this most certainly is not! It’s a bold, interesting and challenging idea which is going to take people by surprise. I was thrilled to be asked to write a story for this series. The idea for my story originated in a striking image which came to me last August whilst sitting in a coffee shop with Andy and all the other writers. I pitched the idea to Andy and he was on board straight away! The Danger Men is on the surface quite a straightforward, fun, spy thriller, a homage to everything from Bond to Bourne, Le Carre and Mission Impossible, and even the Milk Tray Man! There’s some serious stuff behind it, though, mainly in the backgrounds and motivation of the Bond-style villains of the story, who are led by the wonderfully-named (even though I say so myself), Dieter Allegro. Nothing is quite what you expect...

Robert Mammone, who wrote this year’s Travers & Wells, says:

The Brigadier is what every authority figure should be – steadfast and loyal, with just a hint of a twinkle in the eye, indicating he gets the joke as well. It is right, then, that the inheritors of that formidable legacy, Candy Jar, celebrate the character in his fiftieth anniversary year. Thanks to Candy Jar, I’ve been given the opportunity to write a story which honours the Brigadier, and celebrates the character Nicholas Courtney. Together with Anne and Bill Bishop, the Brigadier will face off against an old foe in the London of 1973. And lurking in the cracks of history, an ancient evil threatens to re-emerge into the light of day and overthrow the human race...

Tim Gambrell, who is also writing his first novel, having contributed several short stories for the series, including The Bledoe Cadets and The Bald Man of Pengriffen, says:

Writing for an icon like the Brigadier is an honour at any time, but how much more so to be given that opportunity as part of the character’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations? He’s such a likeable, enduring and, above all else, real character. What a joy to be able to take him by the hand and immerse oneself fully in the extended world that Candy Jar has created. It lets you write big stories, with real impact, but in small worlds, and affecting real people. I get the Brig, the Bledoe Cadets and Lucy Wilson as my playmates in a story that stretches from Alistair’s childhood to his days as a grandfather.

David A McIntee teams up with Dr Lynette Nusbacher, military historian, and says:

As I've said before, for me, the Brigadier's place is all about Nick Courtney and the ideal match between character and actor, with both fitting the other so perfectly. It was said of Sean Bean than he didn't so much play Sharpe as wear the role, and this is so true of Nick and the Brig as well. It's such a rare thing to happen, and therefore particularly special that the resulting figure reaches fifty years or popularity, that it's astonishing to be involved in looking back at that half century. Astonishing too, to be taking that figure to its basics, and exploring what's really deep within this character. Every man is the sum of his memories, as the Doctor once said, but he's also a product of the world around him, both inside his perceptions and outside. Worlds are big, bigger than you'd think, and you don't need a TARDIS to have a range of experiences enough to fill anyone's imagination. We may not have Nick any more, but he's still in the Brigadier, and always will be, however big and involved the Brig's world turns out to be.

The Laughing Gnome is available from the Lethbridge-Stewart website and will also be available from the Candy Jar webstore. It also forms part of any existing subscriptions.

FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor

Friday, 13 April 2018 - Reported by Marcus

The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan / Will Brooks)

The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor #1 (Credit: Titan / Robert Hack)

Titan Comics and BBC Studios have announced The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor – a three-part comic event beginning this July and leading into Titan’s all-new Thirteenth Doctor ongoing comic series launching in the autumn.

The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor features new adventures of the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors written by James Peaty (Supergirl) and illustrated by a host of amazing creators, with a Robert Hack (Sabrina, Archie) cover on each.

In Titan’s The Road to The Thirteenth Doctor comics, the Tenth Doctor encounters lost, ghostly spaceships, the Eleventh Doctor and Alice visit a robot-infested 19th Century San Francisco, and the Twelfth Doctor finds London’s Piccadilly Circus transformed into a wasteland of emptiness and Pterodactyls.

Each issue contains a serialized short story from the creative team behind the new Thirteenth Doctor on-going comic series - written by Jody Houser, with art by Rachael Stott and Enrica Angiolini.

The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor heralds a new era for Titan Comics’ Doctor Who line, culminating in 2018’s Doctor Who Comics Day – a global event inspired by Titan Comics’ Doctor Who comic books - on Saturday, November 24. This marks the fifth annual Doctor Who Comics Day, which is set to be bigger than ever with new comics and collections, merchandise, variant covers, signings, and events across the world at comic shops, bookstores, retail chains, libraries, and on digital platforms.

For further news and developments on The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor follow Titan Comics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr.

FILTER: - Comics - Eleventh Doctor - Tenth Doctor - Thirteenth Doctor - Twelfth Doctor

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Avatars of the Intelligence + Free Download

Wednesday, 28 March 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books have released details about the history of the first book in their forthcoming spin-off series from Lethbridge-Stewart, The Lucy Wilson Mysteries

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Avatars of the Intelligence (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Independent publisher Candy Jar Books is tackling prejudice against differences and promoting diversity, self-confidence and acceptance for young people, in publishing their latest sci-fi adventure series for children.

The series begins with The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Avatars of the Intelligence. The action-packed adventure story is set in the sleepy Welsh town of Ogmore-by-Sea and features the young, sharp-as-a-tack Lucy Wilson, a London-bred pre-teen with mixed-race parentage, and her perennial side-kick Hobo, a highly intelligent boy with alopecia.

The book is written by author Sue Hampton, who was diagnosed with the condition alopecia universalis in 1981 and has since become an ambassador for the charity Alopecia UK. With Sue’s first book, The Waterhouse Girl, inspired by her own experience of learning to live with the sometimes overwhelming condition, Sue feels that it’s incredibly important that young people who feel “different” are positively represented in mainstream fiction, in ways that don’t portray them as “other”.

She says:

Writing The Waterhouse Girl changed my life, and changed the way I saw my alopecia. I began to feel braver, because my character was dealing with alopecia better than I was. Since then I’ve wanted to write stories where the characters are not defined by their condition, because that’s not what defines me. In Avatars of the Intelligence, Hobo does have alopecia, yes, but he is also loyal, brave and intelligent – all the qualities that Lucy needs in a friend.

Through her work with Alopecia UK, Sue visits schools across the UK offering education and support to those in need, and this experience has taught her how big a difference having friends can make to somebody living with a condition like alopecia.

A representative for Alopecia UK says:

At this time it’s very difficult to say with any certainty just how many children are affected by alopecia, however it’s likely to be thousands rather than hundreds.

The Lucy Wilson series acts as a spin-off from Candy Jar’s existing science fiction range of Lethbridge-Stewart novels starring the character from the 1960s classic era of Doctor Who Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, created by Henry Lincoln and Mervyn Haisman and portrayed by Nicholas Courtney in the television series. New protagonist Lucy Wilson is the granddaughter of the Brigadier, and carries the formidable legacy of the Lethbridge-Stewart name along with her. Sue says:

Lucy is dauntless, loyal and whip-smart. She’s a modern girl with strong values and opinions, which means that she feels the injustices in the world even more strongly than most and always stands up for what’s right.

Avatars of the Intelligence deals with themes that affect many young people, such as feeling like an outsider and being bullied, in a way that Sue hopes will empower and inspire readers. Recent statistics from Childline show that as many as one in six young people experience anxiety-related problems, and in the top five concerns raised in counselling sessions over twelve months were low self esteem, feeling sad, low or lonely and bullying.

Lucy Wilson: Avatars of the Intelligence is a celebration of characters who boldly refuse to become victims of their circumstances. Despite the fact that both Hobo and Lucy are initially viewed as outsiders, they find courage and friendship in each other and, together, take on an unseen evil force tormenting their school – the Great Intelligence.

Themes of self-acceptance and confidence are further reflected in the cover artwork, created by Beano artist Steve Beckett. Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar Books, says:

We felt that it was really important that we didn’t have Hobo hidden in any way on the cover – no hats or hoods. This is a character who is totally unashamed, and we felt it wouldn’t be right to present him otherwise. We want this to inspire other children who might feel like they’re different, if they feel lonely or left out, that it’s our differences that make us who we are.

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Avatars of the Intelligence is now available to order.

Firstly, I’m delighted that so many of you enjoyed Avatars of the Intelligence very much.

“This is one of the only books I have been interested in for a while. I used to hate reading but ever since I read this book I have loved reading.” “I don’t think it could be any better.” Most of all I’m happy that you like my characters. People said some positive and perceptive things about Lucy – “I love Lucy’s character because she is strong-willed and determined (although a bit stubborn)” – but on the whole Hobo seems to be the favourite. “Hobo is a unique and original character who teaches us loads about alopecia and people who might not look like other people but are still really interesting and do good things.” “I particularly like Hobo. He is a character that shows how you can face bullies with a smile. Instead of shying away from comments about his alopecia he faces them head-on which makes him a really strong character in the book.”

A lot of you are interested in alopecia and the way I used my own experience of hair loss. “I really like how Sue takes something that happened in her life and turns it into something great.” I never thought of it that way when I was writing it but I’m happy for anyone to see the book in that light. Here, having already written two novels in which alopecia is the story, I wanted to introduce a clever, funny and individual character who just happens to have no hair. I also wanted to show that alopecia has made him stronger, kinder and wiser. As Ambassador for Alopecia UK I’ve met many young people with alopecia and that’s what it seems to do. Like all challenges it teaches people a lot about themselves and being human. “The book demonstrates how outcasts face challenges. Hobo is an extremely interesting character because he doesn’t fit into society’s expectations.”

A few people said the book starts slowly. The beginning of a novel is always the hardest part because there’s a lot to establish, especially in the kind of book that’s driven by character. It takes a while to get to know characters well enough to care, and it’s REALLY important to me that readers do care about mine. The first mysterious, creepy action is on page 13 but there are lots of sci-fi references before that to hint at what’s to come, and the emotional action starts on page one.

Two of you added that it’s a bit confusing at first with various characters named in the first few pages. That’s because, in this book which begins a series, we start with Lucy, but being a Lethbridge-Stewart she’s really the next in line: it’s in her blood. So unusually, I was handed a central character with a family tree, ready-made. I gave Lucy a personality, interests, strengths and weaknesses, but the Lethbridge-Stewart legacy is already established. There are many novels and short story collections published by Candy Jar about her grandfather, who even has a Wikipedia page! For the fans of that legacy, I had to acknowledge her family from the start; they’ll know at once who Conall is, and Nick, and all the family members. The book is meant to appeal to existing Whovians and fans of Lethbridge-Stewart, and some of its biggest fans so far are adult, like the guys who praised my book on a podcast for Doctor Who fans. But it’s also meant to appeal to readers from Y6 up, some of whom will come to it completely fresh, with none of this background. As a reader I’m always happy to wonder and deduce for a few pages before a relationship structure firms up, and by the end of chapter one those characters should all be clear. Using close third person means that I follow Lucy’s thoughts and perspective so people can’t be identified with labels, because she would think of Conall and Dean by name, not as her eldest, gay brother and his husband. I’ve written it so that readers can work all that out pretty quickly.

The colourful cover, which is the work of a Beano artist called Steve Beckett, really does appeal to Y5/6 readers – you should see them drawn to it in primary schools when I visit – and I hear that they enjoy the story, while teenage and adult readers will be more aware of the emotional dynamics and issues of diversity that some of you mentioned. I’ve been contacted by a father and daughter and a father and son who reported that both generations thought it was great. I came across a division into hard’ and ‘soft’ science fiction, and this book is definitely soft in the sense that it’s driven by character and its ‘science’ (in this author’s head, at any rate) is psychology rather than physics. I’d say this generally applies to Doctor Who, too, but some fans might like to challenge me on that.

You may have noticed that there’s plenty of imagery. It’s a playfulness with words and can give energy to a story, be fun or funny, crank up the excitement – sometimes in a horrifying way – and create an atmosphere. Sci-fi has its own vocabulary, of course, and like the action the language can be highly dramatic. It’s my thirty-first book but my first venture into this genre.

The Lucy Wilson Collection (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Candy Jar has produced a 95-page free ebook The Lucy Wilson Collection. This contains The Two Brigadiers by Jonathan Macho, Lucy Wilson by Sue Hampton, an extract of Avatars of the Intelligence by Sue Hampton, an extract of Curse of the Mirror Clowns by Chris Lynch, and a non-fiction chapter about the Brigadier written by Andy Frankham-Allen.

The e-book is available to download via our website.

FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

Lethbridge-Stewart: Short Story Collection

Saturday, 24 March 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce an exciting new collection of stories featuring Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. The Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Collection comes off the back of the publisher’s mission to find new writing talent in south Wales and beyond.

In August 2017 Candy Jar offered aspiring writers and fans of the Lethbridge-Stewart series the opportunity to pen their own chapter in the Lethbridge-Stewart universe.

The results are in, and Candy Jar has collected the best and brightest writers in this short story anthology. Head of publishing, Shaun Russell, says:

With The Havoc Files coming to an end, and the Brig celebrating his fiftieth anniversary this year, I am very excited to be presenting a new take on this iconic character. We’ve had such high quality stories and we feel the fans will enjoy taking an alternative journey alongside the Haisman characters.

The book features eight exclusive short stories featuring Lethbridge-Stewart at various stages in his life. This is a chance for fans to see the Brigadier like never seen him before!

The eight stories are:

Shadows in the Glen by Richard Brewer
The Friendship Paradox by Thomas Firth
Special Responsibility by Gary Tinnams
Soldier in Time by Martin Gregory
The Man with the Red Case by Matthew Ball
The Brigadier Rides Again by Ross Hastings
In Machina Exspiravit by Anthony Robertson
Burning Daylight by Paul Chase

The idea for the Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Competition came from the company’s commitment to shedding light on fresh writing talent. Since 2015 the Lethbridge-Stewart novels have championed previously unknown authors such as Jonathan Macho and Gareth Madgwick, alongside famous writing names in the Doctor Who universe including John Peel, Nick Walters, Simon A Forward and David A McIntee.

Lauren Thomas, publishing co-ordinator at Candy Jar Books, says:

It’s been a real eye-opener to witness the abundance of creativity and passion held for the Brigadier by Doctor Who fans. We always knew that the submissions wouldn’t disappoint, but we’ve truly been delighted by the quality of writing.

Range editor, Andy Frankham-Allen, says:

As we move into our planned second phase for the Brig, we feel it’s time to explore all aspects of his life across the decades. This new approach will be seen first in Lineage (available to pre-order here) and will be followed by our six anniversary novels (due to be released later this year). As an alternative take on the character The Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Collection fits perfectly within this new mindset.

Candy Jar will announce the top story in this collection later in the spring, and will reveal which author will get to work with Andy Frankham-Allen, Lethbridge-Stewart range editor and author of The Forgotten Son, Beast of Fang Rock and Night of the Intelligence, on a new Lethbridge-Stewart novel.

Andy continues:

It takes something special to get into the mind of the Brigadier and I’m anticipating great things from all of these talented new writers. You never know we may be launching a new Chris Chibnall or Terrance Dicks at the beginning of their career.

£1.50 from each book will be donated the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff. Shaun, who received chemotherapy treatment at the centre, says:

In 2015 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer, just as we were launching the first Lethbridge-Stewart series. As you can imagine, undergoing six months of treatment was physically and emotionally draining. If it wasn’t for the support of the centre I wouldn’t have got through this difficult time. This is my way of giving something back.

As well as many other stories, the book features young Alistair in World War Two, the 1970s Brig in action, and retired Alistair as he discovers the real nightmare of commuting. Customers are advised that this book will be a limited edition release, only available to purchase directly from Candy Jar Books for £8.99 and with limited copies available.

The short story collection is in part a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Brigadier, and comes alongside Candy Jar releasing another limited edition release, Lineage:

The Lethbridge-Stewart name carries with it stories of integrity, honour and courage. But was it always so? From its earliest origins with the Clan Stewart in Scotland, and the Lethbridges in Devon, England, the name has a storied past. Historical figures, history makers, military heroes… Lineage presents seven brand new tales from some of the most popular authors previously published in The HAVOC Files collection.

FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus

Out Today, the Twelfth Doctor's final Year Three adventure in Doctor Who The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Artist: Pasquale Qualano
Cover A: Blair Shedd Cover B: Photo - Will Brooks Cover C: Simon Myers

The conclusion of Year Three!

The weeping angels descend on the Doctor, but his companions, old and new, have a few tricks up their sleeves to help him out!

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Cover A (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Cover B (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Cover C (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Page 1 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Page 2 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Page 3 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Page 4 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Three #13 - Page 5 (Credit: Titan )

FILTER: - Comics - Twelfth Doctor

Season 12 - Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Announced

Wednesday, 7 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who Season 12 (Credit: BBC Worldwide)

BBC Worldwide has announced that Tom Baker's first season as the Doctor will be released on Blu-Ray as Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12, on 11th June 2018 in the UK and on June 26, 2018 in the US..

For fans of Doctor Who and collectors of Classic Who seasons, the Blu-Ray has limited edition packaging with artwork by Lee Binding and has been restored and up-scaled to HD by Peter Crocker and Mark Ayres. The new release also has a wealth of new bonus content.

Russell Minton, Executive Producer at BBC Worldwide says

We are doing our very best at BBC Worldwide to restore and bring as many Classic Who titles out on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, and this starts with being able to confirm one of my favourites, Tom Baker’s first season. We will also endeavour to include additional archive material and exciting newly-shot features where possible.

Season 12, Tom Baker’s first as the Doctor, features five stories over 20 episodes, including The Ark in Space and Genesis of the Daleks. The Doctor is accompanied in this season by Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) and was first broadcast between December 1974 and May 1975.

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12 The new Blu-Ray release includes existing bonus material from the original DVDs as well as the brand new features below:

TOM BAKER IN CONVERSATION
BEHIND THE SOFA
NEW MAKING-OF DOCUMENTARIES
IMMERSIVE 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIXES
OPTIONAL BRAND NEW UPDATED SPECIAL EFFECTS
GENESIS OF THE DALEKS - OMNIBUS MOVIE VERSION
THE TOM BAKER YEARS
PRODUCTION ARCHIVE MATERIAL

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 12 will be released on Blu-Ray from Monday 11th June 2018.

Pre-order on Amazon.co.uk - Pre-order on Amazon.com

FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Man From Yesterday

Monday, 5 March 2018 - Reported by Chuck Foster

After fourteen novels, Candy Jar Books have announces the conclusion to their Lethbridge-Stewart ongoing storyline that began with The Forgotten Son:

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Man From Yesterday (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

The Man From Yesterday
Written by Nick Walters
Cover by Paul Cooke

Gordon's alive?

The English Channel, May 1945. Leading his squadron of Hawker Typhoons back to base from a traumatic mission in the Baltic, Wing Commander Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart goes missing – one of the unsolved mysteries of the Second World War.

Cromer, 1970. Doctor Anne Travers and Lieutenant Bill Bishop are investigating a mysterious phenomenon after hearing reports of ‘pink lightning’ seen over the Norfolk coast, while strange elfin creatures are glimpsed by the locals. And in the Red Fort, his new base of operations deep below Norwich, General James Gore is making his plans.

Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart receives a phone call that will change his life. Could it be, after all this time, that his father has come back from yesterday?

Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell, said:

We decided some time ago to wrap up the novels as a continuing storyline, although it’s not the end of the Lethbridge-Stewart range. They will merely continue in a different vein. We have one more standalone novel, The New Unusual, set just before The Man from Yesterday coming in late spring, and then in the summer we begin to release our special anniversary series of books (six new novels that dip into various points within Lethbridge-Stewart’s timeline).

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen said:

It’s been great fun developing and guiding the ongoing story, with plots and themes continuing from The Forgotten Son through to The Man from Yesterday, but Shaun and I decided it’s time for something a little different. The Man from Yesterday is the perfect finale, taking the series full circle, wrapping up themes set up with that first novel, and bringing the whole thing into sharp focus with Lethbridge-Stewart’s family at the centre. Just as it began! And who better than Nick Walters, who was there at the beginning of the series, to wrap it all up for us? What’s also great about Nick’s return, is that he is the only author to pen a second novel in the series (other than me). Up to now each book has been written by a different author, which is, I feel, something we can all be proud of.

The Man from Yesterday sees the return of Lethbridge-Stewart’s missing father, Wing Commander Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Nick observed:

After Mutually Assured Domination, which was a knockabout, fun romp, it was great to write something with more depth. We’d been kicking about the idea of the Brigadier’s father returning for some time, but hadn’t found a suitable plot. The Man From Yesterday started life in early 2016 as something quite different, a tale of alien map-makers called The Cartographers of Oberos (after a potential sequel to The Turing Test, also bringing Gordon back, just didn’t click for us). This initial version had too much focus on the aliens, and once this was scaled back, the story really began to take shape. Especially when the title came to me out of the blue one afternoon. The idea of setting it (mostly) within the county of Norfolk was quite deliberate – firstly, there is, obviously, the Cromer connection, and, secondly, I thought it rather fun to have a story set in one small geographic location, for a change. It doesn’t mean the story is small – not by any means – it’s big in terms of themes and ideas, and of course that alien element still remains.

Wing Commander Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was created by Andy Frankham-Allen for The Forgotten Son in 2014, and has appeared in a couple of short stories since, but this is his first full-novel role. Talking about developing him further, Nick commented:

I was given free rein with Gordon and decided to imbue him with the core Lethbridge-Stewart values of integrity, bravery, duty, responsibility etc, but also introduce a slightly odd side to him (because of what’s happened to him). In appearance I struggled to visualise him until I put him in a suit and hey presto, Sean Connery in The Rock! I also gave him some action scenes to demonstrate that he’s still a badass despite his advanced years. He’s a man out of time, and there’s an element of that about him too, especially in one scene where he wanders the streets of Norwich. And despite the emotional heft of the story, I found him a fun character to write, and some of his scenes with his son are hilarious.

The book features a forward by Paul Leonard, author of the ever-popular Doctor Who novel, The Turing Test, among many others. Of Nick he said:

He’s achieved a writing career through sheer determination and hard work, keeping going through a third of a lifetime, learning as he went, earning very little, working till the small hours to get the stories finished on time. Perhaps as a result of his other [writing] work, he brings a clarity of style and depth of characterisation still too rare in genre fiction to his Who-related material, taking even occasional followers like myself into the world of the Doctor and making it a reality.

The cover is provided by Paul Cooke, who previously provided the artwork for the free short story, Eve of the Fomorians:

I've been a fan of the Lethbridge-Stewart books from the start. In fact I loved the first one that much I drew a fan art cover in the style of the old Target books, and cheekily asked Andy if there was any chance of doing one. Flash forward to September 2016, I had the opportunity to do a cover illo for a free digital story they sent out to subscribers. I had hoped to be able to contribute another, but when you have artists of the calibre of Adrian Salmon, Richard Young and Colin Howard working on them, I'd sort of given up hope. Then one day out of the blue, only weeks ago really, Andy asked me if I fancied doing one!

(The inspiration) was to be an image based on, and mirroring, the layout of the first book. One of the nice things I had to do was come up with a portrait of the Brig's dad, and a new race of aliens (who doesn't want to draw aliens?). Once Andy told me what he wanted from the cover, I set about doing some design sketches of the dad and the alien for both Andy and Nick Walters to approve – it's easier to get it wrong and change it at this stage than spending hours painting and then have to change it! Once the sketches had been approved, I then went to sketches of the cover, to get the placings correct. At this stage, I realised one of the suggestions to the cover didn't work within the layout (Cromer), so Andy suggested a replacement (the Hawker Typhoon plane) which was perfect. A few little revisions, and it was on to the painting. I work mostly digitally now, in a program called Manga Studio, so it was onto the computer and putting the time in to do the best job I could.

This edition of The Man from Yesterday is limited to 400 copies and is due out early March. All pre-orders of series five will receive a free digital short story called The Comrades by Brian Gallagher by the summer. It is available to pre-order from Candy Jar individually, part of the discounted UK/International bundle, or as part of the yearly subscription offer.

NB. the special anniversary series is covered by the annual subscription.

FILTER: - Books - Candy Jar Books - Lethbridge-Stewart

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14

Sunday, 4 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus

This Wednesday, March 7, 2018, sees the hotly anticipated release of the finale to Titan's Tenth Doctor's Third Year with Part 4 of The Good Companion

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14

Writer: Nick Abadzis
Artist: Giorgia Sposito
Colourist: Arianna Florean
Cover A: Iolanda Zanfardino Cover B: Photo Cover C: Nick Abadzis

The Time Sentinels have declared war upon the Doctor! After kidnapping Gabby and sending the Circle of Transcendence to destroy Aramuko, the Sentinels are intent on meddling in events to eradicate the Doctor from Time itself... But not all of the Sentinel collective approve of this plan. Aspect Blue (who had masqueraded as Noobis’ girlfriend, Siffhoni) has formulated a plan of his own – and has seemingly helped Gabby escape in the Red TARDIS!

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Cover A (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Cover B (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Cover C (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Page 1 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Page 2 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Page 3 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Page 4 (Credit: Titan )

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Year Three #14 - Page 5 (Credit: Titan )

FILTER: - Comics - Tenth Doctor

Matt Smith Selects his Desert Island Discs

Sunday, 4 March 2018 - Reported by Marcus

Matt Smith - Desert Island Discs (Credit: BBC)

Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith has appeared on the long-running BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs, choosing the music he would take to a Desert Island.

In the programme, which can be heard here, Smith talked about how he nearly turned down the role of the 11th Doctor. He said he had had "a wobble" after being told he'd be David Tennant's successor and after seeing Tennant's face on a set of plates. But described playing the role as one of the greatest experiences of his life.

He described Doctor Who fans are a good bunch, saying one of the strangest things he’s been shown is a tattoo of his own face, opposite that of David Tennant's on a woman’s inner thigh

I said what on earth does your boyfriend think? But he was there and he was smiling away.

He described the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the thirteenth Doctor as a brilliant choice.

The show relies on big, broad, creative brushstrokes when it's controversial it's alive. It's brilliant, it's high time and she'll be sensational because she has real humanity and she is funny.

Smith said the only advice he had given to the new Doctor is advice once given to him which was "listen to no one"

Desert Island Discs has been running on BBC Radio since 1942. Many Doctor Who alumni have appeared on the programme including William Hartnell in 1965, Jon Pertwee in 1964 (episode now lost), and David Tennant in 2009.

FILTER: - Matt Smith

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