March 10th, 2025 no comments

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Candy Jar Books Benton and Hawthorne Investigate

Available to order from www.candy-jar-store.co.uk

UNIT’s Sergeant John Benton pairs up with Miss Hawthorne from the much-loved Third Doctor story, The Dæmons, in a new short story collection from Candy Jar Books!

Benton and Hawthorne Investigate, written by Lucy McCaul, finds the White Witch from Devil’s End working with UNIT to ward off mythical creatures, uncover the truth behind murder plots, and even head out on a special mission to obtain missile plans and ensure peace. Miss Hawthorne, of course, was played by the late, great Damaris Hayman in The Dæmons, and quickly became a fan favourite.

The book comes from Lucy approaching John Levene, who played Benton in Doctor Who between 1968’s The Invasion and 1975’s The Android Invasion, about the idea. He says: “I was overjoyed to learn that Lucy has created a whole world of new adventures for Miss Hawthorne and my character. We’ve made six stories that really fit into the spirit of 1970s Doctor Who – and personally take me back to the wonderfully happy time I spent filming in Aldbourne, which doubled for Devil’s End. Lucy and I are very proud of the final collection and can’t wait for fans to enjoy them too.”

Lucy McCaul adds: “Sergeant Benton and Miss Hawthorne made such a great team in The Dæmons – it didn’t seem fair that they only had the one adventure together, so I wrote them some more! When I gave the stories to John Levene at Aldbourne, I couldn’t have imagined what would happen next. I’m very grateful to him for his enthusiasm in advocating for the stories. This wouldn’t have happened without his efforts. I hope that readers enjoy these new adventures for classic characters and this tribute to the era of the Third Doctor.”

This special one-off collection of stories is part of the commemorations marking fifteen years of Candy Jar Books.

Keren Williams, Head of Marketing, says: “We’ve covered so many aspects of Doctor Who in that time – from artbooks to the Lethbridge-Stewart novels, memoirs to The Lucy Wilson Mysteries – so we really wanted a fresh and unexpected approach, to add to that ever-growing universe of stories. That’s what Benton and Hawthorne is, and the playful cover, unlike anything Candy Jar’s done before, is perfectly evocative of that. It’s a little bit of magic.”

Benton and Hawthorne Investigate is edited by Philip Bates, who previously wrote 100 Objects of Doctor Who and Companions: More Than Sixty Years of Doctor Who Assistants. He says: “I’ve always loved The Dæmons (like most fans!), but even more so, I loved hearing all the anecdotes that came from behind the scenes. The serial is all the better for knowing that the cast and crew were having such a fantastic time together. These short stories, then, come from that happiness, an extension of it, almost a nostalgic bubble to get lost in. They take you from quiet English villages where evil is brewing to an international threat in mainland Europe.”
Lucy explains: “I studied in Trier in Germany for a year when I was at university, so I thought it would be fun to include a place I knew so well. I hope readers are transported there and want to visit because it really is a beautiful city.”

The location for the first story, The Wyverns of Addershall Hall, is also based on the Colchester Campus of the University of Essex, where Lucy spent a couple of years studying, and the nearby village of Wivenhoe too!
Benton and Hawthorne Investigate also features a foreword by John Levene.

Murder! Magic! Morning tea!

When UNIT is called in to investigate strange goings-on at Addershall Hall, they uncover a supernatural menace about to be unleashed upon the world. They need an expert. They need Miss Hawthorne. Or “Aunt Olive”, as Sergeant John Benton of UNIT calls her.The pair must go undercover to find out the truth about the wyverns ushered into this universe by a clandestine group of evil-worshippers. Tempted away from Devil’s End, Miss Hawthorne soon gets a taste for adventure, and so, in these six short stories, she and Benton have to track down the reason for mysterious earthquakes across the sleepy village of Lower Budworthy, slip out the Wringford Worm’s grip, and find themselves in Germany, recovering experimental missile plans. Of course, they also meet some new friends – and plenty of enemies – along the way.

It’s Agatha Christie, spliced with dark magic, and infused with that warm nostalgic glow of the 1970s Doctor Who Target novels.Going beyond The Dæmons, the Brigadier assists Benton and Hawthorne in this exciting confrontation with the forces of black magic!

Benton and Hawthorne Investigate is available for pre-order now, for £12.99 (+ p&p).

Categorised under: Books, Story books