A quick message from your esteemed editor:
Yes, readers, it has been a long time.
To cut a long story short, I've been a bit busy. First of all, a new full-time job has taken up much of my waking hours so there hasn't been any posting here since the New Year. I'm also still debating with myself as to what to do with Cathode Ray Tube so I also took a little sabbatical to try and work that one out. Not come up with an answer... yet.
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In the meantime I have not been idle. A series of essays for MovieMail kept my incisive research and writing skills from going rusty during March and April. Coppers and Spies: The Evolution of the British Action Hero tied in with the high-definition release of series one of The Professionals and dipped back into the television archives to trace the predecessors to that entertaining if politically incorrect guilty pleasure. Articles were posted on The Sweeney, Z Cars, Dixon of Dock Green and the slew of 1960s shows from ITC, everything from Danger Man to The Persuaders!
They're quite good so please go and read them. There are further plans for these articles so keep 'em peeled as Shaw Taylor once advised us.
Plenty of other lovely bits of writing due for various publications this year and next and you'll soon be hearing about those.
Books... for free!
Meanwhile, you may have noticed that we have a new Doctor about to make his debut in the first episode, 'Deep Breath', of the new series of Doctor Who this month. By way of celebration I've got a pile of Doctor Who books that are crying out for a new home and you lucky lot can win them. All titles are courtesy of those brilliant people at BBC Books. So this week I'm running a couple of competitions to get the ball rolling.
Oh, and I know what you're asking. Is Cathode Ray Tube going to cover the new series when it starts on 23rd August? Let's see, shall we.
COMPETITION ONE: DOCTOR WHO THE MONSTER COLLECTION
This competition is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, John Seaman.
All eight paperback reprints, with their bold, modern covers, of Prisoner of the Daleks (by Trevor Baxendale), Scales of Justice (by Gary Russell), Sting of the Zygons (by Stephen Cole), Shakedown (by Terrance Dicks), Touched by An Angel (by Jonathan Morris), Corpse Marker (by Chris Boucher), Illegal Alien (by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry) and Sands of Time (by Justin Richards) can be yours.
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Cathode Ray Tube has one set of eight paperbacks, The Monster Collection, to give away courtesy of BBC Books and Ebury Publishing. Simply answer the question below and submit your entry via email.
Email your answer to the question above, with your name and address, and we'll enter you into the prize draw.
Good luck!
Yes, readers, it has been a long time.
To cut a long story short, I've been a bit busy. First of all, a new full-time job has taken up much of my waking hours so there hasn't been any posting here since the New Year. I'm also still debating with myself as to what to do with Cathode Ray Tube so I also took a little sabbatical to try and work that one out. Not come up with an answer... yet.
They're quite good so please go and read them. There are further plans for these articles so keep 'em peeled as Shaw Taylor once advised us.
Plenty of other lovely bits of writing due for various publications this year and next and you'll soon be hearing about those.
Books... for free!
Meanwhile, you may have noticed that we have a new Doctor about to make his debut in the first episode, 'Deep Breath', of the new series of Doctor Who this month. By way of celebration I've got a pile of Doctor Who books that are crying out for a new home and you lucky lot can win them. All titles are courtesy of those brilliant people at BBC Books. So this week I'm running a couple of competitions to get the ball rolling.
Oh, and I know what you're asking. Is Cathode Ray Tube going to cover the new series when it starts on 23rd August? Let's see, shall we.
COMPETITION ONE: DOCTOR WHO THE MONSTER COLLECTION
This competition is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, John Seaman.
All eight paperback reprints, with their bold, modern covers, of Prisoner of the Daleks (by Trevor Baxendale), Scales of Justice (by Gary Russell), Sting of the Zygons (by Stephen Cole), Shakedown (by Terrance Dicks), Touched by An Angel (by Jonathan Morris), Corpse Marker (by Chris Boucher), Illegal Alien (by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry) and Sands of Time (by Justin Richards) can be yours.
Cathode Ray Tube has one set of eight paperbacks, The Monster Collection, to give away courtesy of BBC Books and Ebury Publishing. Simply answer the question below and submit your entry via email.
- - This competition is open to residents of the UK only but not to employees of BBC Books and Ebury Publishing or their agents.
- - Entries must be received by midnight GMT on Sunday 17 August 2014.
- - This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer and no cash alternative is available.
- - No responsibility will be accepted for delayed, mislaid, lost or damaged entries whether due to system error or otherwise.
- - Only one entry per visitor per day. No multiple entries allowed. Entries sent using answers posted on competition websites will be deemed void. We know who you are!
- - The winner will be the first entry with the correct answer drawn at random.
- - The winner will be contacted by email. The books will be posted one week after the competition closes (unless delayed by postal strikes).
- - The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- - Entrants are deemed to accept and be bound by these rules and entries that are not in accordance with the rules will be disqualified.
- - By entering the free prize draw, entrants agree to be bound by any other requirements set out on this website. Entry is via email to frank_c_collins@hotmail.com. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received, only partially received or delayed for whatever reason. Paper entries are not valid.
Email your answer to the question above, with your name and address, and we'll enter you into the prize draw.
Good luck!