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a book by a National treasure
Posted by: Jazz_Sue (---.in-addr.btopenworld.com)
Date: April 24, 2008 04:06PM
This will kinda be a thread of snippets about the recent Terry Nation tribute weekend I went to, at the Hilton Metropole at Birminham NEC (don't start - look at the address again and besides it cleaned me out and I can't afford the black leather bed any more, okay?)
Anyway, Kate and Rebecca (Tel's wife and daughter) were there, both lovely people who supplied tons of info on Terry's life and work, with especial emphasis on his writing career (naturally) and the fact he got all his ideas from reading. Constantly. He never got rid of a book and had a HUGE library - none of which the family have ever felt able to dispose of. There - Book Connection #1. Tony Hancock's nephew, Tim, was there also giving talks. I believe he was Tel's agent, now overseeing the media side of his estate - a kind of agent a la Uncle Mycroft style. The whole thing was hosted by Paul Darrow who I've had the hots for, for years. He writes, but, not very well. He suffers, from a, comma virus, bless, him. He starred in Blakes 7 (a Nation Creation) as well as being a personal friend of the family. TN started off writing comedy scripts and knew Tim's uncle well, which explains the Hancock connection as well as the Blakes 7 thing, I guess.
Lots of other guests there, mainly from old 60's/70's series TN was involved with as script writer, like Avengers, Persuaders etc. A fair few of the original 'girl sidekicks' - Lala Ward, Lucy Fleming and earlier were signing autographs/giving talks etc. Tony Curtis even popped in! (And popped out again just as quickly. Poor old chap's in a wheelchair. Having a new wife some 40 years younger than him could have something to do with it ...)
Book connection #2 is that Terry also wrote the occasional novel, including one for the TV series Survivors, which he also created and which is COMING BACK!!!!! The beeb reckon 2 years to completion, so Kate is confident this one's for real. Unlike the B7 TV movie, which both she and Paul got stitched up over.
But this is why I REALLY called in. Apparently, many years ago Terry wrote a one-off childrens' book for his daughter, called 'Rebecca's World,' which is now sadly out of print. It's a beautiful book, beautifully illustrated and Rebecca paid £600 for an original copy on ebay recently as her own got nicked many moons ago. So it's valuable. First thing then - look through all your childhood possessions, check out the loft, cos this one is gonna go up and up in value. It's be nice if Kate could be told of any that are still around - she has very fond memories of the original. Plus, I'd like a copy for Paul - I got two cheek kisses and I'm after the full frontal, right?
Why the interest? Well, RW is being recorded as an audio disc, with Paul doing the reading, and a reissue will accompany it. If all goes well, it could even be made into a TV series and/or movie because it was written when TN was heavily into Dr Who, but Rebecca was too young too appreciate it, so has a lot of modern appeal to youngsters. Broadly, it's about a little girl - Rebecca - who gets whisked away to an alien planet, and is full of sly little 'in-jokes' that should appeal to adult readers. There's a 'Master' type villain, alien monsters, etc and everyone who was a parent there (my youngest is 9) decided it would be an instant hit.
This may or may not happen, of course, but it's Bookworld type news (JF is littered by rare and out-of-print books) so I thought it had a place here - Rebecca's World is about to be resurrected from the Well!
One last point - I am sure that both Kate and Rebecca (who is a writer herself) as well as Terry, wherever he is, would be delighted if Jasper were to give RW/Terry Nation a mention somewhere in one of his books. Kate is a lovely lady and would have been thrilled at the fact the Daleks appear, albeit somewhat briefly, in Thursday Next - the only 'non-mythological' (i.e media created) monster to do so to my knowledge, outside of Jasper's own beasties.
Anyway, Kate and Rebecca (Tel's wife and daughter) were there, both lovely people who supplied tons of info on Terry's life and work, with especial emphasis on his writing career (naturally) and the fact he got all his ideas from reading. Constantly. He never got rid of a book and had a HUGE library - none of which the family have ever felt able to dispose of. There - Book Connection #1. Tony Hancock's nephew, Tim, was there also giving talks. I believe he was Tel's agent, now overseeing the media side of his estate - a kind of agent a la Uncle Mycroft style. The whole thing was hosted by Paul Darrow who I've had the hots for, for years. He writes, but, not very well. He suffers, from a, comma virus, bless, him. He starred in Blakes 7 (a Nation Creation) as well as being a personal friend of the family. TN started off writing comedy scripts and knew Tim's uncle well, which explains the Hancock connection as well as the Blakes 7 thing, I guess.
Lots of other guests there, mainly from old 60's/70's series TN was involved with as script writer, like Avengers, Persuaders etc. A fair few of the original 'girl sidekicks' - Lala Ward, Lucy Fleming and earlier were signing autographs/giving talks etc. Tony Curtis even popped in! (And popped out again just as quickly. Poor old chap's in a wheelchair. Having a new wife some 40 years younger than him could have something to do with it ...)
Book connection #2 is that Terry also wrote the occasional novel, including one for the TV series Survivors, which he also created and which is COMING BACK!!!!! The beeb reckon 2 years to completion, so Kate is confident this one's for real. Unlike the B7 TV movie, which both she and Paul got stitched up over.
But this is why I REALLY called in. Apparently, many years ago Terry wrote a one-off childrens' book for his daughter, called 'Rebecca's World,' which is now sadly out of print. It's a beautiful book, beautifully illustrated and Rebecca paid £600 for an original copy on ebay recently as her own got nicked many moons ago. So it's valuable. First thing then - look through all your childhood possessions, check out the loft, cos this one is gonna go up and up in value. It's be nice if Kate could be told of any that are still around - she has very fond memories of the original. Plus, I'd like a copy for Paul - I got two cheek kisses and I'm after the full frontal, right?
Why the interest? Well, RW is being recorded as an audio disc, with Paul doing the reading, and a reissue will accompany it. If all goes well, it could even be made into a TV series and/or movie because it was written when TN was heavily into Dr Who, but Rebecca was too young too appreciate it, so has a lot of modern appeal to youngsters. Broadly, it's about a little girl - Rebecca - who gets whisked away to an alien planet, and is full of sly little 'in-jokes' that should appeal to adult readers. There's a 'Master' type villain, alien monsters, etc and everyone who was a parent there (my youngest is 9) decided it would be an instant hit.
This may or may not happen, of course, but it's Bookworld type news (JF is littered by rare and out-of-print books) so I thought it had a place here - Rebecca's World is about to be resurrected from the Well!
One last point - I am sure that both Kate and Rebecca (who is a writer herself) as well as Terry, wherever he is, would be delighted if Jasper were to give RW/Terry Nation a mention somewhere in one of his books. Kate is a lovely lady and would have been thrilled at the fact the Daleks appear, albeit somewhat briefly, in Thursday Next - the only 'non-mythological' (i.e media created) monster to do so to my knowledge, outside of Jasper's own beasties.
Re: a book by a National treasure
Posted by: Haylo (---.nott.cable.ntl.com)
Date: April 24, 2008 05:42PM
Oooh I remember that!! I only have it in paperback though. Won't be able to go and rummage around in the loft for it until I get back from uni, grrrrr!!
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