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HOT OFF THE (CLASSIC TV) PRESS...

4 May 2012 - 'Who is Michael E. Briant?' out now!


We are pleased to announce that the highly readable memoirs of respected Doctor Who, Blake's 7 and Secret Army director Michael E. Briant are officially published today.

'Who is Michael E. Briant?' is available in paperback and Kindle editions - details of how to order can be found here.

We also hope to soon have the eBook available in other formats - watch this space!

We're very proud of the book here at Classic TV Press, and are sure you will enjoy it too!
 


18 March 2012 - 'Who is Michael E. Briant?' now available for pre-order

There may not have been many updates here over the last few months but that doesn't mean we've not been busy here at Classic TV Press Towers. In fact we've been industriously prepping two exciting new titles: a definitive book on the classic women prisoner of war drama Tenko, which is set to be published with considerable fanfare in October; and the immensely readable memoirs of classic Who director Michael E. Briant.

Michael E. Briant directed numerous episodes of classic TV series throughout the 1970s such as Blake’s 7, Secret Army, Warship and most famously Doctor Who. Many of his Who stories (The Sea Devils, The Green Death and Robots of Death) are regarded as all-time greats by fans of the series. 

In this memoir, Briant reminisces about his life and work, from his beginnings as a child actor in the 1950s, followed by a highly successful career working for the BBC and later for Dutch television, right through to his impressive circumnavigation of the world and attack by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. He includes separate chapters on each of his Doctor Who stories and also shares memories of his early years on the programme in the 1960s, while he was working his way up in the TV profession, and William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton were at the TARDIS controls. The book's foreword is written by another Doctor Who legend - The Daleks and The Daemons director - Christopher Barry.

'Who is Michael E. Briant?' will be published on 4 May and can be pre-ordered here.


26 September 2011 - A Guide to Being Human now available on Kindle

A Guide to Being Human: Series 1-3 is also now available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle. Joanne Black's entertaining look at all things Being Human covers everything from Aidan Turner to Zombies. As with the print version, the book is illustrated by Chris Wreford. Links to the listings on the .co.uk, .com and .de Amazon sites can be found on the book's shop page here.

Info on Kindle Reading Apps and links to Amazon Kindle Reader pages can be found in the post below.


5 September 2011 - The Pandorica Opens now available on Kindle

Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens, Frank Collins's well-received tome on Matt Smith's first series as the Eleventh Doctor, is now available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle. Links to the listings on the .co.uk, .com and .de Amazon sites can be found on the book's shop page here.

As well as on the Kindle reader itself, the eBook can be read on other devices including PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7, with the added advantage that all images will be in colour. Kindle Apps for these devices can be downloaded for free from Amazon.

If you don't have a Kindle and would like to buy one, please support Classic TV Press by using the appropriate link below (takes you to the Amazon product page):

Kindle:       Amazon.co.uk   Amazon.de   Amazon.com

Kindle 3G:   Amazon.co.uk   Amazon.de   Amazon.com


30 July 2011 - Caroline Blakiston's Black Bread & Cucumber now available

Black Bread & Cucumber is the tale of acclaimed actress Caroline Blakiston's experiences performing in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard in Russia in Russian. Blakiston evocatively describes her time living and working in Taganrog (Chekhov's birthplace) and Moscow - a contribution to Russian theatre that earned her a Golden Globe. The book is illustrated throughout.

Blakiston (left - signing copies at the National Theatre) who is best known for her starring roles in Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (Bess Sedgwick), Brass (Lady Patience Hardacre) and Return of the Jedi (Mon Mothma) has performed Black Bread & Cucumber all over the world,  but this is the first time it has been made available in print.

The recommended retail price for the title is £8.95 (£8.50 on Amazon), but we are currently selling copies at £6.95. Read reviews of Black Bread & Cucumber.


11 July 2011 - Thank you LFCC'ers

Thanks to everyone who visited our stand at London Film and Comic Con, especially those who bought our books! We had a great weekend and will be definitely back next year to do it all again.

We tweeted throughout the event. Make sure you follow us '@classictvpress' if you want to keep up with all our latest news.

If twitter isn't for you we will soon be making formal announcements about our new titles on this site, so make sure you come back soon.

Andy & Marisa
Classic TV Press


8-10 July 2011 - London Film and Comic Con 2011

London Film and Comic Con - 2011 LogoThis year we will be at London Film and Comic Con for the first time. Please do come and visit our stand during the weekend. We will be in attendance from the special preview Friday right through to the Sunday.

5 great reasons why you should come and visit our stand:

1. We will be be selling ALL of our books at special show prices
2. We're officially launching Joanne Black's expanded Being Human book and she will be at the stand signing copies
3. We will be providing details of three exciting new titles
4. We're going to be giving away lots of free sweets
5. We are lovely people and we'd like you to come and chat to us!

Of course if those reasons aren't enough for you, there will be many other dealer stands and many stars from the cult TV and film world to meet at the event including: Karen Gillan, Brent Spiner, Alex Kingston, Christopher Lambert, Derek Jacobi and Louise Jameson.

Please do come and say "Hello" if you can.

Opening Times:
Friday (Preview Night): 6pm - 9pm  (more info)
Saturday:
Early Entry - 9am / Standard Entry from 11am - Show closes at 6pm.
Sunday: Early Entry - 9am / Standard Entry from 11am - Show closes at 5pm.

Ticket Prices:
Friday preview night: £5.
Saturday and Sunday: Early entry - £12 all ages or £30 family ticket.
Standard entry from 11am - £6 adults, £3 children (12 and under) or £15 family ticket.

N.B. TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO BUY ON THE DOOR DURING THE SHOW


3 July 2011 - Being Human - new guide to Series 1-3 is published on Friday

We are very pleased to announce that Joanne Black has expanded on her original Being Human book to include an in-depth guide to the acclaimed third series of the supernatural drama series. You can pre-order the new book here.

Joanne Black's first book for Classic TV Press which examined the first two series of Being Human, published last November, was described by Total Sci-fi Online as a "comprehensive guide to the first two seasons of the hit BBC Three show" adding that "it’s clear that the author has a great deal of love for, and knowledge of Toby Whithouse’s cult show."

Joanne will be signing copies of her new book at the Classic TV Press stand at London Film and Comic Con.
 


30 June 2011 - UPSTAGE - the launch of our new theatre imprint

We are set to launch a new imprint focusing on the world of theatre, entitled 'UPSTAGE'.

Our first title, Black Bread & Cucumber (due for publication on 15 July), is a true story written by well-known former RSC actress Caroline Blakiston (right), which she has performed as a one-woman show all around the world. Through this evocative story Blakiston shares her remarkable experiences as the first English actress to play in Chekhov, in Russia, in Russian.

Blakiston has appeared in many television series and films including: Brass; Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel; and Return of the Jedi (as Mon Mothma, see image opposite).

Read more about Black Bread & Cucumber
 


21 February 2011 - New Blake's 7 book announced

Established writer David McIntee is set to examine the reasons for the enduring appeal of Terry Nation’s cult space opera Blake’s 7 in a new tome to be published by Classic TV Press.

Read the full press release for more details here
 


17 February 2011 - The Pandorica Opens reviewed in DWM

We were delighted to see that the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine (issue 431) features another positive review of Frank Collins's book The Pandorica Opens.

Reviewer Vanessa Bishop gives a good overview of the content and style of the book, before summing it up as:
 
"A worthy addition to serious texts on Doctor Who."

 You can purchase your copy of The Pandorica Opens here
 


16 January 2011 - Recent reviews of our titles

We're pleased to see that our new Doctor Who and Being Human titles are going down well with readers. Thanks for all your emails! We're also receiving good comments online and in print.

Total Sci-Fi Online gives both books 8 out of 10. They describe the Being Human book as a "comprehensive guide to the first two seasons of the hit BBC Three show" and remark that "it’s clear that the author has a great deal of love for, and knowledge of Toby Whithouse’s cult show."

Although they're curiously hard on our Doctor Who cover (we can't use official BBC photos guys so cut us some slack!) they very much like the contents saying: "this is an interesting and insightful assessment of Eleventh Doctor’s debut season that’s well worth picking up." They also add that it is "an up-to-date guide that isn’t afraid to shy away from the more controversial aspects of the series, such as the much despised redesign of the Daleks." Left: 'a much despised redesigned Dalek' yesterday

The full reviews are here (Being Human) and here (The Pandorica Opens)


23 December 2010 - Reviews of The Pandorica Opens

"Series Five was a great series and The Pandorica Opens is a fantastic analysis of it. I loved this book" (Gareth Bundy's blog)

"A gratifyingly pleasurable and entertaining joyride thorough the Whoniverse"
(Horrorview)

We've been telling you for some time how wonderful our new book on Series 5 of Doctor Who by Frank Collins is. Well it appears that there's now plenty of people who agree with us. If you've not yet taken the plunge then we urge you to check out the reviews at Horrorview and Gareth Bundy's blog.

You can purchase your copy of The Pandorica Opens here


Classic TV Press © 2012



The Third Doctor comes face-to-face with a Sea Devil

Professor Clifford Jones and Jo Grant surrounded by Giant Maggots

SV7 of Storm Mine Five




London Film and Comic Con

Karen Gillan

Louise Jameson

UPSTAGE - logo

Caroline Blakiston (as Mon Mothma in Return of the Jedi)

The 1981 cast of Blake's 7

Blake's 7 logo