Lethbridge-Stewart: The HAVOC Files 4

Wednesday, 28 June 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books has announce its latest volume of The HAVOC Files, collecting short stories from early 2017 (in print for the first time) and brand new exclusive material.

This volume contains three short stories previously available in digital format and released early 2017, plus five brand new stories, including the final episode of the three-part novella, The Lost Skin by Andy Frankham-Allen (episodes one and two of which were published in The HAVOC Files 2 and 3).

The Contented Mind by Wink Taylor
The Runaway Bomb by Nick Walters (previous digital release)
United in Blood by Mark Jones (previous digital release)
The Cruel Oil by Harry Draper
All the King’s Men by Alyson Leeds
The Great Magician and the Spirits of the Vasty Deep by Gareth Madgwick
The Slow Invasion by Andrew Allen
The Two Brigadiers by Jonathan Macho (previous digital release)
The Lost Skin: Episode Three by Andy Frankham-Allen

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says:

This is probably our most exciting volume yet, because it features five stories that are a direct result of our recent open submission period. We had such an amazing response and received so many varied ideas, most of which made it as far as the one-page outline stage. Many of those led to a commission, and HAVOC 4 presents the first five of those commissions, all by authors new to the range and, some, completely new to profesionally published fiction.

Among the authors new to range are Andrew Allen, who is a Brighton-based writer, actor, director and workshop leader, as well as the co-founder and Artistic Director of Cast Iron Theatre. This collection also introduces to the range, Wink Taylor, who was a writer/actor for both Sooty and Basil Brush, as well as creator of the popular childrens’ character Theo the Mouse. He is also well-known for his voice impersonations of various Doctor Who characters, notably the Third Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

The cover has been designed by Richard Young:

Shaun (Russell, Head of Publishing) had promised me The HAVOC Files cover since book two came out, so I was over the moon when he said that I was doing book four. I've always had the idea of using the Brig and a filing cabinet, but my initial ideas just weren’t working for me. I then came up with another idea, but it was felt that this new idea was too similar to another cover I had done. Shaun and I then bounced several other concepts back and forth, trying to make the ‘4’ the main element, and after some very minor adjustments just to tighten things up, we had something we both liked.

Like the previous volumes, The HAVOC Files 4 is only available direct from the Candy Jar Store, and is a strictly limited-print run.

HAVOC 1, 2 and 3 are also all available for digital download on Kindle.

Candy Jar is also pleased to announce that the upcoming Lethbridge-Stewart Quiz Book will contain an exclusive story written by Tim Gambrell: "Lethbridge-Stewart is called back to Bledoe to help an old friend he barely remembers, and memories of quiz night with the Bledoe Cadets soon surface..."

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

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Dreamer's Lament

Thursday, 22 June 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books have announced the next in their range of Lethbridge-Stewart novels:

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Dreamer's Lament (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

The Dreamer's Lament
Written by Benjamin Burford-Jones
Cover by Martin Baines

While visiting his mother, Lethbridge-Stewart is a little perturbed when Harold Chorley calls to ask for his help. A train has gone missing near Bristol, and Chorley is convinced it has something to do with the Keynsham Triangle, where over fifty people have vanished without trace since the early 1800s.

Elsewhere, Anne Travers is coming to terms with a loss in her family, and sets about preparing for a funeral. However, news reaches her that both Lethbridge-Stewart and Chorley have gone missing, and her help is required to find them. And, hopefully, solve the mystery of the Keynsham Triangle.

What connects the missing train to the Triangle, what has it got to do with a Wren from World War II, and just why does it appear that Lethbridge-Stewart and Chorley are in the village of Keynsham in 1815?

The answers lie in the Dreamer’s Lament, and a strange being called the Loa.

The Dreamer’s Lament is written by newcomer to the range, Benjamin Burford-Jones, who previously wrote the children’s novel Beware of the Mirror Man for Candy Jar Books. It originates from an unpublished Second Doctor novel Ben wrote several years earlier, and was an early contender in the Lethbridge-Stewart series, as range editor Andy Frankham-Allen elaborates:

Shaun (Russell, head of publishing) brought the story to me during the early days of the series, but it took me a while to get to it. I was impressed by the core story, and realised that an almost page-one rewrite would be needed, but there were enough key elements contained in the original story for me to see how it would fit Lethbridge-Stewart. The hardest part to work out was the time travel aspect.

Ben was more than happy to rework the story:

When I was asked to adapt my unpublished book, how could I resist the challenge? It was an honour to add to the continuing adventures of Lethbridge-Stewart. Of course, I couldn’t resist setting the adventure in my home town of Keynsham.

When I first saw the wonderful artwork, I was over the moon. The cover sums up the story perfectly. It was almost as if Martin had read my mind.

The cover art in question is by Martin Baines, creating his second piece of Lethbridge-Stewart work after last year’s Times Squared. Martin says:

I really wanted to do justice to such imaginative story. The mixture of voodoo and time travel, plus zombie animals makes this a story a gift for a cover artist. Coming from an advertising background I usually draw cute dogs and cats, so I found that the main focal point of the cover was a real test for me having to make them as horrific as possible.

The Dreamer’s Lament has a foreword by Shaun:

I’ve known Ben for thirty-two years, after a chance meeting at a Bristol sci-fi shop. Alongside Doctor Who, Ben has always had an interest in all things zombie. He has even made his own zombie puppet. It seems quite natural for him to combine his two loves in this book.

The novel is available for pre-order now, individually, as part of the discounted UK bundle, or as an international bundle. It is also available as part of a yearly subscription offer - full details can be found via Candy Jar's website.

In addition, Candy Jar is launching its very first Summer Bumper Sale. Deals include:

2 for 1 on selected Lethbridge-Stewart novels
2 for £10 on selected Candy Jar titles
Low-low discounts on selected other books
Plus a couple of freebies available too!

For more information please visit their website.

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

Doctor Who Actors Honoured by Queen

Saturday, 17 June 2017 - Reported by Marcus

Several Doctor Who alumni have been mentioned in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Veteran actress and comedienne June Whitfield has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

June Whitfield played Minnie Hooper, active member of the Sliver Cloak, in the 2010 Doctor Who story The End of Time.

She is one of the UK's best loved actresses having first come to the attention of the public in the 1950's in a succession of Radio comedys. In 1968, June Whitfield and Terry Scott began their long television partnership which peaked with roles as husband and wife in Happy Ever After followed by Terry and June . Since 1992, Whitfield has appeared in Jennifer Saunders's sitcom Absolutely Fabulous playing Edina Monsoon's mother. In recent years she has played a regular character in Last of the Summer Wine as well as a recurring character in The Green Green Grass.

The actress Sarah Lancashire has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire or OBE.

Sarah Lancashire appeared in the 2008 story Partners in Crime where she played Miss Foster,, employed by the Adiposian First Family to breed a new generation after their breeding planet was lost.

Lancashire first came to public attention appearing in the long running soap Coronation Street. Other roles include parts in costume dramas such as Oliver Twist, Lark Rise to Candleford and the BBC1 crime thriller Happy Valley, for which she recieved the 2017 British Academy Television Award for Best Actress.

Actor David Walliams has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

David Walliams played Gibbis in the 2011 story The God Complex.

Walliams is best known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the BBC One sketch show Little Britain. Since 2012 he has been a judge on the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent. Walliams is also a writer of children's books. To date he has sold more than 12.5 million copies and his books have been translated into 46 languages.

Walliams, who has raised a considerable ammount of money fnor Sport's Relief, recieved the award for services to charity and the Arts.

Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire or MBE.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw plated Tish Jones, sister of Martha, in Series Three of Doctor Who.

Mbatha-Raw played a supporting role in the Tom Hanks comedy Larry Crowne, and had starring roles on the short-lived television series Undercovers and Touch. She appeared in the British period drama Belle and the romantic drama Beyond the Lights.

In 2015 she played the title role in Jessica Swale's play Nell Gwynn, winning a nomination for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress.

The awards are presented by HM Queen Elizabeth on the recomendation of the British Prime Minister Theresa May.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - People

The Lethbridge-Stewart Quiz Book

Wednesday, 31 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Lethbridge-Stewart Quizbook (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Candy Jar Books have announce a new Quiz Book to tie in with fifty years of the character of Lethbridge-Stewart.

Compiled by Mark Jones, author of the recent free story United in Blood, the book collects together trivia from throughout the Brigadier’s on-screen life, plus questions relate to the Target novels, Big Finish and BBC audio stories, comic strips and of course Candy Jar's own Lethbridge-Stewart novels.

Mark said:

When Candy Jar asked me to compile The Lethbridge-Stewart Quiz Book I couldn’t wait to get started. The Brigadier is a character that meant a great deal to me and it gave me the chance to watch the UNIT stories over again.

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, expressed his excitement about the book:

I remember a trip to Lyme Regis as a boy where I found a copy of the first Doctor Who Quiz Book. For some reason my local WHSmith did not have this book, which made the discovery even more exciting. I don’t think my sister appreciated it though. Asking me questions on the beach about Doctor Who was not her idea of fun.

Revisiting the classic formula of those quiz books, this new version has some 750+ questions split over twelve sections dedicated to the adventures of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT. Examples include:

In the television story The Time Monster what was TOMTIT?
Who is attempting to penetrate the Earth’s crust in Inferno?
What relation is James Lethbridge-Stewart to the Brigadier?
What does UNIT stand for?

Mark added:

There’s something for everyone and it’s a book that will provide hours of entertainment and a challenge to the old grey matter. It’s a book for dipping into whenever you feel like challenging yourself or your friends – hopefully without too many arguments.

Full details and how to order can be found via the Candy Jar Books website.

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

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Runaway Bomb

Sunday, 21 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books have announced the second free Lethbridge-Stewart short story of 2017, The Runaway Bomb, which accompanies this month's release of Night of the Intelligence.

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen explains the story's origins:

At the end of Mutually Assured Domination, Lethbridge-Stewart considered two soldiers for the Fifth – both helped him fight the Dominators in that book – but we’ve not heard from them since. So, this short story shows us a little of how Lethbridge-Stewart recruits new troops for the Corps. Only one of the two will make the grade, and the winner has a guest spot in Night of the Intelligence, the novel for which this short story is the companion.

Author of both the original inspiration and this followup short story is Nick Walters, who says:

Sergeant Bell and (especially) Corporal Stevens originally had bigger roles in Mutually Assured Domination, so I leapt at the chance of fleshing out the characters a bit more. Stevens is a bit of a loose cannon and quite an intimidating character, whilst Bell is quieter and more reserved, so the two make a good pairing. I wanted to put them in a combat situation to see what happens. Bell, especially, went through the wringer in Mutually Assured Domination, so this story, if you like, is his ‘reward’ for all that he suffered – being tied to that chair for hours on end couldn’t have been nice! As for the titular Bomb of the story, it is based on a fondly-remembered episode of The Six Million Dollar Man entitled Death Probe, which really captured my six-year-old imagination. Older readers(?) may remember this!

The Runaway Bomb will be sent out free to everybody who purchases (includes any bundles or subscription featuring...) this month’s release, Night of the Intelligence by Andy Frankham-Allen.

Night of the Intelligence not only opens series four of the range, but also begins the year-long celebration of the Great Intelligence and Professor Travers, characters who first appeared in Doctor Who on September 30 1967 in The Abominable Snowmen by Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln.

Hannah Haisman, Executor of the Haisman Estate, says:

It’s been wonderful seeing the resurgence of respect for my grandfather’s creations in the last few years, and celebrating two of his greatest characters is a moment of pride for me. Grandad would adore what’s happening now, and especially the way Andy (Frankham-Allen) has tied his characters’ histories together. It’s a wonderful time to be a fan of the Great Intelligence and Professor Travers!

Throughout 2017 a further three non-Lethbridge-Stewart titles featuring the Great Intelligence will be released. Shaun Russell, head of publishing, says:

We’re very proud to work alongside some great people during the celebration year, and look forward to sharing further titles and information with you as the year goes on. Great things are coming!

Night of the Intelligence is available for pre-order now, either individually or as part of a discounted UK bundle.

In addition, as part of the celebration Candy Jar are offering a special anniverary bundle – buy the three Great Intelligence novels The Forgotten Son (Andy Frankham-Allen), Times Squared (Rick Cross), and Night of the Intelligence and get The Schizoid Earth (David A McIntee) for free.

See the Candy Jar website for full details.

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

Extremis: Overnight Viewing Figures

Sunday, 21 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Extremis: The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) (Credit: BBC/BBC Worldwide (Simon Ridgway))

Doctor Who - Extremis achieved an overnight viewing audience of 4.16 million viewers, a share of 22.7% of the total TV audience, according to unofficial figures. This figure is up on last week's, where Oxygen achieved 3.57m (20%).

The episode was third most-watched show of the day, with ITV's Britain's Got Talent as usual taking the top spot with 9.13m viewers and a whopping 44.7% share of the total television audience! Second place went to Pointless Celebrities, which was watched by 4.52m viewers (28.9% share).

Consolidated viewing figures are expected to be released by BARB on 29th May, which should see Doctor Who's figure increase.

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

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Daughters of Earth

Friday, 12 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar have announced the second novel in the 2017 series of Lethbridge-Stewart books:

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Daughters of Earth (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Daughters of Earth
Written by Sarah Groenewegen
Cover by Adrian Salmon

To celebrate Lethbridge-Stewart's birthday, a romantic weekend is planned for him and Sally Wright in a remote cottage in the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately for Sally, freak weather causes her to crash her car.

Lethbridge-Stewart, meanwhile, is in Cairngorm investigating UFO sightings with Anne Travers and Lieutenant Bishop. Elsewhere, the Daughters of Earth, a women-only peace movement, are making waves in the political world.

But just who is their enigmatic leader? And what links the Daughters with the events of Cairngorm and Sally's accident?

The book, which follows on from this month's Night of the Intelligence, sees Lethbridge-Stewart’s fiancee, Sally, take a more central role in the story, in what will prove to be something of a game-changer for the series as a whole. Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says:

The relationship between Lethbridge-Stewart and Sally has been simmering away in the background of the series since the beginning, eleven novels in total. The Daughters of Earth has been set up very deliberately to put Sally in a position that makes her look at her position in the Corps in a very different way.

Writer Sarah Groenewegen (who wrote 2016 short story The Lock-In) said:

I wanted to explore the reasons for why she signed up, her ideals of duty in the face of the adventures they all share. Her relationship with the Brigadier, especially now they work together. Then there’s her interest in a newly emerging women’s lib movement arguing for peaceful solutions to mankind’s many problems – the Daughters of Earth.

I had terrific fun creating a late-’60s peace movement led and run solely by women. While their politics are very much rooted in the start of women’s lib – the generation before the women of Greenham Common, and the grand-generation of the women now running the resistance against current right-wing authoritarianism – there are echoes of what’s happening now and how women organise. The intersections of class, race, outsiders versus those within the establishment – how prone they are to infiltration. I wrote the book during the US presidential elections, which kept being a touchstone to how far women have come to be treated as human beings with agency and a reminder as to how quickly reactionary politics can assert itself.

The book includes a foreword by popular Doctor Who and Star Trek scribe, Una McCormack:

Representation matters. Sarah knows this, but, more importantly, she lives this. In her professional life, her commitment to equality and diversity has earned her recognition from her peers, and a ‘gong’ (a BEM, no less – yes, Sydney Newman would be horrified). In her writing, fiction and non-fiction, and her involvement with fandom, she has voiced and made visible lives and experiences that are too often ignored or denied: women who game, dykes who dig Time Lords. Doctor Who (let’s face it) hasn’t always been great at representation (where is our female Doctor?).

The cover was designed by Lethbridge-Stewart regular artist Adrian Salmon:

My initial idea was to confine all the various visual ideas within the overall shape of the Daughters of Earth’ house. However after submitting my rough it was brought to my attention that the ‘house style’ for the Lethbridge-Stewart main range is a circular motif, which I had inadvertently created with my cover for Mutually Assured Domination in 2015. How ironic! I dropped the house shape into a circle allowing parts to break out for visual punch.

Sarah felt it beautifully illustrates her initial idea:

I love the cover that Adrian Salmon has painted for my book. So striking and bold, but yet it gets the central conflict for Sally: has she chosen her military career wisely? Or is there another path?

The Daughters of Earth is available for pre-order now, either individually or as part of a discounted UK bundle (which includes the novels Night of the Intelligence by Andy Frankham-Allen, and The Dreamer’s Lament by Benjamin Buford-Jones). Full details can be found via the Candy Jar website.

Candy Jar still has thirty copies of the novella bundles left. The Life of Evans has been posted out, but both The Flaming Soldier and Day of the Intelligence can be pre-ordered - these are only available directly from Candy Jar Books.

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

Oxygen - New Images

Tuesday, 9 May 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have released a number of new publicity images to promote this week's episode of Doctor Who, Oxygen

Oxygen

Writer: Jamie Mathieson
Director: Charles Palmer

The Doctor, Bill and Nardole answer a distress call in deep space, and find themselves trapped on board space station Chasm Forge. All but four of the crew have been murdered - and the dead are still walking!
In a future where oxygen is sold by the breath, and space suits are valued more highly than their occupants, the TARDIS crew battle for survival against the darkest evil of all…

Danger In Deep Space

This week BBC One will show Doctor Who five minutes earlier than usual, at 7.15pm, in order to accomadate the Eurovision Song Contest which starts at 8pm.

Oxygen: Main Broadcast Details
United Kingdom	BBC One	Sat 13 May 2017	7:15pm BST
Middle East	BBC First	Sat 13 May 2017	9:20pm AST	(Sat 7:20pm BST)
United States of America	BBC America	Sat 13 May 2017	9:00pm EDT	(Sun 2:00am BST)
Canada	SPACE	Sat 13 May 2017	9:00pm EDT	(Sun 2:00am BST)
Finland	YLE2	Sun 14 May 2017	11:30am EEST	(Sun 9:30am BST)
Australia	ABC	Sun 14 May 2017	7:40pm AEST	(Sun 10:40am BST, also on ABC ME)
Brazil	SyFy	Sun 14 May 2017	8:00pm BRT	(Sun 11:00pm BST)
Latin America	SyFy	Sun 14 May 2017	10:00pm CDT	(Mon 4:00am BST)
New Zealand	PRIME	Sun 14 May 2017	7:30pm NZST	(Mon 7:30am BST)

Full listings here

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

Philip Hinchcliffe Honoured by DWAS

Saturday, 6 May 2017 - Reported by Marcus

Philip Hinchcliffe receives an award from Jeremy Bentham (Credit: Nick Salmond / News in Time and Space Ltd)

Former Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe has been honoured with an award for outstanding contribution to the programme, presented by the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, or DWAS.

Hinchcliffe was the producer of Doctor Who from 1975-1977, one of its most fondly remembered periods. He was producer while the DWAS was being formed by a group of students, anxious to discuss and celebrate their favourite programme.

Presenting the award at the DWAS convention, The Capitol, being held in Crawley, one of the founder members of the society, Jeremy Bentham spoke of the support the fledgling organisation had received from the Hinchcliffe and the BBC. That support helped enable the group to grow from a small college based club, to become a national society approved by the BBC. The group had been invited to visit the production office to meet the team and to discusses the series. A mention in the Radio Times in the listing for Masque of Mandragora, brought huge numbers of new membership applications.

Accepting the award Philip Hinchcliffe said.

I cherish this from true early fans. I remember Jeremy and his companions coming into my office. think I recognised their courage and the fact they had found something special in the programme. Thank you very much.

Script writer Bob Baker was also presented with an award for outstanding contribution to Doctor Who for his work on the series, in particular his creation of K-9, who celebrates his 40th Anniversary later this year.

FILTER: - Awards/Nominations - Classic Series

Lethbridge-Stewart: United In Blood

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Candy Jar Books have released details on the next of their free digital-only stories:

United In Blood (Credit: Candy Jar Books)

United In Blood
Written by Mark Jones
Cover art by Richard Young

Blurb: New Year 1970 and Lethbridge-Stewart decides to visit an old school friend. In the village of Aldbury something strange is going on. An unexplained increase of violence spreads across the town, and Lethbridge-Stewart finds himself caught up in the middle of it. So much for a short New Year break!

United in Blood is only available to readers who order the novellas bundle (comprising The Life of Evans, The Flaming Soldier and Day of the Intelligence).

Author Mark Jones was taught how to write a television script by Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, and was the co-creator of the Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton TV project, Starwatch. Other credits include writing for the Guinness Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, and penning the bestselling book about the film and TV location, Aldbury (filming location for The Dirty Dozen, The Avengers, Bridget Jones and Midsomer Murders amongst many others). Mark said:

One of favourite TV shows was the ITV programme Shillingbury Tales, a series also filmed in Aldbury. As a location it has always been presented as an idyllic English village, but what if dark forces were at work behind the scenes? My story combines this rural peace with an underbelly of violence.

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen said:

I remember reading about Starwatch in Doctor Who Magazine a few years back. So when Mark started working with Candy Jar on a new project, we grilled him about this. During these conversations he pitched an idea for a short story: Shillingbury Tales meets The Tomorrow People, with a hint of Children of the Stones. I told him to go away and write it.

Mark continued:

I wanted the story to feel as much like the early 1970s as possible. I’m old enough to remember how grim it was. In particular I remember how frightening football violence could be. This story transfers the fears of the terraces to a rural village and throws Lethbridge-Stewart into the mix.

The cover art is by Richard Young, who said:

I’ve really enjoyed the detailed work on the novellas, especially as the schedule has been slightly more relaxed. However, I have missed the fun of a tight schedule. And this one was certainly tight! Anyway, nothing brings out creativity better than a tight deadline. I put the artwork together in record time and I am rather pleased with it. It’s like A Clockwork Orange meets Jossey’s Giants.

The e-book is only available to readers who order the novellas bundle. Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, said:

People who have ordered the bundle already will automatically get the free story, but I would advise those readers who plan to buy all three to do it as soon possible. We only have fifty bundles left and a handful of copies of the individual titles.

The Novellas Bundles are available directly from www.candy-jar.co.uk.

Candy Jar is also pleased to announce that The HAVOC Files 2 & 3 have just been made available on Kindle for £4.99.

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

Previous 10 Stories