As the sixtieth anniversary of Patrick Troughton‘s debut as the Doctor in Doctor Who rapidly approaches, Candy Jar Books will publish When I Say Run, Run! by Tom Dexter, previously known as Adrian Rigelsford. The book, featuring a cover by Jeff Cummins, offers a very special take on how the Troughton era unfolded.
It all seems like so long ago now, but when Patrick Troughton’s era of Doctor Who began on fireworks night 1966 with The Power of the Daleks, after a brief appearance in the closing scene of The Tenth Planet, nothing about the programme would ever seem quite the same again. The second Doctor’s arrival was a shock to the system, both as energised as he was whimsical, but it didn’t take long for audiences to embrace him as one of the most beloved incarnations of the maverick character we would discover, in his final regular story, The War Games, was a Time Lord.
When I Say Run, Run! by Tom Dexter, previously Adrian Rigelsford, which features illustrations by Martin Baines, tells the story of what happened behind the scenes during his era of Doctor Who and tries to reflect not only the series itself, but also how the nature of television production was evolving around it. This was an era when Doctor Who’s production treadmill was a powerhouse of creativity, with a conveyor belt of monster designs battling against their greatest enemy – dwindling budgets and a growing sense of frustration amongst both the cast and crew.
When I Say Run, Run! takes you on a journey back through the past, when the scares were real and Saturday tea time was always time to hide behind the sofa.
Now at the printers, a strictly limited edition hardback edition of When I Say Run, Run! is available alongside the paperback. This edition being personally signed by the legendary cover artist, Jeff Cummins, and Tom Dexter.
Limited to 150 copies, the hardback edition comes with an exclusive art card featuring the exhibition poster for Jeff Cummins – Right Between the Eyes, celebrating the artist’s work, which took place at Peterborough Museum last year. With only 100 copies available, this is a rare opportunity to own a unique collector’s item.
“Going through all of the files and the paperwork and talking to people who were there, you come to realise that, shockingly, the programme was often on the verge of being killed off,” the author noted of the “Troughton Era” of the show last year.
We feel it our duty to note that Adrian Rigelsford, previously a contributor to Doctor Who Magazine, has a mixed reputation in Doctor Who circles and some of his past work as a writer has been deemed suspect. However, we have been informed by Candy Jar’s Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell, that he and Philip Bates, co-author of Companions: More than Sixty Years of Doctor Who Assistants have carefully fact checked the book – one reason its release has been delayed.
Candy Jar Books is an award-winning independent book publisher based in Cardiff, publishing a wide variety of quality books, from non-fiction, general fiction and children’s, through to a range of cult TV books. They are passionate about discovering and nurturing new authors, and offering a fresh perspective on classic genres.
Having acquired the rights to produce original fiction with a classic Doctor Who character, Candy Jar is also home to the popular Lethbridge-Stewart series of spin-off novels featuring the Brigadier himself. And, more recently, a new series of Doctor Who spin-off novels has also come to fruition: The Lucy Wilson Mysteries, popular with readers of all ages.
Doctor Who-related fiction from the publisher also at the printers are The Benton Files 7 by James Middleditch & Kara Dennison; Lethbridge-Stewart: The New Unusual by Adrian Sherlock and Andy Frankham-Allen (2026 Edition); Lethbridge-Stewart: A Very Private Haunting by Sharon Bidwell (2026 Edition); and Lethbridge-Stewart: The Man from Yesterday by Nick Walters (2026 Edition).
The hardback edition is limited to just 150 copies
• Preorder When I Say Run, Run!: The Patrick Troughton Years Paperback Edition from Candy Jar Books
This story was updated to add information about the author and the editorial process carried out on the book
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Books, Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Television
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“some of his past work as a writer has been deemed suspect” is quite the the understatement for a man who has fabricated interview quotes from everyone from William Hartnell to Stanley Kubrick and went to prison for stealing thousands of items from an archive he was obstensibly visiting for ‘research’ purposes.
Not sure why you’re giving a factual book by a someone with no grasp of objective truth the oxygen of publicity, but “mixed reputation” is an interesting way of saying “disgraced and discredited”.
When I first posted the news story, I was unaware “Tom Dexter” was a nom de plume, alerted to this a little later. I did contemplate whether or not to simply remove it, but decided updating it was a more informative option. The publisher has responded to comments raised; which lets potential buyers make their own decision on whether Jeff Cummins stunning cover is enough of a persuasive argument to buy the book, which was the reason I reported on it in the first place.