tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62769892951174981662024-03-14T06:13:57.276+00:00Will HadcroftWriterWill Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-34904807266265762062022-09-27T15:24:00.001+01:002022-09-27T15:24:22.532+01:00"Gripping and effective" Doctor Who Magazine review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMEz2MGrxhHS2_ahFtQDQf75Ep9GE1RsN5YKr0ysSp4JQAQAFzqbumhITj72KnzPP10n7-Txb0myiu3deamTn-klch4BkGhIKeskrwaq2j_alfPHJd5FH5KpPRB0CKWoAQI1FA9HIPRP4nx-tDFgGOVsNuUs50O2gtapCBqSTFbkv7LL6whySAKNV/s2048/DWM%20Res%20Review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMEz2MGrxhHS2_ahFtQDQf75Ep9GE1RsN5YKr0ysSp4JQAQAFzqbumhITj72KnzPP10n7-Txb0myiu3deamTn-klch4BkGhIKeskrwaq2j_alfPHJd5FH5KpPRB0CKWoAQI1FA9HIPRP4nx-tDFgGOVsNuUs50O2gtapCBqSTFbkv7LL6whySAKNV/s320/DWM%20Res%20Review.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-19652638018726174472022-08-02T01:14:00.001+01:002022-08-02T01:14:15.676+01:00Video Interview with American Fan Site<p>I recently had the pleasure and privilege of being interviewed by Grego at the American <i>Doctor Who</i> fan site The Time Scales. We discussed how my writing has progressed across the years and how I was commissioned to write my BBC Audio Original <i>The Resurrection Plant</i>. This Zoom video chat is part one of two.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmj6twSnclw">The Time Scales Interviews BBC Doctor Who author of The Resurrection Plant: Will Hadcroft (Part 1) - YouTube</a></p><p><br /></p>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-84079827472851327782022-08-01T21:34:00.000+01:002022-08-01T21:34:36.065+01:00Previewing "The Resurrection Plant". Several Dreams Come True!<p>In 2019, I was approached by BBC Audio and invited to pitch a few story ideas for a possible <i>Doctor Who</i> audiobook as part of their Audio Originals range. Not full cast radio style plays, but one hour stories read by a single voice, usually an actor who has starred in the television series, augmented with discreet sound effects and background music. I was thrilled when my editor and his producer settled on <i>The Resurrection Plant</i>, a Second Doctor story (that is, a new adventure featuring the Doctor as portrayed on TV in the late 1960s), and commissioned it.<br /><br />This has been a dream come true for me on several levels, not least writing an audiobook set in the world of my favourite television series, and at long last being published by a mainstream publisher.<br /><br />A very lovely side product is having a Preview article written about me and my story for <i>Doctor Who Magazine</i>. I've been reading this journal since the age of nine, when it debuted as the Marvel Comic <i>Doctor Who Weekly</i>. Both it and I have come a long way ...<br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D9phJgcPOxKgoTlO6vnV3g_atA8ldzHi4NWreEnfLrOT1GuD1HFutmXb073wwMhzUAGw-t4y4wZTep3Q9WYxaxvQIK4DR9FVzg7mGJYzMBZ37tvQeDZFhum-Q8QAzC-VV7HhoyREfh58tVKBPvHYaVi4IF8JgZIQZdKDqDinzTvn21135nrdJfa9/s2048/DWM%20Res%20Preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D9phJgcPOxKgoTlO6vnV3g_atA8ldzHi4NWreEnfLrOT1GuD1HFutmXb073wwMhzUAGw-t4y4wZTep3Q9WYxaxvQIK4DR9FVzg7mGJYzMBZ37tvQeDZFhum-Q8QAzC-VV7HhoyREfh58tVKBPvHYaVi4IF8JgZIQZdKDqDinzTvn21135nrdJfa9/s320/DWM%20Res%20Preview.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><i>Doctor Who--The Resurrection Plant</i> is published by BBC Audio on CD and as a download on Thursday the 4th of August 2022.</div><div><br /></div>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-48269170291014219092022-07-25T23:22:00.028+01:002022-07-26T10:54:41.103+01:00CAST ON PODCASTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-FFTpz-A0CL4n9VfnW39lfErEggo5U-y5TUrjT6TffzJh8nrd_wPGvL3IzTeUxcLk75d79XPWNc4jAwN0SQeLwG_fm4NjvL-wrzDhFXRN7RgXt-e4hHi9IzCeAz5sPEle3wtC_Jpx4Ym-eJPpJ_FK_dAv7Wwkkjvx3bha9dpaTnkfW3unvRG5FUj/s1080/Tripodscast%20logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1080" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-FFTpz-A0CL4n9VfnW39lfErEggo5U-y5TUrjT6TffzJh8nrd_wPGvL3IzTeUxcLk75d79XPWNc4jAwN0SQeLwG_fm4NjvL-wrzDhFXRN7RgXt-e4hHi9IzCeAz5sPEle3wtC_Jpx4Ym-eJPpJ_FK_dAv7Wwkkjvx3bha9dpaTnkfW3unvRG5FUj/s320/Tripodscast%20logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Late last year I was invited to be a guest on a new audio podcast. The podcasters in question were Rebecca Wray, Dani Wray and John Isles. Dani, who isn't a 'Sci-Fi fan', had never read the <i>Tripods </i>trilogy by John Christopher. But she was persuaded to give the books a go because they didn't feel like regular science fiction. Rebecca and John were already fans of the books and BBC TV series. The group decided to start a podcast.<span style="background-color: #e4e6eb; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>In their first instalment they covered <i>The White Mountains</i> and lured me in to talk about the series generally and my chance-of-a-lifetime meeting with John Christopher, whose real name was Sam Youd.</p><p>What started off as a small hobby became a ten-part epic! They covered the whole trilogy and its prequel, both TV series, the cancellation of the third series, merchandising, fan clubs; they interviewed the four principal actors from the television programme, plus its producer, and the adult children of Sam Youd, Rose and Nick, who now run The Sam Youd Literary Estate.<br /><br />I cropped up in a number of Tripodscasts instalments, which was lovely for me. It was a privilege and honour to be counted as a significant player in the story of keeping the John Christopher flame alive. I'm very proud of my involvement.</p><p>Tripodscast in itself served as a good advert to other podcasters, and three so far have invited me on their shows to talk, primarily, about <i>Doctor Who</i> and a project of mine soon to enter the realm that fans affectionately term 'the Whoniverse'.<br /><br />In the meantime, check out Tripodscast here:</p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XkI7MHwaSFolCjEuwETGP">Episode One: The White Mountains - Tripodscast | Podcast on Spotify</a></p>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-34891333507277710412022-06-30T20:24:00.000+01:002022-06-30T20:24:19.794+01:00I'M BACK!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2pXzvxTDB6d4-2QKD_3zBqHbeh3ID-FipGdx_sc5sehAkOWvnokfYVATzVpjIf5JMp1QH4SFH2L8I8do3yWwA3YfkSg9qo8mxZS0uiaKSaUOAENuHtwfzS3Fmt3fn5kV4KtHymlXUtHp_Izz9uEtgo9Bty_LK5Rni6Srg-vqZfIqZlGBjCJCX1ru/s3968/Will%20at%20Woodlands%20Burial%20Site%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3968" data-original-width="2976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2pXzvxTDB6d4-2QKD_3zBqHbeh3ID-FipGdx_sc5sehAkOWvnokfYVATzVpjIf5JMp1QH4SFH2L8I8do3yWwA3YfkSg9qo8mxZS0uiaKSaUOAENuHtwfzS3Fmt3fn5kV4KtHymlXUtHp_Izz9uEtgo9Bty_LK5Rni6Srg-vqZfIqZlGBjCJCX1ru/s320/Will%20at%20Woodlands%20Burial%20Site%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>If, over the past months, you've been searching for willhadcroft.com but to no avail, it's because the DNS settings needed changing and I didn't know how to do it. In fact, I didn't even know what DNS settings were, let alone how to change them.</p><p>So---what have I been up to in the intervening months? Quite a bit, actually. During the Covid 19 lockdowns, I completed a number of short novellas. I recorded narration for Gavin Wilson's Spurious Transients release <i>Something Strange Came Out of the Skies</i>, an LP record, CD and download about UFO sightings in Wales in the 1970s. I was also invited to perform vocals for one of the three songs on the album. Following the success of that, I was asked back to perform vocals for more Spurious Transients releases.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguoz89qRBohXE7v915QlxIUBgqHYZEShPxCF__FW2tbNxD8UTujD1s2_9_3QDuOoey59wp1HyqnbcOTrvuhKazrfMvbr_mePJb48hONYgnUvdg4_CISHiK0eP95hUcSeBt3rC8CI75eq3zip0x1wVJdTjQrg0VZXW8lLT6cdoCw4J2QpJ1vlh6B89/s1066/Tree%20Watching%20Me%20single.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguoz89qRBohXE7v915QlxIUBgqHYZEShPxCF__FW2tbNxD8UTujD1s2_9_3QDuOoey59wp1HyqnbcOTrvuhKazrfMvbr_mePJb48hONYgnUvdg4_CISHiK0eP95hUcSeBt3rC8CI75eq3zip0x1wVJdTjQrg0VZXW8lLT6cdoCw4J2QpJ1vlh6B89/s320/Tree%20Watching%20Me%20single.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Last November, my brother Jon was showing me a Prodigy album he admired and said, casually, 'I'd love to do something like this.' I encouraged him to write some lyrics for me to put music to. He did so, and I created a basic soundscape. We also recorded field samples to be dropped in. Then we sent off our basic attempt to Gavin Wilson who was in the process of launching his 'anti-label' We Don't Need No Stinking Badges. He completely rebuilt the track from scratch and released it as a limited edition 8" single record: 'Tree Watching Me' by Resister. With the help of Mark Kennedy on camera and Micah Rose providing a retro sci-fi special effect, Jon and I shot a crazy promotional video for the single. You will find it on YouTube.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPx2BMO9S9Q">Resister - Tree Watching Me - YouTube</a></p><p>A number of people have asked if we will be doing more, and I'm pleased to say a Resister album is currently in the works. Jon has recorded all his vocals, and Gavin and I are working on the music and samples. Expect an album before the year is out.</p><p>I have two solo music projects of my own at various stages of completion. More on those when they are ready to be released. Exciting!</p><p><br /></p>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-59725229136524083842020-03-04T21:55:00.000+00:002020-03-04T21:55:37.052+00:00Doctor Who Cares?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAsIrNaExhVVUFabZc-ssEyON91i6LWn_niAYXPue3rJwqhwpwCBgRcwzRCpYni2lUlij7vkrhLVi-MLcS9oNvY1YTE1xcF_D33t7KFRVimJmTxMaEfpv-lOx5y7d9hGoUfW4sx5oC7s/s1600/Doctor+receives+new+memories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="543" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAsIrNaExhVVUFabZc-ssEyON91i6LWn_niAYXPue3rJwqhwpwCBgRcwzRCpYni2lUlij7vkrhLVi-MLcS9oNvY1YTE1xcF_D33t7KFRVimJmTxMaEfpv-lOx5y7d9hGoUfW4sx5oC7s/s320/Doctor+receives+new+memories.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doctor receives memories of lives she never knew she had.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Doctor Who</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> fans were sent reeling this week by the series’
revelation that the Doctor is not a native of the planet Gallifrey after all
but arrived there billions of years ago as a child refugee from another world,
and her ability to regenerate (the process by which one actor playing the
Doctor is replaced by another) was harnessed and given to the society that
became the Time Lords.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The upshot of this is that the First Doctor as
played by William Hartnell is not the first after all. There are many more
incarnations prior to that cantankerous old man that the Doctor cannot remember
ever being.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This new history, introduced to the series after
57 years, is dividing <i>Doctor Who</i> fandom. There are those who are
thrilled by the latest development, and there are fans who see it as an insult
to William Hartnell who helped create the original character, and to the writers
who shaped the mythology that has now been debunked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like never before, the modern <i>Doctor Who</i>
series has descended into soap opera. The Doctor finding out that she has many
lives prior to the Hartnell incarnation is like Pamela in <i>Dallas</i> waking
up to realise that all of the previous season, including the death of her
husband Bobby, was all a dream. The storyliners rewrote the details of the
previous season to fit the fact that actor Patrick Duffy was now back and Bobby
never died.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This isn’t the first time <i>Doctor Who</i>
writers have felt the need to introduce new mysteries and suggest the
character’s past contains much bigger hitherto unknown secrets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the late 1980s, script editor Andrew Cartmel believed
that the Doctor had become a prosaic character who was no longer the hero of his
own show. In order to put ‘the Who back into Doctor Who’ he decided the Doctor
was much older than he claimed and part of an ancient Gallifreyan trinity of
godlike rulers. Hints at this new secret were drip-fed through the final two
seasons of the original series before it was cancelled by BBC bosses.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why was it cancelled? There were several reasons,
including lofty disinterest from BBC controllers, scheduling the series against
highly popular ITV programmes like <i>Coronation Street</i> (apparently willing
their own production to fail), underfunding, not allowing producer John
Nathan-Turner to move on when he was clearly worn out by his overlong tenure, and
the surreal direction many of the stories went in during its final iteration,
the Sylvester McCoy era.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But, above all this, was the alienation of the
‘casual viewer’, those who dip in and out of the series from story to story. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">For the first couple of decades, the mystery
concerning the identity of the Doctor was presented subtly. The Doctor and his
companions would arrive seemingly out of nowhere (the TARDIS having
materialised in some discreet location). They would help a society in need,
befriend key characters, help the underdog, overthrow the corrupt regime, and
then leave without the story’s peripheral protagonists having learned a single
thing about them.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">A classic example of this is the 1977 Tom Baker
story <i>The Robots of Death</i> where the Doctor and Leela depart without
saying goodbye to anybody. They simply slip off back to the TARDIS, the
adventure’s key characters left none the wiser as to who it was that had
actually helped them. There was no need to ‘put the Who back into Doctor Who’
because it was intrinsic to the fabric of the programme.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvbxnUF0FLvUcUV3Z9UUF6WtYM48OF_zTvv16hQR2lhLVCkbst6l5UcEXO4UoGoefOPOjLZcg7u7kCyRwacEaawhxuIp8dN_db1uoqrAlOcJ7UtMb7lr19hExDR8mADxMMXD4PiQU65I/s1600/Robots+of+Death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvbxnUF0FLvUcUV3Z9UUF6WtYM48OF_zTvv16hQR2lhLVCkbst6l5UcEXO4UoGoefOPOjLZcg7u7kCyRwacEaawhxuIp8dN_db1uoqrAlOcJ7UtMb7lr19hExDR8mADxMMXD4PiQU65I/s320/Robots+of+Death.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doctor and Leela depart from this story without saying goodbye.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But by the 1980s, more and more of the Doctor’s
personal history had been unveiled. We knew that the Doctor was a Time Lord
from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous, that he was of
the Prydonian chapter of the Gallifreyan academy, and that he could only
regenerate 12 times. By its twentieth anniversary, the series was indulging in
its own mythology with flashback sequences and returning villains.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This was all great for devoted fans who had grown
up watching the programme. They loved the show referencing itself and let it be
known in their literature. John Nathan-Turner indulged them and the series
became more and more self-referential (and, indeed, self-reverential) which was
brilliant for organised fandom, many of which loved to discuss continuity.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But it meant nothing to viewers who enjoyed <i>Doctor
Who</i> but didn’t consider themselves hardcore fans.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The result was that the casual viewer lost
interest and stopped watching. It had become a programme made exclusively for
the obsessive fan following.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The situation peaked with 1986’s <i>The Trial of
a Time Lord</i> in which the Sixth Doctor as played by Colin Baker was put on
trial by his own people for breaking the Time Lord rule of non-intervention in
the affairs of other worlds. Four adventures are presented across 14 episodes
as evidence for and against the Doctor’s case, with the action sporadically
interrupted by debates in the Time Lord courtroom. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">It transpires that the Time Lords themselves are
guilty of massive corruption and the trial is a bogus operation designed to condemn
the Doctor, who was on the verge of discovering their appalling intergalactic deceit. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The final twist is that the court prosecutor is,
in fact, an evil future incarnation of the Doctor himself, and the Time Lords
are employing him to work against his previous selves with the promise of
inheriting the Doctor’s remaining lives when he is executed (which, if he was,
would create a paradox!). </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, back then at age 16, as a devoted and
somewhat obsessed fan, I loved all of this. But, it has to be said, the
potential viewing audience at large did not. The serial’s peak audience figure
was 4.9 million (the previous season averaged audiences of seven million). <i>Doctor
Who</i> was now a programme being made just for its fans.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">And not all the fans were in agreement with me.
One 17-year-old Chris Chibnall was publicly critical of the baffling plot and
felt the series wasn’t very good.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LjPPzAtH7CYjpG7zqlBvPfEV4tdpt777hx-zUA5ZpKquRXKiPiWidOxWbVDqa-iAn_15IuyH9pZO9pGO4d0TV9VsNZ3i4t6wQeUrZDnKqKUq5Gm9lQ9i7h4XfFZasK9Yev1LqJEhdaY/s1600/Doctor+Who+Trial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="740" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LjPPzAtH7CYjpG7zqlBvPfEV4tdpt777hx-zUA5ZpKquRXKiPiWidOxWbVDqa-iAn_15IuyH9pZO9pGO4d0TV9VsNZ3i4t6wQeUrZDnKqKUq5Gm9lQ9i7h4XfFZasK9Yev1LqJEhdaY/s320/Doctor+Who+Trial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doctor and The Valeyard are revealed to be one and the same person.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Attempts to remedy the situation included replacing
the aloof, bombastic Colin Baker with the genuinely eccentric Sylvester McCoy,
by getting away from the series’ complex mythology, and taking a fresh
approach. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But this fresh approach took the form of surreal
set pieces that the casual viewer could not relate to (Richard Briars as a
possessed caretaker in an isolated tower block, alien mercenaries taking over a
Butlin’s holiday camp, and a homicidal Bertie Bassett, to name a few).</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">When the Seventh Doctor was criticised for being a
clown and too much of an established character, the decision was taken to give
him new mysteries and secrets—again a direction that only interests the fans.
The casual viewer doesn’t care about the great reveal that the Doctor is really
the third part of an ancient Gallifreyan triumvirate. They just want solid
stories told well.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1KyyDsOoNxdR9VRTLkCljHkRLRjjZCvJ9WKJUn8kp5TPH8WZDiZhtoD-J8A282f9tkGHRHbz2G10ieUadaZtojvmwo4x8hrm-yJ8aNJnYLg2N-Mx_453zkDDUZRyDaYqU8oAVXoocAE/s1600/Doctor+Who+Ghost+Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="340" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1KyyDsOoNxdR9VRTLkCljHkRLRjjZCvJ9WKJUn8kp5TPH8WZDiZhtoD-J8A282f9tkGHRHbz2G10ieUadaZtojvmwo4x8hrm-yJ8aNJnYLg2N-Mx_453zkDDUZRyDaYqU8oAVXoocAE/s320/Doctor+Who+Ghost+Light.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Seventh Doctor was revealed to be part of an ancient Gallifreyan trinity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">And the same pattern is unfolding in the modern
series. History is repeating itself.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">When <i>Doctor Who</i> was revived in 2005,
writer Russell T Davies understood the importance of appealing to the non-fan.
His first season had one strand running right through, that of the ‘Bad Wolf’.
It was something fans could latch onto but had no bearing on most of the stories
until the season’s climax. Davies knew that if a story arc was more complicated
than that, and a casual viewer missed an episode and then didn’t know what was
going on when they came back, they would likely give up.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">He held to this policy throughout his tenure,
seeing out Christopher Eccleston in the title role and developing the whole of
the David Tennant era. Viewing figures were consistently high throughout. I
would often hear people say, ‘Did you watch Doctor Who on Saturday?’</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Z1m922IBr94OkzOxhApGvKx2NVQLg3h-gaYrN7UmHQGcTmRyrtMlShwFdR7UId57QouXL5PaVNaMfhPD4s7jnoC74TE8CyGLMxXnfwksaDKtC0ZDARXvPj2Ta8D04iuFvRUObGQMbRM/s1600/Bad+Wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Z1m922IBr94OkzOxhApGvKx2NVQLg3h-gaYrN7UmHQGcTmRyrtMlShwFdR7UId57QouXL5PaVNaMfhPD4s7jnoC74TE8CyGLMxXnfwksaDKtC0ZDARXvPj2Ta8D04iuFvRUObGQMbRM/s320/Bad+Wolf.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doctor's companion Rose turns out to be the Bad Wolf.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, when Stephen Moffat took over as head
writer and Matt Smith was cast as the Doctor, the plots became more complicated
and more akin to fairy tale in style. </span><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In Smith’s second season, for example,
the Doctor appears to be shot at point blank range and killed.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As the season unfolds, we learn that the Doctor’s
romantic interest, a woman called River Song (played by Alex Kingston), is in
fact the daughter of the Doctor’s companions, married couple Amy and Rory
(Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill). Since she was conceived aboard the TARDIS,
River has the ability to regenerate like a Time Lord. This means she has lived
many times over, and was even, unbeknown to Amy and Rory, their best friend
Mels during their teens.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">And the Doctor’s death? In the season climax,
about ten minutes before the end, it turns out that the Doctor that was killed
was actually a shape changing robot piloted by a miniaturised crew. The
‘murder’ was a contrived deceit.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">A friend of mine told me that her two sons, who
were big fans of the series, loved sitting down with notepads and pens to
analyse the plot and see how it relates to established continuity. But I
suspect the audience at large had no idea what was going on, didn’t care about
the characters, and many who stuck it out to the final episode felt cheated by
the ending.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most controversial move of the modern series,
brought in by current show runner Chris Chibnall, is the casting of Jodie
Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. There is no basis in the classic series for
a Time Lord changing gender during the regeneration process. Every time the
Doctor was renewed, he emerged from the process as a male. His arch enemy The
Master was always played by a male. The only female regeneration in the show,
that of Romana, saw Mary Tamm turn into Lalla Ward. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the aforementioned <i>Trial of a Time Lord</i>,
the female Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham) is addressed as ‘Madam Inquisitor’ and
the prosecutor, the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) is ‘My Lord Valeyard’. So, there
is no suggestion at all that Time Lord society is genderless. Quite the
opposite.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The first gender change in the modern series
occurred when The Master (John Simm) regenerated into The Mistress (Michelle
Gomez) who then dubbed herself Missy. This was to prepare the audience for the
big change in the Doctor some three years later, as Peter Capaldi was to turn
into Jodie Whittaker.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In order to explain why the first twelve
incarnations of the Doctor were all male, only for the thirteenth to be a
female, it seems Chris Chibnall has concocted the latest storyline—that the
Doctor has a past that includes many other female incarnations.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNZFIeWPB_Xlp1MN77AbkkRSAmmyhPfVKO99TmgfhtbFxpKtf7DGJ1UJ5FhPJKFa4sociIbeRIMTG3bv4e5oXwS6I6RXURn9fjlf-DU9HKTuJR9K7b8GPNmehR3FCtYkqPuLCs-ISOvM/s1600/Jodie+after+regeneration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="474" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNZFIeWPB_Xlp1MN77AbkkRSAmmyhPfVKO99TmgfhtbFxpKtf7DGJ1UJ5FhPJKFa4sociIbeRIMTG3bv4e5oXwS6I6RXURn9fjlf-DU9HKTuJR9K7b8GPNmehR3FCtYkqPuLCs-ISOvM/s320/Jodie+after+regeneration.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodie Whittaker emerges as Peter Capaldi's successor, following the Doctor's latest regeneration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I predict that, as in 1989 when the original
series was cancelled, modern <i>Doctor Who</i> will become more and more
insular to the point that it is only of interest to its obsessive fan base who
love debating minutiae such as this.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Viewers in general are not interested in these
major revelations. And those long-time devotees who cannot stomach the series’
history undergoing a massive rewrite to accommodate the new mythology will look
elsewhere for their fix of <i>Who</i>.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Thankfully, for them, BBC Audio publishes a range
known as Audio Originals—hour long prose stories read by a single voice (a
different actor associated with the series on each release) set in the
programme’s past. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tHDYap1-iEViSZyhH0LypFTOM0jCV9xWc0O0Yg69-Q15C88MeIpuOQG_nZPAQgHNdlqUM1q3ODwuVpQPkgBYf7Ru5BSTGE6lWho6RcS-3jBdX3FX_RSfkTiDei6w3ZH4vao1lZknb8Q/s1600/Doctor+Who+Paradise+Lost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tHDYap1-iEViSZyhH0LypFTOM0jCV9xWc0O0Yg69-Q15C88MeIpuOQG_nZPAQgHNdlqUM1q3ODwuVpQPkgBYf7Ru5BSTGE6lWho6RcS-3jBdX3FX_RSfkTiDei6w3ZH4vao1lZknb8Q/s320/Doctor+Who+Paradise+Lost.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The latest BBC Audio Original.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Additionally, the BBC licenced <a href="https://www.bigfinish.com/" target="_blank">Big FinishProductions</a> make full cast audio dramas with movie style sound design, starring
classic series Doctors like Tom Baker and Peter Davison, as well as the TV
Movie Doctor, as played by Paul McGann. They perfectly capture the style and
tone of their respective eras while telling brand new stories. I love them.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSeqSYjlqjiweF7NMx2BngecKv_9FxT6ykrbWqL4GUxhspvWI6r-5M68cPtEi5ygvvCpRQkMUrLPIlyd-l2PCxWhimZedLTobtQEXIhU56tDXpgwMg41u1Lfust8xADsgLfHH2Adl-yE/s1600/Dark+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSeqSYjlqjiweF7NMx2BngecKv_9FxT6ykrbWqL4GUxhspvWI6r-5M68cPtEi5ygvvCpRQkMUrLPIlyd-l2PCxWhimZedLTobtQEXIhU56tDXpgwMg41u1Lfust8xADsgLfHH2Adl-yE/s1600/Dark+Eyes.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul McGann and Nicola Walker lead an all star cast in this Big Finish Production.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anyone who feels disillusioned by the current
television series should check these out.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">While devotees of Chibnall’s vision gag in
expectation of Jodie Whittaker’s third series on television, <i>Doctor Who</i>
exists in so many forms now, there will be a version of it out there that appeals to you.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-85947088179702914682019-10-27T23:33:00.000+00:002019-10-27T23:33:49.028+00:00TERRANCE DICKS - AN INSPIRATION<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzCxP8DFXTQOXAoFM5oOP9QW1I6VkRhyhGWNQR7E1Qgcx0fTFe4MfRv7jbl4HKUqju_VD7kHznmn16leXKS9NUFRiuA3Ve1mzRA5PRp_ZYNXhBqY-Gfa19cUKmGWUVFTNAuqoLD4OAMc/s1600/Fang+Rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="616" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzCxP8DFXTQOXAoFM5oOP9QW1I6VkRhyhGWNQR7E1Qgcx0fTFe4MfRv7jbl4HKUqju_VD7kHznmn16leXKS9NUFRiuA3Ve1mzRA5PRp_ZYNXhBqY-Gfa19cUKmGWUVFTNAuqoLD4OAMc/s400/Fang+Rock.jpg" width="245" /></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">All writers have their favourite childhood
authors, those men and women who ignited imagination in them, filled them with
wonder, inspired them and made them want to be writers themselves.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As a boy, I was a slow reader. If the subject
matter didn’t resonate with me, I found it a struggle. I didn’t read a novel
right through until I was about ten. It was <i>Stig of the Dump</i> by Clive
King. At school, Mrs Skinner read it to us in Year Four, and then Mr Davies
took us through it again in Year Six—and I loved it. Barney’s special friend
who happens to be a caveman that has somehow found his way into the present day
and lives in a rubbish tip touched my heart. I loved the story so much I was
moved to read the book for myself.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2By%2B-ozM8L._SX299_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img alt="Stig of the Dump by Clive King" border="0" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2By%2B-ozM8L._SX299_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" title="Stig of the Dunp" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><b>Stig of the Dump. </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #999999;">The first book I read all the way through.</span></span><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A child of the television generation, I grew up
hooked on various cult TV series, most of which had a science fiction slant.
The big one for me was <i>Doctor Who</i>. I was four when the wide-eyed, scarf
wearing Tom Baker became the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, and ten and
three quarters when he regenerated into Peter Davison. This era pre-dated home
video in the UK, and the idea that one may own favourite adventures of the Time
Lord on tape or disc was as alien as the Daleks were to humanity.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The only way a child could enjoy a <i>Doctor Who</i>
story again after the initial broadcast and repeat a few months later was by
reading a novelisation. Tandem Publishing had a children’s imprint called
Target Books, and a representative of theirs approached the BBC production
office to request a licence to turn old <i>Doctor Who</i> scripts into novels.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The series’ script editor (whose job it was to supervise
and develop stories with the writers) in the early 1970s was Terrance Dicks. He
recommended that they adapt the first Jon Pertwee story (Pertwee debuted as the
Third Doctor in 1970 and was then the current incarnation) <i>Spearhead from
Space</i> by Robert Holmes. The trouble was Holmes had no interest in
revisiting an old script and turning it into prose, not least because the fee
would be less than he was paid as a TV scriptwriter.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, Terrance Dicks himself offered to novelise
it. He booked a viewing room at BBC Television Centre, took Robert Holmes’
script, director Derek Martinus’ camera script, and a notebook—and carefully
watched the serial, noting facial expressions, body language, the design, the
locations, where characters were in the room, and took all this home. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Then, hammering away on the typewriter, Dicks
turned Holmes’ story into a short novel. Target published it as <i>Doctor Who
and the Auton Invasion</i>. While crediting Holmes for penning the original <i>Spearhead</i>
scripts on the copyright page, the book itself was credited on the cover and on
the title page to Terrance Dicks. This was the start of a slew of bestselling
releases.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzCxP8DFXTQOXAoFM5oOP9QW1I6VkRhyhGWNQR7E1Qgcx0fTFe4MfRv7jbl4HKUqju_VD7kHznmn16leXKS9NUFRiuA3Ve1mzRA5PRp_ZYNXhBqY-Gfa19cUKmGWUVFTNAuqoLD4OAMc/s1600/Fang+Rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="616" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzCxP8DFXTQOXAoFM5oOP9QW1I6VkRhyhGWNQR7E1Qgcx0fTFe4MfRv7jbl4HKUqju_VD7kHznmn16leXKS9NUFRiuA3Ve1mzRA5PRp_ZYNXhBqY-Gfa19cUKmGWUVFTNAuqoLD4OAMc/s200/Fang+Rock.jpg" width="123" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My school library had a number of his <i>Doctor
Who</i> titles on its shelves. I had vivid and fond memories of a story called <i>The
Robots of Death</i>, originally written for TV by Chris Boucher. I found <i>Doctor
Who and the Robots of Death</i> by Terrance Dicks and lapped it up. I noted on the
back cover flap that Dicks used to be a script editor on the series and had
written many books based on it since leaving. I would look at his photograph
and think ‘I want to be like him’.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Of course, there were occasions where Dicks got
to adapt his own TV scripts. One of the most popular is <i>Doctor Who and the
Horror of Fang-Rock</i>, pictured here. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzCxP8DFXTQOXAoFM5oOP9QW1I6VkRhyhGWNQR7E1Qgcx0fTFe4MfRv7jbl4HKUqju_VD7kHznmn16leXKS9NUFRiuA3Ve1mzRA5PRp_ZYNXhBqY-Gfa19cUKmGWUVFTNAuqoLD4OAMc/s1600/Fang+Rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sadly, my boyhood favourite author died in August this year. Numerous epitaphs stated he gave a generation of children a love of reading.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It cannot be underestimated just how much of an
impact the Target novelisations have had on me. When I devised my <i><a href="https://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2759484-Anne-Droyd-and-Century-Lodge-Book-1.html" target="_blank">Anne Droyd</a></i>
series of children’s books, I knew that each title had to start <i>Anne Droyd
and the …</i> because I loved Target’s <i>Doctor Who and the …</i> titles.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtMZl-4OCQH4p7hV9vCgNGT9U-74gFW0dg-2wvIfdNeCTXeySmQIdM91AlcBqV7e2yBfR-HvnN18oyIiHN-iuJH9CtUOTfvaEgLmXrGLa-waXDA9StBRmic5lPXc5fyQ8lMKva2LPkog/s1600/Homage+to+Target.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtMZl-4OCQH4p7hV9vCgNGT9U-74gFW0dg-2wvIfdNeCTXeySmQIdM91AlcBqV7e2yBfR-HvnN18oyIiHN-iuJH9CtUOTfvaEgLmXrGLa-waXDA9StBRmic5lPXc5fyQ8lMKva2LPkog/s640/Homage+to+Target.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Anne Droyd title pages pay homage to Target Books</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Another ambition that Dicks and other <i>Who</i>
authors have instilled is a desire to write a novelisation myself. While most book
authors might not want to adapt other people’s work, preferring to create
something original, I have a yearning to novelise a TV script so I can at last ‘be
like Terrance Dicks’. It doesn’t have to be <i>Doctor Who</i>, or even science
fiction. When I finally do it, the task will be a dream come true.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Maybe I will help some struggling young reader
get through a book from cover to cover because it is about something they love.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S3du7WJRN78/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S3du7WJRN78?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Terrance Dicks being interviewed at the North Wales Doctor Who Group.</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br style="text-align: start;" /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WMqlKkcXqD0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WMqlKkcXqD0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>BBC Radio 4 Documentary examines the history of the Target Book range. </b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">There were many touching obituaries and memories of Terrance when he passed away. Here are links to just a couple. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-09-02/doctor-who-writer-terrance-dicks-dies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Radio Times</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://nerdvanamedia.com/books/terrance-dicks-doctor-who/137374/" target="_blank">Nerdvana Media</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif;"></span><br /></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-51919709700120956812019-09-16T20:34:00.000+01:002019-09-16T20:34:38.649+01:00My Favourite Part of the Process<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
Well, now that <i>Anne Droyd and
the Luddite Ransom</i> exists as a complete first draft, and I’ve let it ‘brew’
for a while, it’s time to revisit and read it through.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOnR3v7ldxRwcK16IegteLB6VwbTANse-grAfjx6uWwkEJYnvcOTmBZ2iJvZFSQt59siiiuQ8gzYFlEiZHltOjWksMQLl-QiZ4tFlIrS1Pp3Fv115BpvTIgm-az0TkImX2P0I9RuoDVY/s1600/Second+Draft+Reminders0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The notes I have beside me when I edit. " border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1101" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOnR3v7ldxRwcK16IegteLB6VwbTANse-grAfjx6uWwkEJYnvcOTmBZ2iJvZFSQt59siiiuQ8gzYFlEiZHltOjWksMQLl-QiZ4tFlIrS1Pp3Fv115BpvTIgm-az0TkImX2P0I9RuoDVY/s320/Second+Draft+Reminders0002.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" title="Editing notes" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 80%; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 80%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">When editing the second draft, I have a piece of paper beside</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 80%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> me reminding me to consider the senses and metaphors.</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I write a first draft, I
just want to get it all out of my head and into the laptop. It usually takes
three to four months. If there are particular facts that need double checking
for accuracy, I might Google as I go. But if it’s major research, I will leave
hashtags where those bits need to go and come back to them once I’ve studied
the subject.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
With <i>Luddite Ransom</i>, all
the historical details pertain to Ned Ludd, his followers and the things they
used to get up to in their revolt against machinery and technology. I’ve read
the little that there is and researched the history of the real life locations
I’m using as a backdrop.</div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<br />
<br />
Historian Ed Glinert is conducting
a guided tour of Manchester locations on November 9. It’s called <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/luddites-reformers-chartists-suffragettes-the-manchester-rebel-tour-tickets-72011906551" target="_blank">Luddites, Reformers,Chartists, Suffragettes – the Manchester Rebel Tour.</a> It would be
good to go on, if only to confirm what I’ve already learned.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
Another thing I tend not concentrate on in the first draft is description. I focus on getting the story and dialogue out. On subsequent drafts I’m looking to add description, metaphors and similes. I have a piece of paper beside me with the five senses written on to make sure I ask myself, ‘How would this feel, sound, look, taste or smell?’ And metaphors and similes: ‘With what could this be likened?’<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOnR3v7ldxRwcK16IegteLB6VwbTANse-grAfjx6uWwkEJYnvcOTmBZ2iJvZFSQt59siiiuQ8gzYFlEiZHltOjWksMQLl-QiZ4tFlIrS1Pp3Fv115BpvTIgm-az0TkImX2P0I9RuoDVY/s1600/Second+Draft+Reminders0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
Once this process is completed,
the manuscript gets put back on hold to ‘brew’ some more. Then, out it comes
again for a third reading and to share it with a few trusted friends to see
what they think …</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-36507518083104321362018-08-09T21:32:00.000+01:002018-08-09T23:14:31.950+01:00Things To Come<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbNkdUwuraWiT5hzqudfTiJPzxDacShyphenhyphen8gj05TRUh2nrQpgN4JVXjUDOwhRD3F2qryFU6uBzPFm8LH39VSCp23mbB9r0NGpePRqwlW51Oq90HksV6gFPDbcaXsd_Sy_Mcc-GmqoZFn9o/s1600/Will+Winter+Hill+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="1600" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbNkdUwuraWiT5hzqudfTiJPzxDacShyphenhyphen8gj05TRUh2nrQpgN4JVXjUDOwhRD3F2qryFU6uBzPFm8LH39VSCp23mbB9r0NGpePRqwlW51Oq90HksV6gFPDbcaXsd_Sy_Mcc-GmqoZFn9o/s320/Will+Winter+Hill+FB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I am staggered to see that my last entry
for this blog was in October 2016! I can believe it, though, as the last two
years have seen some serious ups and downs for me. Publishing plans dashed, the
future bleak, and in my private life the loss of a much loved family member and
another battling serious illness.</span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was so dark, I stopped writing a
personal diary and gave up maintaining this page. I simply didn’t have the
heart anymore. I got weary of people asking, “How’s your writing coming along?
Do you have anything in the pipeline?” and deliberately gave the impression I
was winding down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Recently, though, as far as the writing
goes, there has been an upturn in inspiration. A few months ago I wrote a
standalone novel that only needs one major rewrite on the last chapter before it
is ready to go through the editing and proofreading process. I’m not inclined
to tell you anything about it yet, except that it has a bearing on animals and
how we treat them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the last few months, I have been
tackling the new Anne Droyd book—the fourth in the series—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anne Droyd and the Luddite Ransom</i>. It is panning out as I envisaged
it in my head and is following quite faithfully the basic plot treatment I
wrote. There were one or two alterations early on, as the story began to unfold
in a slightly different order to what was laid out in the synopsis, but the
characters develop just enough to move things on. I am three chapters from
finishing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">At the moment, some of the chapters are
far too long. When reading a novel, I prefer the adventure to move at a
reasonable pace so I don’t get bored, and for chapters to be quite short so I
can stop reading at good intervals. So the eleven chapters of this book might
become fifteen or twenty by the time I’ve broken some of them in half or into
thirds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Anne Droyd deserves a good re-launch,
and this book could be the one to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have other projects on the go that are
just as exciting! More on these when I’m ready to make an announcement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But it’s good to be back up and running.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">See the previous Anne Droyd books <a href="https://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2759484-Anne-Droyd-and-Century-Lodge-Book-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/" target="_blank">FBS Publishing</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
</span>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-88941757439449075492016-10-09T22:28:00.000+01:002016-10-09T22:28:27.434+01:00The Pictish Trail and Monoganon--A great night out!<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I can’t remember the last time I
saw a major pop or rock act perform live. Over the past few years I have been
going to small venues and discovering original new music by bands and solo
artists who take no heed to what is presently trendy or fashionable—they just
do their own thing, and they are all the more refreshing for it.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_h7aKvyik7L-PfmETjS4dPkmAJqtw-wvgcRJJf4_PSl1usBjHi9bh35FCPkpsrkhmQwCh0UJV08meIBDbAwQkfd0BWYzeEvZ3Z_qLkCSQaqUyC0nOaKhGL3aCqGc447fr5rRUQd6KCs/s1600/The+Leisure+Society.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_h7aKvyik7L-PfmETjS4dPkmAJqtw-wvgcRJJf4_PSl1usBjHi9bh35FCPkpsrkhmQwCh0UJV08meIBDbAwQkfd0BWYzeEvZ3Z_qLkCSQaqUyC0nOaKhGL3aCqGc447fr5rRUQd6KCs/s200/The+Leisure+Society.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Leisure Society</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A few years ago I was looking up
cover versions of Gary Numan songs and found a folk version of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl4rFsPRRLU" target="_blank">Cars</a>” by The
Leisure Society. Believing a good folk version of the famous electronic hit
couldn’t be done, I played the performance on YouTube and was left feeling
astonished. I then checked out their own material, including the heart rending “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MhHXAIGhQQ" target="_blank">Last of the Melting Snow</a>” and the catchy “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtKuu2IZ8b8" target="_blank">Save It for Someone Who Cares</a>” and I was
hooked.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLQlkYP8zUdBhR0So4nM01sJmY-uG7P9crGNFv2Zl6ynN1MJY2qbqdYYa85D5OIqhUIy66zYRwLDZ30EEz2VrqWKMk-jxrKx3k-SgjX5G2Q7tjBe1SAUHkSZ3Wjpy6Mz9fQtsLGZtX8I/s1600/Sweet+Baboo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLQlkYP8zUdBhR0So4nM01sJmY-uG7P9crGNFv2Zl6ynN1MJY2qbqdYYa85D5OIqhUIy66zYRwLDZ30EEz2VrqWKMk-jxrKx3k-SgjX5G2Q7tjBe1SAUHkSZ3Wjpy6Mz9fQtsLGZtX8I/s200/Sweet+Baboo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Baboo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It was while I was seeing The
Leisure Society at Clitheroe’s The Grand venue that I discovered Sweet Baboo,
one of the support acts that evening. Real name Steven Black, he performed his
original compositions “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTQHdrR6-hk" target="_blank">The Day I Lost My Voice</a>” and the ballad “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztwMR4D5RKg" target="_blank">Motorhome</a>” and
the spell was cast. I bought his album <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ships</i>
that night. I went to watch Sweet Baboo perform his own set in a cafe in
Manchester some months later and then again at a pub where the support act was
<a href="http://pictishtrail.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Pictish Trail.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The latter is the stage name for Johnny Lynch, a self-proclaimed
recluse from the Isle of Eigg, off Scotland. Instead of doing a set as the support
act before Baboo came on, the pair performed the whole evening together,
alternating one another’s songs. A review of the evening by one scribe on the
internet hailed it the best concert he’d been to all year, and that included a
gig at the O2 arena in London by U2!!</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Last week, I watched The Pictish
Trail on his own tour, playing a delightfully cosy venue in Hebden Bridge to
promote his new album <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Future Echoes</i>.
But before the delights of Mr Lynch and his band, we were treated to what has
to be the most bizarre act I have ever seen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Known as <a href="http://www.monoganon.com/" target="_blank">Monoganon</a>, this thirty-something
young man emerged from the stage door. Dressed in a peculiar homemade outfit (black
leggings, a hoodie with white ‘wings’ joining his sleeves to his body, and a
face mask), he switched on a laptop and fired up his LCD screen at the front of
the stage. As ethereal electronic music filled the small hall, the strange
entity picked up a microphone and performed a monologue about time, aliens, DNA
and the like, and then the singing began. The screen displayed a hodgepodge of
home movies while the gentle voice sang serenely. Monoganon was walking about
the audience as the presentation went on, so I didn’t realise he was actually
singing live until he came fully into view. I thought we were being played a CD
of his album and he was simply mooching about while it progressed! As one song
ended, another immediately began. “There aren’t that many gaps for applause in
this,” he said, “but I will leave a couple near the end.” I wondered whether
anyone would clap once the presentation was over.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdoI38uYoCrG9OtklCZ0h_yhVMDCtHxrMsTWHOOPY57ZAb_PYhrDvuCuStV9RHZ8TWWv4hrZEtr9yH5y-LOTl2M0zyfncxFXhQiOgDaiGMGdKrU1nIjs6dQBUlwnvXBM25CioL2XP060/s1600/Monoganon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdoI38uYoCrG9OtklCZ0h_yhVMDCtHxrMsTWHOOPY57ZAb_PYhrDvuCuStV9RHZ8TWWv4hrZEtr9yH5y-LOTl2M0zyfncxFXhQiOgDaiGMGdKrU1nIjs6dQBUlwnvXBM25CioL2XP060/s200/Monoganon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monoganon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just as I was beginning to get weary
of the videos, half way through a song, Monoganon produced a jewellery box and
explained that he was interested in photography. He opened the box and invited
members of the audience to get a photo to keep. When the box reached me, I
assumed there would be some advertising or a web address on the back of the
picture—but no, it was just a photograph of a cottage in some wilderness place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The singing resumed and he made
his way over to where I was sitting. He put the jewellery box on the floor and
opened another compartment, from which he took an elaborate wire amulet. He
looked to my friend and me and invited, “Will one of you help me put this on?
It’s my medal for finishing the performance.” My mate was reluctant, so I
leaned forward and placed the amulet around his neck. When the song ended he
thanked the audience and received an enthusiastic round of applause. I think,
like me, most were wondering what it was they’d just experienced. But, like me,
they knew they’d enjoyed it.</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And then came the main act—The Pictish
Trail. I had really enjoyed his debut album <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2eDGAyLves&list=PLQjXZP5PECg_NDxUCkLeZEdFoUEL9yGYH" target="_blank">SecretSoundz Volumes 1 and 2 </a>(Volume 2 is by far the best). There was such an
eclectic mix of acoustic guitars, gentle ballads, accordion, and Nineties style
dance rhythms, and it was captivating. I don’t normally like those thumping
synthesiser dance tracks, but because Johnny’s voice is so soothing and
melodic, the paradox works. I’d never heard anything like it. So when I knew he
had made a new album called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://pictishtrail.co.uk/shop/pre-order-pictish-trail-future-echoes-cdlp" target="_blank">Future Echoes</a></i>,
I wasted no time pre-ordering it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The opening track, “<a href="http://pictishtrail.co.uk/soundz/" target="_blank">Far Gone (Don’tLeave)</a>” is based on the movie and TV series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fargo</i>.
He captures the essence of those stories in the lyrics so well, and the
bleakness of that snow covered town is reflected in the music. My favourite
song, though, is “Dead Connections”, which is partly inspired by the passing of
his mother. Death and decay are subtly hinted at throughout the album, but not
so as to depress the listener. Quite the opposite, in fact. Much of the record
is uplifting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpArXaVDsowZ7i-Qr-eQ5dm3tt0hVik6aDsxeIFPT-tF1bV7tAsvLhjqymL2HfSfsguFMiQlQ-yltiy8RfypQIlorT6I6MCOt1LBhNkm7cPdpV6OOlcLelsrJBUoqGHXIW07lr4Bweok/s1600/Pictish+note+%2526+CD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpArXaVDsowZ7i-Qr-eQ5dm3tt0hVik6aDsxeIFPT-tF1bV7tAsvLhjqymL2HfSfsguFMiQlQ-yltiy8RfypQIlorT6I6MCOt1LBhNkm7cPdpV6OOlcLelsrJBUoqGHXIW07lr4Bweok/s320/Pictish+note+%2526+CD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-ordered CD with personal note from Johnny Lynch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The songs were reproduced live
admirably, with Johnny on acoustic guitar and vocal duties. Monoganon took to
the stage, sans face mask to man the sound effects and provide backing vocals,
while the lead electric guitarist and drummer gave it all they’d got. The young
woman on bass was fascinating to watch (aren’t all bassists fascinating to
watch?) as she expertly and seemingly effortlessly cut the grooves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Pictish himself wore a colourful
shroud over the top of his casual clothes—his jeans still visible underneath,
and his baseball hat completely at odds with the image of an enigmatic
soothsayer. And we got our money’s worth too, as the whole album was played,
and a few older tracks were thrown in for good measure (although not the ones I
was hoping for. Hey-ho).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSWQbxn4tnm1SOqF6hSWu13X4g_Jt0GZrM6V7jjZO3mel3USgbsMKeA9sNRWlX95QKwv31hYO8hKUaPOwM0biqotlBYpY24Mez5-AnPKzRcQ4UwMgl_nKEBqZiHbp8C1jSAoK8Bsd4zY/s1600/Pictish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSWQbxn4tnm1SOqF6hSWu13X4g_Jt0GZrM6V7jjZO3mel3USgbsMKeA9sNRWlX95QKwv31hYO8hKUaPOwM0biqotlBYpY24Mez5-AnPKzRcQ4UwMgl_nKEBqZiHbp8C1jSAoK8Bsd4zY/s320/Pictish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pictish Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After the show, I made for the
merchandise desk and I shook hands with Johnny. He remembered me from a
previous gig, which was nice. I asked Monoganon if he would sign my photograph.
He was so flabbergasted, he had to get Johnny to break open a pack of felt tip
pens. I asked him if the songs he’d played were available on CD. He told me
they were available to download from his Bandcamp page. But I wanted a CD, so
he showed me the only CD he had left, that of his previous release <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Family</i>. It came with a self-made
fanzine. I bought them for a tenner. Again, he seemed rather taken by my
enthusiasm and threw in an LP vinyl record of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Family</i> as well. That was very kind of him.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4OJnEK4Ta_hOx_Dz9mrY4B8nb51DE3rQlfHqFrjsI0nxTEolsb708DJ-jN9N1F2gp-Nsg3IhE3zIznCJi2wjOX4RVkq8oWkJVcl61NOkNlTyHZ9p2by8gHCU-EGBvpcrgmoWAAFpPLE/s1600/Monoganon+goodies+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4OJnEK4Ta_hOx_Dz9mrY4B8nb51DE3rQlfHqFrjsI0nxTEolsb708DJ-jN9N1F2gp-Nsg3IhE3zIznCJi2wjOX4RVkq8oWkJVcl61NOkNlTyHZ9p2by8gHCU-EGBvpcrgmoWAAFpPLE/s200/Monoganon+goodies+001.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Merchandise desk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The following day I read the
fanzine. It had two well written essays in it, one about what makes a true
family and one about how we might be defined by the material things we
purchase. He also explains that ‘Monoganon’ is a word he invented based on the real
scientific word for a twelve sided genetic cell and the Buddhist meditation
chant ‘Om’. Everything about him is nourishing. The CD isn’t too bad either.
Good for times of solitude or a long and secluded drive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So, I love my music ‘finds’. The
Leisure Society are so talented and clever, Sweet Baboo is articulate and
sharp, yet tugs at the heart strings, and Monoganon is completely original.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And The Pictish Trail? His song “<a href="http://pictishtrail.co.uk/soundz/" target="_blank">Dead Connections</a>” is on constant auto-repeat in my head.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-76295640251229870822016-05-02T23:46:00.001+01:002016-05-02T23:55:15.620+01:00Les Dennis in "Down the Dock Road"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TDVo6JlXNdNSdrbgFSNq9gVZIBXhg3EtbWmT-WpuPlzmsYZ1IxNahkfaNnyEFgB5rfzBn8LOb3TjI4tFsxCkJY6qZIvk_rFgkMJvjv1ncAA0G_gUL3RP2m0ikONOaCmCpukxKuN4tSA/s1600/Down+the+Dock+Road.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TDVo6JlXNdNSdrbgFSNq9gVZIBXhg3EtbWmT-WpuPlzmsYZ1IxNahkfaNnyEFgB5rfzBn8LOb3TjI4tFsxCkJY6qZIvk_rFgkMJvjv1ncAA0G_gUL3RP2m0ikONOaCmCpukxKuN4tSA/s320/Down+the+Dock+Road.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">McKenna (Andrew Schofield) confronts Granddad (Les Dennis) in Alan Bleasdale's powerful play.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I had a superb time a couple of weeks ago watching actor Les Dennis in a new version of Alan Bleasdale's <em>Down the Dock Road</em>. When the original version debuted forty years ago, Dennis starred as the young security guard assigned to watch over the motley crew of waterfront workers. He was so taken with the script he bought the rights from Bleasdale, and now has co-produced with him this new incarnation where he (Dennis) plays the Granddad character.<br />
<br />
The play depicts the lives of men working on the docks in Liverpool. Each has an ambition he is trying to fulfil, including Mickey (Daniel Taylor) who imagines himself escaping this life of hard graft by auditioning for a TV talent show, and the appropriately nicknamed Mastermind (Paul Duckworth) who laments the lack of a decent education and wonders if he may enrol in college as a mature student. One can't help feeling that neither gentleman will ever reach their goal. Union man McKenna (Andrew Schofield) is the centre of the piece, he being framed by big shot and ex-policeman Marley (Conrad Nelson) so as to gain total control of his little empire. But one feels the wind of change blowing across the stage as the play unfolds; it's a story of changing eras and what happens to people when the old ways are abandoned. It is also a tale of corruption, from the humble labourer to foremen, police constables, to high ranking politicians.<br />
<br />
It's not all doom and gloom, though. There are plenty of laughs, and it's obvious Bleasdale's is the same pen that would later give us Yosser Hughes and the television series <em>Boys From the Black Stuff</em>.<br />
<br />
All the actors shine, the play being perfectly cast, but the final scene is owned by Les Dennis and Andrew Schofield, who put in an emotionally powerful last moment. I can do nothing but praise the set design and Hannah Chissick's direction.<br />
<br />
<em>Down the Dock Road</em> played from March 11th to April 9th, 2016, at Liverpool's Royal Court theatre, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it ended up touring the UK. If it does, you must go and see it!<br />
<br />Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com1Liverpool, Merseyside, UK53.4083714 -2.991572600000040453.2569659 -3.3142961000000404 53.5597769 -2.6688491000000405tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-32983509512040288962016-04-05T23:13:00.000+01:002016-04-05T23:13:40.754+01:00The Curious Incident of the Not Specifically Defined Autism Spectrum DisorderAutism Awareness has been highlighted a lot recently, with items in the news about it, and the BBC Television drama <em>The A Word</em>. <br />
<br />
A piece that caught my eye this week was in <em><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/apr/03/autism-voices-books-awareness-week?CMP=twt_a-culture_b-gdnculture" target="_blank">The Guardian</a></em> by Sara Barrett. In this, she points up misconceptions, assumptions and generalisations about the condition. I think it is becoming more appreciated that autism is an umbrella under which many variations are gathered. At one time, 'Autism' meant someone who could not communicate themselves (in extreme cases not even able to speak), obsessive to the point of being able to recite the telephone book, and rocking back and forth and screaming whenever their strict routine is changed. But now, people do see there are related conditions like Asperger's syndrome which have an even broader spectrum all to themselves. In fact, in recent times, there has been a call to abandon all the subdivisions in favour of just one all embracing definition: Autism Spectrum Disorder.<br />
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Ten years ago, I gave a talk on my expression of Asperger's syndrome and my book <em>The Feeling's Unmutual</em> at John Moore's University in Liverpool. At the event, the audience, consisting of psychologists and other professionals as well as people on the spectrum, were asked if they felt that Mark Haddon's bestselling novel <em>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time</em> accurately depicted life on the autism spectrum. Interestingly, all the psychologists and specialists present thought it did and everyone on the spectrum said it didn't. For the latter, the protagonist Christopher was a textbook case—he had his obsessions, was preoccupied with logic, displayed little empathy (even using emoticons to explain the expressions on people's faces), and spoke in a monotone voice. It was as if Haddon had read Dr Tony Attwood's <em>Asperger Syndrome—A User Guide for Parents and Professionals</em> and personified all the key diagnostic criteria.<br />
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In 2013 I was invited to join Mark Haddon on the BBC Radio Four programme <em>Saturday Live</em>, presented by Sian Williams and Richard Coles. Mr Haddon was there to talk about the new stage production based on his book, and I was invited to talk about what it's like having Asperger's syndrome. When asked about the Asperger label, Haddon said he didn't have any specific condition in mind. Asperger's isn't mentioned in the text of the book at all; it's a tag his publishers slapped on a particular edition of the book. He said the character Christopher came out of a desire to report the events of the story in the first person in a monotone voice. This is consistent with what he said a few years previously when interviewed on a TV documentary about changing standards in children's fiction. He said it struck him that swearing and cursing was really funny when reported in a flat monotone, and so decided to do it all the more in <em>Curious Incident</em>.<br />
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One of my personal obsessions is how swearing is part of neurotypical communication, particularly amongst males. For example, when a man enters an all male peer group for the first time, to break the ice he is asked what he thinks about some recent sporting event, and when the conversation gets under way someone will drop in an expletive. Then the other members of the group will start to slip them into their comments too. If the newest member responds likewise, everyone present is happy—the bonding is a success. I find this really annoying because it is superficial and the words used don't fit the sentences grammatically. So I didn't identify with Christopher in <em>The Curious Incident</em>, nor did I appreciate the amount of swearing in the book. I didn't think people would talk to Christopher like that so much. Parents tend not to do it to that extent around their children, and a policeman at a railway station who realises Christopher is the boy everyone is looking for certainly wouldn't.<br />
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But for all that, I did like the book and I'm glad I've read it. Whether it's a generalisation of autism or not, it still puts the condition in the spotlight, and that can only be good.<br />
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Throughout my young adult life, I discerned that I didn't connect with people in quite the same way that other people do. At secondary school I was sent to talk it out with a sympathetic teacher. She asked why I was struggling to settle in, so I told her that 'everyone is false'. I'd observed that my peers changed their behaviour and even their views to fit in with the majority opinion. They did this because they were afraid of being themselves. I said I didn't do that and it was why I struggled.<br />
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Well, you can imagine how that went down! Often I was told I had a chip on my shoulder, that I spoke in a polite but slightly aloof tone, and was judgemental. All I thought I was doing was telling the truth.<br />
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The transition from primary school to secondary school had been a severely traumatic one. I imagined the next transition, from school into the workplace, would be one of relief, that I would now mixing with intelligent, sensible, mature people. What a shock I got when I started my first job. The situation was no different. It hit me then that there are unspoken rules mutually agreed by the majority when it comes to communication and attitudes, and if you refuse to participate, you will be ostracised.<br />
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I was also plagued by obsessive thinking, and this led to rigid perspectives and inflexibility. All this impeded my attempts at trying to make new friends. In my teenage years, I had no friends my own age. I preferred the company of older people.<br />
<br />
And then there was my obsessive preoccupation with various television programmes, especially <em>Doctor Who</em>, <em>The Tripods</em> and <em>The Prisoner</em>. These all shared common threads relating to questioning the things people take for granted and being true to oneself. I was an emotional boy and often overwhelmed with confusion and romantic notions. The struggle to control these powerful feelings led to my identifying with Dr David Banner in the television adaptation of <em>The Incredible Hulk</em>. I knew what it was like to be a mild, gentle natured man, but be engulfed by mounting emotions. I was also heavily preoccupied with the loneliness of David Banner.<br />
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By my mid-twenties, I was seeing a clinical psychologist. She put my social awkwardness, anxiety and depression down to a series of traumas I'd endured in my early life rather than a neurological condition.<br />
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I didn't discover Asperger's syndrome until 2003 when journalist Gary Gillatt wrote an article called 'The Fan Gene' for <em>Doctor Who Magazine</em>. Then there was my rock star hero Gary Numan who had identified himself with the condition. Finally, I saw the BBC Two documentary <em>My Family & Autism</em>, presented by 14 year old Luke Jackson who himself had Asperger's. I knew then that this was the thing which described what had been 'wrong' all my life.<br />
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Discussing <i>The Fan Gene.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptIxQRE6nmGh2LNj9G0iQ-8RhaBPRF2IhQpBdCFUugDsLgfNlPam7ngI63YQKzoRJECvxZhdxl8MA1uE8GzNbPStk7_YzXQkxOZhofmPdAY9mUGpOqH3qc8yKnAEqyl-3Gkn_iRNr4aI/s1600/CL+CK+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptIxQRE6nmGh2LNj9G0iQ-8RhaBPRF2IhQpBdCFUugDsLgfNlPam7ngI63YQKzoRJECvxZhdxl8MA1uE8GzNbPStk7_YzXQkxOZhofmPdAY9mUGpOqH3qc8yKnAEqyl-3Gkn_iRNr4aI/s1600/CL+CK+cover.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The CK Publishing cover</td></tr>
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What fascinates me now is that I was writing about the traits of the condition before I knew I had it. Way back in 1996 I had created this character, a robot school girl, an android called Anne Droyd. With no preconceived ideas and beliefs, Anne questioned everything. Like me in my teens she was at odds with her human peers, but unlike me, because she had no emotions, was totally unflustered by their reaction to her.<br />
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I wrote <em>Anne Droyd and Century Lodge</em> up for proper at the close of the year 2000 and published it with CK Publishing Ltd in 2002. A year later, my life would be changed for the better thanks to the discovery of a tag, a label—Asperger's syndrome. Another twelve months elapsed and Anne was republished by Jessica Kingsley Publishers as an 'Asperger adventure'.<br />
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While Anne has a number of Asperger traits, because she's a machine, she isn't ever described as having the syndrome. But in my teen novel <em>The Blueprint</em>, the protagonist Liam does have the condition. I thought up the character and the surreal dreamscape he gets trapped in way back in 1996, but didn't give him Asperger's until I finally wrote the book in 2012. With communication issues he has and his worldview, it made sense to connect Liam to an autistic spectrum disorder.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with the JKP edition of <i>Anne Droyd and Century Lodge</i> <br />
at the real Century Lodge. June 2010</td></tr>
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Now I understand my own history and personal development better than ever, and as a result handle people better than I used to do. I still have my phobic moments and obsessive phases, and I am reminded by them that I will likely never totally conquer it, but by having it defined I am much happier and content.<br />
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<a href="http://www.willhadcroft.com/search/label/BBC%20Radio%204.%20Saturday%20Live" target="_blank">Saturday Live Original Blog Post</a>.<br />
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Discover the Anne Droyd books <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2759484-Anne-Droyd-and-Century-Lodge-Book-1.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
Discover The Blueprint <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2766007-The-Blueprint.html" target="_blank">here</a>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-87590418448297604042016-03-28T23:20:00.000+01:002016-04-14T12:15:18.810+01:00JOHN CHRISTOPHER Republished<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqo7Ed39EXHMvdmOzBghbVY24Lrvo607czeVsq9XHLGd4G-Uk9tIUe-M533W3cTDFb67PzUgyFK_X6bGB4r-jTYVcSeyKwVBbcVACQRt1KOnBLJUSxHqwV6PgDXT3-aaV1m8g05kvjXA/s1600/Tripod+in+pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqo7Ed39EXHMvdmOzBghbVY24Lrvo607czeVsq9XHLGd4G-Uk9tIUe-M533W3cTDFb67PzUgyFK_X6bGB4r-jTYVcSeyKwVBbcVACQRt1KOnBLJUSxHqwV6PgDXT3-aaV1m8g05kvjXA/s400/Tripod+in+pond.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tripod at the village pond in episode one. The real setting is Friday Street in Dorking, Surrey, UK. <br />
The banner of the blog shows me in the same location in 2010.</td></tr>
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"The Tripods are coming! The Tripods are coming!" declared the BBC continuity announcer. As villagers dressed in period costume looked on, a giant metal foot plunged into the pond, followed by a second and a third. Then a tentacle swept down from the mushroom shaped hemisphere and plucked a teenage boy from the jetty and placed him in the belly of the machine. When he emerged, he had the most serene expression on his face, his eyes glazed with contentment. Then he removed his trilby to reveal the wire mesh of the Cap woven into the scalp of his head. As the grand fusion of electronic-orchestral music made its crescendo, the announcer said, "The Tripods are coming to BBC One!"<br />
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This was in the autumn of 1984. I was 14 years old and already hooked.<br />
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The programme was the brainchild of producer Richard Bates, son of <em>Darling Buds of May</em> author H.E. Bates, ever a dab hand at spotting potential in classic novels and turning them into television serials. He enjoyed huge success with <em>Darling Buds</em>, with John Wyndham's <em>Chocky</em> (made into a television serial for adolescents by Children's ITV) and R.D. Wingfield's <em>A Touch of Frost</em>.<br />
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<em>The Tripods</em> was based on a trilogy of novels by John Christopher, who had won notoriety in the early 1950s with dystopian future novel <em>The Death of Grass</em>, and later in the 1970s with <em>The Guardians</em>.<br />
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The first book of the <em>Tripods</em> trilogy (published in 1967) is <em>The White Mountains</em>. Written in the first person, this tells the tale of 13 year old Will Parker who lives in an idyllic village in the south of England. It has the trappings of a quaint peaceful place in pre-industrial times, but is actually a hundred or so years in our future. Technology is all but eradicated and people live simple pastoral lives without a care. Every summer the Tripod comes to perform the Capping ceremony. To the populace this symbolises one's crossing the threshold into adulthood<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">—</span>in reality the Cap is designed to inhibit independent thinking, creativity and rebellion. The peace that humans now enjoy comes at a cost<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">—</span>the freedom to think.<br />
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Will Parker only begins to question the status quo when his cousin Jack expresses doubts about his own Capping and the control that the Tripods hold over humanity. When Will catches up with him after his Capping, Jack dismisses his worries as 'nonsense'. Will can't get over the difference in him. Will's destiny is sealed when shortly afterwards he comes in contact with Ozymandias, a crazy vagrant for whom the Capping has been unsuccessful, leaving him brain damaged. Only he isn't. It's all an act, as Ozymandias rambles the countryside looking for youngsters to send to the Alps, where other un-Capped people are plotting to destroy the enemy.<br />
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Will and his cousin Henry set off for the White Mountains. They cross the sea to France where they are joined by the gangly Jean-Paul, nicknamed Beanpole by the boys. At a French chateau, Will falls in love with Eloise and is seduced by the material wealth of her parents, the Count and Countess. The spell is broken when she willing offers herself as a slave to the Tripods to serve them in their mysterious city.<br />
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Suspicious of Will, a Tripod implants a tracking device to see where he is going. When the boys discover it, they dig it out, and with the mountains in sight, are hindered by the weakened protagonist. In a frantic moment, the boys succeed in destroying their pursuer, and make it to the camp of the Free Men.<br />
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Now, I'm sure you can see that this would make a splendid Saturday teatime show for kids. Richard Bates certainly thought so. The trouble was, having acquired the rights from John Christopher, he now had to sell the idea to the BBC. The Corporation would want it to fit the format most appealing to broadcasters in the United States, so they could sell it to them. American seasons were broadcast in blocks of 13, so Bates pitched <em>The Tripods</em> to the BBC as three series of 13.<br />
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At 120 pages, though, there was no way <em>The White Mountains</em> would stretch to 13 half hour episodes without a bit of padding. It was script writer Alick Rowe's job to turn it into a television serial. All the before-and-after-Capping discussion with Jack was abandoned in favour of showing the Tripod arriving in the village in the opening shot. Personally, had I been adapting the book, I would have made Episode One all about Jack's doubts (as the first chapter does). Will's discussions with Ozymandias, which take up the whole of Chapter Two, are condensed into one scene in the first episode. So it wasn't simply the lack of material that made it necessary to pad out the series, but Rowe's and Bates' decision to leave out crucial character developing scenes.<br />
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The trek to the sea thus drags on a bit too much, as does the Captain Curis sequence. The boys meeting Beanpole takes up Episode Four. All this with hardly any shots of the Tripods themselves. Then the boys spend four episodes at the chateau (two would have served that segment far better) with no Tripod action until Eloise is taken to serve in the City of Gold. The sequence where Will is snatched from his horse by a Tripod is brilliantly handled, as is the discussion about what the Tripods might actually be. But then the series gets stuck again, this time at Vichot's vineyard, where there is a lot of grape crushing and falling in love. To Alick Rowe's credit, though, there is a very good additional storyline involving Madam Vichot's failed Capping. The enemy know it failed, but they don't care because she isn't rebellious.<br />
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The plot of the book returns when the boys blow up a Tripod and make it to the camp of the Free Men.<br />
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The serial was a long winded affair and very dull in places. A lot of my schoolmates grew weary of it and stopped watching. But I was hooked by the core idea, that of a controlled society where <em>everyone</em> was the enemy. The Tripods themselves may have been seldom seen, but their influence was all encompassing. Also, production values were high when compared to other UK shows from the 1980s. It looked lavish, the Tripods themselves were magnificent, and the music score sounded classy. I was thrilled to hear the continuity announcer say that the series would return the following autumn, and that Ken Freeman's theme music, a hybrid of synthesiser effects and orchestral sounding sweeps, was available on a single record.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listening to Ken Freeman's Tripods soundtrack in <br />
'The White Mountains' of Austria, 2008.</td></tr>
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I could not wait until the following autumn to find out what happened to Will, Henry and Beanpole, so I bought John Christopher's book. Penguin had reissued the three novels with BBC covers, each carrying the series logo, a photograph of the young stars, and the legend 'Now a Thrilling BBC-TV Series!' I plumped for the three-in-one release <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tripods-Collection-White-Mountains-City/dp/1481415050/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">The Tripods Trilogy</a></em>. I loved re-reading the events of the series so far, and was very pleased to find that it was faster paced and that the vineyard stuff wasn't present.<br />
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After completing <em>The White Mountains</em>, I went straight into Book Two, <em>The City of Gold and Lead</em>. In this, Henry stays in the mountain camp, and Beanpole fails to make it into the Tripods' alien city. But Will and his new companion Fritz do get in--and my, what a truly alien environment it is, as we find that the Tripods are merely machines and the true enemy are the alien Masters. They came to put a stop to our warlike ways through the imposition of the Cap, but were now determined to colonise the Earth. I wondered how all this would be represented on television.<br />
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Series Two was adapted by Christopher Penfold. For the most part it was faithful to the book. Will, Henry and Beanpole train with other 'free men' to pose as Capped athletes and be chosen to serve in the City of Gold. Henry is held back to work with the mountain community in reconnaissance missions, while Beanpole, Will, and a German character called Fritz Eger travel to the venue of the Games tournament. In the book, the boys get trapped on an island with an un-Capped hermit who refuses to let them leave. In the series, this is dropped in favour of an episode where the boys attend a wedding and are helped to the Games venue by two girls. Beanpole fails to qualify for selection, but Will and Fritz are taken into the City.<br />
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In <em>The City of Gold and Lead</em>, the alien atmosphere is dense and hot, and the gravity is much stronger than normal, wearing down the slaves like a leaden weight. This causes premature aging. The elderly and infirm there are actually only in their twenties. However, while the size and scale of the City is impressive in the television series, the poisonous atmosphere doesn't really come across. Will is chosen to serve master West 468, a botanist, while Fritz ends up with the slave gangs hewing out a massive cavern to house some machinery on its way from the Master's home world. <br />
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In a diversion from the book's plot, Fritz wangles himself into an elite of highly trained humans and learns that the Masters themselves are subservient to a higher collective intelligence. Learning that the Masters are set on converting Earth's atmosphere to suit their needs (a side effect of which will be the annihilation of the human race), Will escapes the City. Beanpole finds him and accompanies him back to the mountains, but not before Penfold's script leaves the book once more and the boys join a travelling circus as a means of disguising their journey.<br />
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The start of Book Three, <em>The Pool of Fire</em>, has the boys returning to the mountain camp only to find it has been relocated. This was made use of at the climax to Series Two, where the boys arrive at the camp to find that the Tripods have beaten them to it and destroyed the hideout. A literal cliff-hanger, as Will surveys the burning embers and tearfully asks, 'Has it all been for nothing?'<br />
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As Ken Freeman's triumphant theme music thumped along, I was bemused to find that no announcement was made about the third series. A few months later, the head of English at school informed me that the third series had been dropped due to poor viewing figures. The long drawn out nature of the serial (particularly in the first series) had put people off. Richard Bates so upset to find that the final third of the trilogy would not be filmed, he moved the line 'Has it all been for nothing?' forward in the script so that it would be the last line spoken.<br />
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The only way I could find out how the adventure ends was to read <em>The Pool of Fire</em>. In this, Will, Henry and Beanpole are reunited with Fritz, who had to escape the City for fear he would be connected to Will's disappearance. The rebels manage to immobilise a Tripod and take its alien occupant prisoner. By a pure fluke, they discover that the Masters cannot handle even small amounts of alcohol. The race is then on to infiltrate the City again and pollute the Master's water supply with alcohol. Meanwhile, other rebels fly hot air balloons over the dome and drop explosives on it in the hope of shattering it. When every attempt fails, Henry lands his balloon on the dome and ensures that the bomb breaks it, killing himself in the process. He was what we would today term a suicide bomber.<br />
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The rule of the Masters and the Tripods is over, humankind can now think and speak freely again. But before long, there are major disagreements and factions splinter off, leaving the human race as divided and conflicted as it was before the Cappings.<br />
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I would go on to re-watch <em>The Tripods</em> TV series and revisit John Christopher's books many times over the next thirty years, I loved them so much. In 1994 I was delighted when Series One was released on DVD, and Ken Freeman issued a full album of incidental music suites to complement the two theme tunes he'd done for the series. About ten years later, I found the online fan community The League of Freemen, and befriended a number of fellow enthusiasts and, amazingly, some of the cast too.<br />
<br />
Jim Baker, who had played Henry in the series was now an HGV driver, and Robin Hayter, who had played Fritz, was a jobbing actor taking work in restaurants and the like between roles. The League met up a number of times with these two in particular. Other meetings involved Ceri Seel, who played Beanpole, and producer Richard Bates. League member Dylan Dawes, a BBC employee, was able to persuade BBC Four's producer of the strand <em>Sci-Fi Britannia</em> to commission a half hour documentary called <em>The Cult of The Tripods</em>. In this, Bates, Rowe, Jim Baker and director Bob Blagden were interviewed. The programme became an extra feature on the updated <em>The Tripods-The Complete First & Second Series</em> box set.<br />
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Both the TV series and the books that inspired it have had a massive impact on me. During my late teens and twenties I would pause the video as I watched the opening titles. I would gaze at the legend 'Based on the Tripods trilogy by John Christopher' and wonder about the mind that had devised this story I loved so much. Or I would be reading the books one afternoon and just stop and smile at the paperback in my hand and think, 'I wish I could meet him.'<br />
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It was in 2003 when I was working on my autobiography <em>The Feeling's Unmutual</em> for Jessica Kingsley Publishers that I was asked to contact some of my heroes mentioned in the book. I was thrilled when <em>Doctor Who</em> actor Colin Baker got in touch. Then one day someone put me onto a website, stating that, 'A guy called Sam Youd is answering questions about the Tripods books. It seems he is John Christopher.' So I went and took a look, and sure enough, Sam Youd was answering questions about the Tripods and other John Christopher books!<br />
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I dropped him a line and asked if he would consider endorsing<em> The Feeling's Unmutual</em>. What followed was a series of exchanges and an invitation to drop in for a cup of tea and a chat 'if ever you are in Rye, East Sussex'. Needless to say, I made sure I was in Rye, East Sussex!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53dvlTuXc7nBF6KKVPrmQ2vJWn4plD3ChVzVJ1j1_hz3SYBqGPljxPPNiboLWaJ1lqURFB-ViIWQ449JuEXzoFfF3sHoFloUCWIdHtn1_mO5RcoYcyIHSCD1PwsvJ2hvRwryZyw3wzZs/s1600/Will+and+Sam+Youd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53dvlTuXc7nBF6KKVPrmQ2vJWn4plD3ChVzVJ1j1_hz3SYBqGPljxPPNiboLWaJ1lqURFB-ViIWQ449JuEXzoFfF3sHoFloUCWIdHtn1_mO5RcoYcyIHSCD1PwsvJ2hvRwryZyw3wzZs/s320/Will+and+Sam+Youd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day I met Sam Youd (John Christopher). November 2004.</td></tr>
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The meeting was utterly surreal. It took me a while to get going as I was so star struck. My wife kept the conversation fluid until I could get my head together. We discussed some of the themes in the Tripods trilogy, but he was keen for me to look at some of his other works. His own favourite was <em>The Prince in Waiting</em> trilogy (also known as <em>The Sword of the Spirits</em> trilogy). He invited me into his study where he signed copies of <em>The Guardians</em> and <em>The Lotus Caves</em> for me.<br />
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BBC Four's <em>Sci-Fi Britannia</em> strand led to a resurgence of interest in John Christopher's dystopian future fiction when author Brian Aldiss praised Christopher's <em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_86588107"></span>The Death of Grass<span id="goog_86588108"></span></a></em> for its gritty realism. This has since been republished as a Penguin Modern Classic, meaning that Penguin will never let it go out of print again. Both the <em>Tripods</em> and the <em>Prince</em>/<em>Sword</em> trilogies have been re-issued by mainstream publishers.<br />
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At the height of his powers, Sam Youd was writing four novels a year to put food on the table and pay the mortgage. He wrote a number of non-science fiction books under the name Hilary Ford, as well as lesser known John Christopher titles.<br />
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Sadly, Sam Youd passed away in 2012, aged 89. Of course, I was deeply saddened when his daughter Rose got in touch with the news, and now I treasure the memory of drinking tea with him in his living room.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0N9bjToq6l_Md_1f017uN6S1M2PKBU2u67Wk5oTPSQfKgf8Lkzsxa9phLaHf5z3RUAc63jB7qifnTUk5HTadsc7gbdjMNyeMNUAOnwoU5hiiDBWSY2Set2dyC5mhzl3JD8wwVfnQROx4/s1600/Caves+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0N9bjToq6l_Md_1f017uN6S1M2PKBU2u67Wk5oTPSQfKgf8Lkzsxa9phLaHf5z3RUAc63jB7qifnTUk5HTadsc7gbdjMNyeMNUAOnwoU5hiiDBWSY2Set2dyC5mhzl3JD8wwVfnQROx4/s200/Caves+cover.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caves of Night<br />
SYLE Press</td></tr>
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While the mainstream publishers focus on republishing John Christopher's best loved works, his family have launched <a href="http://johnchristopher.org/" target="_blank">The SYLE Press</a> (Sam Youd Literary Estate) to bring back to life his other novels, including those written under the name Hilary Ford. This month, The SYLE Press have published John Christopher's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caves-Night-John-Christopher-ebook/dp/B01D917JT6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><em>The Caves of Night</em>.</a> I shall certainly be buying it and adding it to my library.<br />
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I feel I owe it to him for firing up my imagination and making me want to be a writer.<br />
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To see Sam talking about <em>The Death of Grass</em>, click on this link and watch from 9.44 minutes (right near the end!)<br />
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Then continued from the beginning of this link<br />
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<br />Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-41035697377930920512016-03-20T23:54:00.001+00:002016-03-20T23:54:53.321+00:00EVERYMAN: The Story of Patrick McGoohan - The Prisoner<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv-6ZMV2R0oWO6w9ViRNemqx9VIEL3OPAYyDVFKILFJnGC4nM_cn_5Wz180ZamvZVjWuMQImDxQ9gP5Pc81nLA23kpaGHqcrubvHUi_l9SRSbvdWzUw_ghBndvM8I6ucNVGzP90kd748/s1600/EM+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv-6ZMV2R0oWO6w9ViRNemqx9VIEL3OPAYyDVFKILFJnGC4nM_cn_5Wz180ZamvZVjWuMQImDxQ9gP5Pc81nLA23kpaGHqcrubvHUi_l9SRSbvdWzUw_ghBndvM8I6ucNVGzP90kd748/s200/EM+cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/page_everyman.html" target="_blank">Everyman: The Story of Patrick McGoohan - The Prisoner</a></td></tr>
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The 1967/8 television series <em>The Prisoner</em> is one of the most unusual ever devised. It operates on several levels, and it's no wonder that nearly fifty years on people are still thinking about it.<br />
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The programme was the brainchild of actor Patrick McGoohan, who had made his name as John Drake, a government agent who preferred to use his brain rather than carry a gun, in the series <em>Danger Man</em> (known as <em>Secret Agent</em> in the United States of America). Collaborating with McGoohan was writer-producer David Tomblin and script editor George Markstein.<br />
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A man resigns his top secret government job and refuses to give his employers a reason, other than, "It's a matter of personal principle." At home he packs for a much needed holiday, but nerve gas is pumped through the keyhole of his front door and he is rendered unconscious. When he wakes, he finds himself held captive in a bizarre island village where no one has a name. Everyone is identified by number—He is Number Six and the Village chairman is Number Two. But who is the unseen ruler of the Village? Who is Number One?<br />
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The Prisoner is determined to find the answers, while his captors are intent on uncovering the reason for his resignation. Over 17 episodes, the series examines the plight of the individual, the non-conformist, surrounded by people who are only too happy to tow the line. They want him to accept that he is just a number, to embrace his life in the Village. He is determined to maintain his personal integrity. The show satirises a number of revered institutions, including the political arena, the education system, psychology and psychiatry, to name a few.<br />
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Behind the scenes, there were major disagreements between Patrick McGoohan and George Markstein as to what <em>The Prisoner</em> actually was. To Markstein, it was a continuation of <em>Danger Man</em>/<em>Secret Agent</em>. He saw the Prisoner as John Drake, and the series as an extension of the 'spy' genre. But McGoohan was much more immersed in the symbolism of it—the Prisoner was Everyman, the individual struggling with and resisting organised society and the pressure to conform.<br />
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Four episodes from the end, Markstein resigned and left McGoohan to it. Not surprisingly, at this point conventional storytelling went out the window. In the final instalment, Number Six enters the lair of Number One and finally unmasks his nemesis. Instead of finding a stereotypical Bond villain chuckling and stroking a white cat, he found first an individual wearing a monkey mask, and then beneath that a clone of himself. Number One jumps and prances round the control room, laughing and jabbering like a monkey before disappearing through a hatch in the ceiling.<br />
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The Prisoner escapes the Village with the help of other rebels and returns to London. The final shot is identical to the opening shot in the main title sequence: him driving in a sports car down a broad runway.<br />
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Most viewers who followed the series right through in the late Sixties were left frustrated and angry by the lack of a proper conclusion.<br />
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But decades later, people like me have loved it. Anyone who feels at odds with the world around them, who resents society's attempts at defining and pigeon-holing them, will love it. Fans not only enjoy analysing the different layers of the programme, but tend to be drawn to Patrick McGoohan himself, who was every bit as enigmatic and charismatic as the character he played.<br />
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I personally love the interview he granted Warner Troyer in Canada during the 1970s. It's called <em>The Prisoner Puzzle.</em> and you can see it here on YouTube.<br />
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Circa 1990, a pen pal of mine put me onto the series after I'd been expressing my frustration with the world and how intolerant it was of true individualists. I became obsessed with it. The symbolism appealed a lot—I could see what McGoohan was saying and I felt the same. <br />
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When I started my first job, I felt very acutely the pressure to conform. And it wasn't just my employers expecting me to work to a particular standard either—it was everyone. I had to swear every other word, laugh at vulgarities, talk about the bosses in an undignified way, be deceitful, selfish, watch violent movies, give up the preoccupations of childhood and adolescence, and embrace the so-called adult world, orrrr be an outcast. I preferred the latter. I was eighteen and rebelling. But not in the way everyone else was. I was rebelling <em>against</em> <em>the rebels</em>.<br />
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I had looked intently to the day I left school because that would mean leaving school culture behind and at last being surrounded by mature people. Or so I thought. What I'd found, though, was that school had been a template, a blueprint, coaxing me, guiding me and preparing me for the big wide world—and I hated it so much. The education system wasn't just teaching me mathematics, how to read and write, and where various countries were in the world, no—it was telling me how I should think, how I should be. The political system was backing it, the religious system was cushioning it, and the media (including newspapers, magazines and television) were drip feeding the conditioning to make sure it stuck.<br />
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Well, <em>The Prisoner</em> was a godsend for me. It arrived in my life at just the right moment. McGoohan's vision coupled with my own observations led to <em>The Blueprint</em>, a novel I planned in 1996 and eventually published in 2012. It's written in the first person from teenager Liam Creedy's point of view, as he dissects the world system and his own self in a coma state rich with symbolism. I feel it is one of my best works, and owes a lot to McGoohan and <em>The Prisoner</em> series.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtgH5rDZ4RH6eGKqQg-WytFfaeIWJxRTCazhIfSQj1mTEzmALJHak7wweCoBXVUEFsy_7WUIFpsMolC0-IP18qU4-9f0Vc5CkirdkeJgpRqDHTF653ech8iWlTP7ieR7Q0joL722pfn0/s1600/cover-light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtgH5rDZ4RH6eGKqQg-WytFfaeIWJxRTCazhIfSQj1mTEzmALJHak7wweCoBXVUEFsy_7WUIFpsMolC0-IP18qU4-9f0Vc5CkirdkeJgpRqDHTF653ech8iWlTP7ieR7Q0joL722pfn0/s200/cover-light.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2766007-The-Blueprint.html" target="_blank">The Blueprint</a></td></tr>
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When my business partner Theresa Cutts and I saw that writer-illustrator Brian Gorman was planning on doing a biography of McGoohan's life leading up to <em>The Prisoner</em>, and was going to do it as a graphic novel in which Number Two interrogates the actor about his life in the setting of The Village, we just had to invite him to publish it through us at FBS.<br />
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And we are so glad he has. <em>Everyman: The Story of Patrick McGoohan--The Prisoner</em> is a superb book. <br />
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We have published a <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_4420009-LIMITED-EDITION-Everyman-The-Story-of-Patrick-McGoohan-The-Prisoner.html" target="_blank">limited edition hardback</a>. If you order this, you will have it signed by Brian Gorman, and receive some exclusive giveaways too. The standard paperback will be released imminently, it will also be available to download on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01CZ43OWO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0" target="_blank">Kindle</a>.<br />
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The book is as unconventional and riveting as the actor who inspired it.<br />
<br />Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-39746857026941328722016-03-17T22:44:00.001+00:002016-03-20T23:52:42.796+00:00Fan Mail<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3563303-Mia-Mackey-and-the-Outside-Cats-Book-2-of-The-Mia-Books.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeHNvTCVkaOXv9ilRelSmxZ7TlLi9RYnSAaZOmYJASQMGjjbHlV8G_qHW0Qg-38EzbQRslwJ4h7p9nQvyeOHLOj1MH_2-fu7JFPj8q7f0cicgDoKq5lOOO7VXAh3rNuO2TY2wfgctx-0/s320/mia2cover+lo+res+W.jpg" width="204" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3563303-Mia-Mackey-and-the-Outside-Cats-Book-2-of-The-Mia-Books.html" target="_blank">Mia, Mackey and the Outside Cats</a></td></tr>
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It's always lovely to receive a letter or email in praise of one's work. A writer only truly knows how his efforts are going down when appreciative readers get in touch to tell him.<br />
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Some years ago, I saw children's TV magazine programme <em>Blue Peter</em> editor/producer Biddy Baxter interviewed and she said that as a child she'd written a fan letter to <em>Famous Five</em> author Enid Blyton--and was deeply disappointed when Ms Blyton never replied. When Biddy joined BBC children's television, she vowed that every child who wrote to the programme would receive a personal reply from her. In 1986, I was such a recipient. Around the same time, I also had replies from <em>Doctor Who</em> actors Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant, as well as producer John Nathan-Turner. They made a lasting impression on me.<br />
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Now, as an author myself, I always reply to every fan who makes contact, and will do so until it becomes physically impossible.<br />
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This week I was the recipient of this message: <br />
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"Hi Will, just asking did you write a follow up to <em>Mia and the Woodshed Cats</em> ? My daughter is going mad for a follow up. She can't put the other one down at the moment x"<br />
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Thankfully, there is indeed a follow-up. It's called <em>Mia, Mackey and the Outside Cats</em> (pictured). The stories are based on the real life antics of a stray cat who moved into the family home. My wife used to call out "Meow, meow!" to let her know she was going to feed her! Meow became Mia, and we found she'd had kittens in the woodshed next door. Then, after moving into our house, she had a second litter!<br />
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Our new feline family were the source of merriment and free entertainment for some months, and I noted down the escapades that really touched me. These notes were then fictionalised as the two books. They are beautifully illustrated with full colour paintings by Owen Claxton.<br />
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There is a third volume in the works. Fan mail serves as a boost, it motivates--there is demand! I really must get on with it. The final instalment will be called <em>Mia and the Farmhouse Cats</em>.<br />
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Personally dedicated copies of Books One and Two are available to order from <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/">www.fbs-publishing.co.uk</a>. The books are also available on Kindle.Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-80791716752497997102015-12-31T16:04:00.000+00:002015-12-31T16:04:12.331+00:00In the coming months ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Above: <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author of <i>Shadowmancer</i>, G.P. Taylor with me and Theresa Cutts)<br />
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Can't believe my last post on here was April 2015! I've had a lot on over the past few months ...<br />
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With Theresa Cutts, I have been approaching prospective authors, some virtually unknown, others known and respected within their peer groups, and one or two who are rather famous.<br />
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Twice in the summer we enjoyed lunch with a top television personality. Those meetings threw up a number of ideas and even another author who may soon be working with us. It was a delight to meet these people, regardless of what comes to FBS Publishing as a result.<br />
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Theresa met up with Timothy Bentinck, who has completed a first draft of the new <i>Colin the Campervan</i> adventure. We are looking at that currently.<br />
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We will be announcing a new project on 6.1.16--the date itself is a clue. I, for one, am really excited about this new book, as it treads fresh ground for FBS, and the author (and, indeed, illustrator) is very talented.<br />
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Here is a pictorial hint as to what it might be about ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySV5W0IDHrOhuXhyphenhyphenqEEUe7sjv-cx7hUCkm6fPld6RVL0tdpCXJrKTRXSF3hyphenhyphenitc-bfunwB378wvBNPK6MHP5tDQWcYEqaPrQ2FxMrGT5-aTrtCkBb6GjoFPkCjmeEFX29C5tiUCKBcJE/s1600/Portmeirion+2016+In+the+Rain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySV5W0IDHrOhuXhyphenhyphenqEEUe7sjv-cx7hUCkm6fPld6RVL0tdpCXJrKTRXSF3hyphenhyphenitc-bfunwB378wvBNPK6MHP5tDQWcYEqaPrQ2FxMrGT5-aTrtCkBb6GjoFPkCjmeEFX29C5tiUCKBcJE/s320/Portmeirion+2016+In+the+Rain.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few weeks ago, Theresa and I had lunch with international bestselling writer G.P. Taylor, author of the hugely popular <i>Shadowmancer</i>. He's a fascinating man to talk to. He has penned a book that is quite different to what he is known for, and we're thrilled that he has chosen to publish it through us. We don't think there is anything out there that's quite like it!<br />
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As for my own writing, I have made a start on the fourth <i>Anne Droyd</i> book. At the moment, it is going to be more of a novella--but if I get inspired, it might end up a full length novel like the others. I've also written one chapter of the third Mia book, <i>Mia and the Farmhouse Cats</i>. I might well end up publishing both in 2016.<br />
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So--plenty going on!<br />
<br />Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-55265054090182253952015-04-03T21:27:00.000+01:002015-04-03T21:27:37.435+01:00"COLIN THE CAMPERVAN" RELEASED IN MAYFAIR, LONDON!<br />
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Above, from left to right: My FBS partner Theresa Cutts, myself, actor-author Tim Bentinck and illustrator Owen Claxton.<br />
<br />
Theresa and I found Tim's book on Kindle and asked him if he would like to publish a paperback version with new illustrations. He said yes!<br />
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The London launch was attended by Tim's co-stars from the long running BBC Radio drama <em>The Archers</em> as well as other celebrity friends. Journalists and photographers were also present.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFWVx_GcANltmUYIvC3hLr-aPJqsd5oriJ2J0oz1nOZgVB13tkf_plDZhuHAwfMPP_PZF98fjfrKt5Vt4EOEmhOL2eFSnQwafLl6Wlf8YOOQVE4j19EigELsUs0SzqCGMFst1EW6I91s/s1600/Will+at+Colin+Campervan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFWVx_GcANltmUYIvC3hLr-aPJqsd5oriJ2J0oz1nOZgVB13tkf_plDZhuHAwfMPP_PZF98fjfrKt5Vt4EOEmhOL2eFSnQwafLl6Wlf8YOOQVE4j19EigELsUs0SzqCGMFst1EW6I91s/s1600/Will+at+Colin+Campervan.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Above: Plenty were in attendance and were thrilled with the release of Colin!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZsezJ51JbA0TRp0s59bquw1CTUT2n-diUIvbghJl1g7fy22JjAab_VCH-J6sYpFaBFlQU8nIkW07Io6LhAPBri7Supzyj2L4zPetQnq4N-vfjCxK1d3ztxl59oKZT2Zmobv9QE7QvFk/s1600/Colin+Campervan+Christine+Hamilton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZsezJ51JbA0TRp0s59bquw1CTUT2n-diUIvbghJl1g7fy22JjAab_VCH-J6sYpFaBFlQU8nIkW07Io6LhAPBri7Supzyj2L4zPetQnq4N-vfjCxK1d3ztxl59oKZT2Zmobv9QE7QvFk/s1600/Colin+Campervan+Christine+Hamilton.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Above: Tim Bentinck with his wife Judy and with Christine Hamilton, no less.<br />
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<br />
<em>Colin the Campervan</em> is available to order from Amazon, and personally dedicated copies can be bought from our publisher page <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/">www.fbs-publishing.co.uk</a>. We will post to anywhere in the world.Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-51813799496720613502015-03-19T23:10:00.003+00:002015-03-19T23:10:36.893+00:00OUT NOW! Mia, Mackey and the Outside Cats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2uDoFo-Lu6T6AN8p2W6czAS3lS45P6I-QxetiDWlbWMaYzvtXrN7KOP3TZTQG7GsGG9cgqmKlAoCDeNdtXSzN86wb-s93Hq_jriO8Dqk-YTnHfVqKzNmVi9ceAnqXZKwwkDSwB7XxOw/s1600/Mia+&+Mackey+low+res+(for%2Binternet).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2uDoFo-Lu6T6AN8p2W6czAS3lS45P6I-QxetiDWlbWMaYzvtXrN7KOP3TZTQG7GsGG9cgqmKlAoCDeNdtXSzN86wb-s93Hq_jriO8Dqk-YTnHfVqKzNmVi9ceAnqXZKwwkDSwB7XxOw/s1600/Mia+&+Mackey+low+res+(for%2Binternet).jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a></div>
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When abandoned tabby cat Mia turned up at Ma and Pa Croft's farmhouse, little did they know she had given birth to kittens in the woodshed next door. As they cared for the cats, Mia slowly moved into their home. But then Ma and Pa got a shock ... Kittens again! Now Mia has six kittens - two in the woodshed and four newborns there in the house. This is the story of Mia and her kittens Tabby Girl, Socks and Mackey, their sisters Eva and Scarlet, and their brother Blue. Will Ma and Pa keep all the cats at the farmhouse, or give them away to new homes? Based on true events, these stories will touch the heart of every reader.<br />
<br />
Available from Amazon.<br />
<br />
I will sign personal copies and send them to anywhere in the world. Order this book (and/or the first book <em>Mia and the Woodshed Cats</em>) from <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/">www.fbs-publishing.co.uk</a>.<br />
Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-90667975967475408782015-03-19T23:07:00.000+00:002015-03-19T23:13:26.352+00:00OUT NOW! What's All the Fuss About DOCTOR WHO?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94nVJb37KmFsnQZOjWTzjRhqB2gf-xRohSSnHLPsOK6vuKU6bah-lFFt5PazdasFLqfT1T91B0FFfk67AVcfBAfqo7AD8kTfutdOy-iFouRor5etmzODx_6nx06R7HAwI5DWRBohSk8A/s1600/Hadcroft+&+Wheeler+Bolton+ComicCon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94nVJb37KmFsnQZOjWTzjRhqB2gf-xRohSSnHLPsOK6vuKU6bah-lFFt5PazdasFLqfT1T91B0FFfk67AVcfBAfqo7AD8kTfutdOy-iFouRor5etmzODx_6nx06R7HAwI5DWRBohSk8A/s1600/Hadcroft+&+Wheeler+Bolton+ComicCon.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></div>
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<br />
Former Doctor Who Appreciation Society coordinator Ian Wheeler and I have written and published <em>What's All the Fuss About ...? An Introduction to Doctor Who</em>. The above photograph shows us releasing it at Bolton Comic-Con on March 1st. <br />
<br />
Who is the Doctor, what are the Daleks and why is the TARDIS a police box? Here is a television programme that has been running for over fifty years and has seen twelve different actors play the title role, each a unique incarnation. Why are people so devoted to this phenomenon? What is all the fuss about? Will Hadcroft and Ian Wheeler present the basics, with an overview of each Doctor's era and recommended stories to try, delivering the essential information that you need to know, your introduction to a television legend. It is the perfect beginners' guide for anyone wondering where to start, and equally suited to the die-hard fan who wants be reminded of and relive the very best bits all over again.<br />
<br />
Available from Amazon.<br />
<br />
Personal copies signed by Ian Wheeler and myself are available from <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/">www.fbs-publishing.co.uk</a>. We will post to anywhere in the world.Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-49717565245866046592014-10-31T20:01:00.000+00:002014-10-31T20:04:39.740+00:00Pre-Order MIA, MACKEY AND THE OUTSIDE CATS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJgX_Sjj5APCuKnUD7dsEA5FmVZ-METTll2dfaKyX-BpxQIHwf6xfOiiAkbscdX_yl46LDvaJWMQhG9lIMBVxrGq2Zz_Ds8MqS-UuVyxnwo0WjbHDc1IL50Qtu9mzhCVkCi9QCV7hvOI/s1600/Mia+&+Mackey+low+res+(for%2Binternet).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJgX_Sjj5APCuKnUD7dsEA5FmVZ-METTll2dfaKyX-BpxQIHwf6xfOiiAkbscdX_yl46LDvaJWMQhG9lIMBVxrGq2Zz_Ds8MqS-UuVyxnwo0WjbHDc1IL50Qtu9mzhCVkCi9QCV7hvOI/s1600/Mia+&+Mackey+low+res+(for%2Binternet).jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
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<br />
Following the events of the first book, <em>Mia and the Woodshed Cats</em>, we are happy to announce that the story of Mia and her kittens continues in book two, <em>Mia, Mackey and the Outside Cats</em>. It is to be published soon.<br />
<br />
You can pre-order your signed copy here: <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3563303-COMING-SOON-Mia-Mackey-and-the-Outside-Cats-Book-2-of-The-Mia-Books.html">http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3563303-COMING-SOON-Mia-Mackey-and-the-Outside-Cats-Book-2-of-The-Mia-Books.html</a>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-25523123709957765092014-09-02T21:16:00.001+01:002014-09-02T21:17:55.795+01:00FBS presents ... IRIS THE ARCHITECT by Debra Lampert-Rudman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3Q_tDhHwpI4WEfe3gBoRyG8niHfCCBB5dqEmE-g5ggptrV96iwwmMYlda580Hd7N0ZPH7_DtRBnp7gZaLCK2achyh8Zyx0dTH68VYE-dJudNk2SZNFCVeFCiH-qyu_BP_B63wG0p8-I/s1600/Iris+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3Q_tDhHwpI4WEfe3gBoRyG8niHfCCBB5dqEmE-g5ggptrV96iwwmMYlda580Hd7N0ZPH7_DtRBnp7gZaLCK2achyh8Zyx0dTH68VYE-dJudNk2SZNFCVeFCiH-qyu_BP_B63wG0p8-I/s1600/Iris+cover.jpg" height="320" width="303" /></a></div>
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<br />
"Iris was born to be a champion show dog, but all she wants to do is draw...<br />
<br />
This is an enchanting and uplifting tale about following your dreams."<br />
<br />
<em>Iris the Architect</em> is the first hardback children's story book from FBS. It's also our first title written by someone outside of the UK. The author, Debra Lampert-Rudman, is based in New Jersey, United States.<br />
<br />
The book is available from Amazon and can be ordered at your bookshop.<br />
<br />
But to order a signed copy, please go here: <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3454589-Coming-Soon-Iris-the-Architect.html">http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/ourshop/prod_3454589-Coming-Soon-Iris-the-Architect.html</a>Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-82231416390972767892014-04-29T22:06:00.002+01:002014-04-29T22:06:14.716+01:00OUR "CORONATION STREET" BOOK OUT NOW!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ0_RnTyoBIKDLNvkCKKAPADrbFV_6KIiM_UoF-0RVPvEemj-IQ0_jYeUVbjjA58sqHQie8SKIkvCX_Yrwz0Pv9BbHdvztXEOz3fRmn4NLtzuPydlUBuzWoKtcm_jm5lxKgdJE-0yn6A/s1600/A+Perfect+Duet+-+Front+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ0_RnTyoBIKDLNvkCKKAPADrbFV_6KIiM_UoF-0RVPvEemj-IQ0_jYeUVbjjA58sqHQie8SKIkvCX_Yrwz0Pv9BbHdvztXEOz3fRmn4NLtzuPydlUBuzWoKtcm_jm5lxKgdJE-0yn6A/s1600/A+Perfect+Duet+-+Front+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
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You may have seen Glenda Young's book <em>A Perfect Duet - A Diary of Roy and Hayley Cropper</em> in magazines like <em>Inside Soap</em> and <em>TV Times</em> recently. Well, FBS Ltd are the publishers!<br />
<br />
Glenda has been diarising every single episode of <em>Coronation Street</em> since 1995. When my business partner Theresa Cutts saw that Glenda was publishing yearly compilations of her blog to Kindle, I suggested she approach her to ask if she might compile all of the major storylines concerning Roy and Hayley into one handy little book.<br />
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One of the challenges with this release was the cover. How do you show the browsing book buyer that it's about <em>Coronation Street</em> without using the Coronation Street logo, any photographs of the street itself, or any pictures of the actors? I suggested to Theresa that we might get our in-house artist Owen Claxton to paint two things that aren't copyrighted but that instantly scream 'Roy and Hayley!' to anyone who knows them - a drab looking mack, a red anorak, and a shopping bag.<br />
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Once again, Owen has done a fantastic job, and our decision to do the cover in matte was the right one. People are telling us they stroke the cover!<br />
<br />
The icing on the cake is actress Julie Hesmondhalgh writing such a heartwarming Foreword. She's done us proud. Thank you, Julie.<br />
<br />
Signed copies are available from <a href="http://www.fbs-publishing.co.uk/">www.fbs-publishing.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Regular copies can be bought from Amazon and all good bookshops.<br />
Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-10655731346289088902014-02-27T17:30:00.001+00:002014-02-27T17:30:25.944+00:00FBS Ltd & Signing "Mia"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d00SgtoAbQJuriGsP4PRGRIKxt7c7i1-Enjol4rbxlSMRbi_vYAT87vM2cYfivZMXJ6D7OIsi3Pf_muHow8SLvCLBEEaKmp9MZAhHtY9yRWqhT4zZLtn5J981nxmGjFdt4dcQKlN8ZM/s1600/Mia+Signing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d00SgtoAbQJuriGsP4PRGRIKxt7c7i1-Enjol4rbxlSMRbi_vYAT87vM2cYfivZMXJ6D7OIsi3Pf_muHow8SLvCLBEEaKmp9MZAhHtY9yRWqhT4zZLtn5J981nxmGjFdt4dcQKlN8ZM/s1600/Mia+Signing.jpg" height="275" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Fabulous BookS (FBS) became a limited company a couple of weeks ago. Theresa Cutts and I felt it was necessary because what we have in the pipeline as a company might well call for it.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, though, like many other novelists, I continue to work at a day job. With the release of my first book aimed at younger children, <em>Mia and the Woodshed Cats</em>, I performed a signing for my colleagues. It went really well and everyone commented on the stunning paintings by Owen Claxton. He's a real find.<br />
<br />
All pre-orders have now gone out, and initial feedback has been positive.<br />
<br />
Owen's paintings for the follow-up, due in the summer, brought a lump to my throat. The stories are based on true events, you see.<br />
<br />
The above photo shows Angela Hunter (seated) and Lisa Hailwood-Smith collecting their signed copies.<br />
Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-10889096818087018302014-01-10T20:40:00.001+00:002014-01-10T20:55:02.782+00:00Pre-Order MIA AND THE WOODSHED CATS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5WCNSaCjylSRqx9RUjYEe58Ys411sfvT77uopAC5JstYh9nf3e088eQS9nNV8or4CMpN3bt-9wljSUILOnCQeQvV7Iijxty1x99px03ua85fU_yBVLIgbI64_gs5vm9uSP9U5SRYRfk/s1600/Mia+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5WCNSaCjylSRqx9RUjYEe58Ys411sfvT77uopAC5JstYh9nf3e088eQS9nNV8or4CMpN3bt-9wljSUILOnCQeQvV7Iijxty1x99px03ua85fU_yBVLIgbI64_gs5vm9uSP9U5SRYRfk/s1600/Mia+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Friends,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'm delighted to announce the imminent release of my first fully illustrated children's book <em>Mia and the Woodshed Cats</em>, based on the lives of four felines who invaded my life some 18 months ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Ma
and Pa Croft live in a stone cottage in the English countryside. When a stray
cat turns up, Ma puts out some food and milk – and then three faces appear at
the woodshed window ...<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kittens!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Where
has the cat come from? Will the local farmer allow the kittens to stay in the
woodshed? And what will happen to them when they’ve grown up? This
is the story of Mia, Tigger, Tabby Girl and Socks. It is based on real events
and will touch the heart of every reader."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The book is illustrated by Owen Claxton and is available at the reduced price of £6.99 from the FBS website (normal RPP £7.99)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You may pre-order your signed copy here: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://tinyurl.com/oyy7dt9">http://tinyurl.com/oyy7dt9</a></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276989295117498166.post-73627532552644106052014-01-09T18:48:00.000+00:002014-01-09T18:48:03.337+00:00Coming Soon ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-NhtTnMcNv7tfIsxu6VPWz-YaUJ9uHrObsTAMzcFZ8DtTPP07t8B1bc_-9Nu0AyfVgc944gIyVDVgrjwqJDzUX6iUxqaHFNDABh7nomK0K6GXx7SpWZ7Ik-HidfI81O34F3l1KWH3JQ/s1600/Mia+Poster+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-NhtTnMcNv7tfIsxu6VPWz-YaUJ9uHrObsTAMzcFZ8DtTPP07t8B1bc_-9Nu0AyfVgc944gIyVDVgrjwqJDzUX6iUxqaHFNDABh7nomK0K6GXx7SpWZ7Ik-HidfI81O34F3l1KWH3JQ/s1600/Mia+Poster+2.jpg" height="287" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
The A3 publicity posters have arrived.<br />
Will Hadcrofthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07008146766843162926noreply@blogger.com0