It's Christmas... well, almost. And we have a special gift from all of us at Candy Jar Books, to all of you at home. A follow-up interview with Hannah Haisman, who is now able to talk more freely about Lethbridge-Stewart and her grandfather's inspirations... now the cat is out of the bag, as Sir Alistair would say.
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| Mervyn and Hannah Haisman |
Type 40: First, how
does it feel knowing that Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, a character your
grandfather helped to create almost forty-seven years ago, is about to make a
grand literary return for a new generation of Doctor Who fans?
Hannah: It is very exciting indeed! I am extremely
proud that Lethbridge-Stewart is held in such high regard with Doctor Who fans. There has been a
lot of positive feedback on social media over the release of these novels and I
am truly humbled that fans old and new cannot wait for a character my grandfather
co-created to make a literary comeback.
Type 40: In your
previous interview with Type 40 you talked a lot about your early memories of
your grandfather. Can you share with us some your earliest memories of
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart?
Hannah: To be honest, I never really had early
memories of Lethbridge-Stewart. Doctor Who was a snapshot in time of my grandfather’s
writing career, one that only spanned a period of a few years. The first memory
I have is when organising his literary estate and compiling a record of all the
works and characters he created.
Type 40: In your
earlier interview you also mentioned your grandfather’s deep love for books and
literature. Did he have any particularly favourite stories in his collection?
Do you know of any stories that may have inspired him to help craft the
character of Lethbridge-Stewart?
Hannah: Most of the books in his study were for
research purposes, ranging from historical to spiritual, travel to black magic!
As for stories that inspired the creation of Lethbridge-Stewart, I think that
was more down to his time in the army than any book on his shelf, but I feel he
based the character, as he usually did, on someone he knew or had met.
Certainly when the Brigadier barks orders, I reminded of my grandfather.
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| Colonel Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart |
Type 40: All
characters, like people, have a name and the Brigadier has an especially
dignified one. Do you know anything of how your grandfather came up with the
name for Lethbridge-Stewart? I have heard before that the original surname was
simply Lethbridge.
Hannah: Lethbridge-Stewart was created over fifteen
years before I was born, and growing up Doctor Who wasn’t really talked about, in fact none of
my grandfather's work was. Although he was passionate about writing, it was a job. It was
only in his twilight years that we sat and talked about things that he had
done. Looking back, I wish I had asked him so many more questions. If I had, I
would be in a better position to fill in the gaps!
Type 40: Was there
ever a point where you realised that in creating the character of the Brigadier
your grandfather had also created a television icon?
Hannah: Not until recently! It was only when I had
die-hard Doctor Who fans
tell me the importance of Lethbridge-Stewart. I’m being educated in the
importance of certain characters and thankfully Andy (Frankham-Allen, range
editor of Lethbridge-Stewart) has
been brilliant. I know by this statement some people will recoil in horror, but
I didn’t see my grandfather as a creator of icons. To me he was the icon.
Type 40: Many people
credit Nicholas Courtney’s performance as Lethbridge-Stewart as the source of
the Brigadier’s popularity. Certainly the actor’s forty-one year association in
playing the role is a testament to his incredible contribution to the
character. Did your grandfather ever discuss his thoughts on Courtney’s
performance in the role?
Hannah: The last time I visited my grandfather, we sat
up till 3am just chatting. He spoke about the Doctor Who years and his other
credits. He was very vocal about those he liked and those he didn’t! He didn’t
go into detail of his thoughts on an individual’s performance, but I know that
out of the three series he penned, Lethbridge-Stewart was a character he felt
fondly about. This was probably due to the way Mr Courtney brought him to life.
Type 40: Did you ever
have the chance to meet Mr Courtney and what do you feel he brought to the
character of the Lethbridge-Stewart?
Hannah: Unfortunately I never had that honour. I feel
that the role couldn’t have been played any better by any other actor, and Mr
Courtney is as much of an icon as Lethbridge-Stewart himself.
Type 40: Due to the
BBC’s now defunct policy of destroying film to conserve storage space, many Doctor Who episodes from the 1960s are
currently missing from the BBC archives. Because of this sad loss of material, The Web of Fear was thought to be lost
to viewers. But just last year most of the missing episodes from that story
were triumphantly returned to the BBC and have since been released on DVD. For
many fans this was their first time to see Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart in
action. How did it feel to learn that one of your grandfather’s Doctor Who adventures was available
again to see and enjoy?
Hannah: I was over the moon when I found out that most
of that story had been found. Nobody from the BBC had told me of this momentous
news; I found out the same time as the general public. My twitter feed went
crazy on the news of its release and I suppose that was the first time I
realised just what grandad had created, and what part he had played in the
formative years of Doctor Who.
Type 40: Have you
since seen The Web of Fear, and if
so, what are your thoughts on the adventure?
Hannah: I re-watched watched it today in preparation
for this interview, and I have to admit, I love it! In a way it is like
watching a ghost as I can see so much of my grandfather and other people in
certain characters. Examples of this would be Ann Travers; she is very like my
grandmother in her speech and mannerisms, and I can see a lot of my grandfather
in the Doctor and Professor Travers. I have reasons to believe, from
conversations I had with my grandfather about his time working on The Web of
Fear, that Chorley’s character is loosely based on Derrick Sherwin!
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| Anne Travers, inspired by Mervyn's wife. |
Type 40: The Web of Fear also featured as its
monster the Great Intelligence and its robotic Yeti, which your grandfather
co-created for the 1967 Doctor Who
adventure The Abominable Snowmen,
which is sadly still missing from the BBC archives. Whereas abominable
snowmen are the stuff of myths and legends, the Intelligence, a formless,
shapeless eternal entity, was a very novel concept your grandfather introduced
to the world of Doctor Who. Can you
give us any insight into what inspired him to create such an intriguing
character?
Hannah: My grandfather’s parents were very spiritual
people, which before the war was rare. The majority of people back then were
either Catholic or Christian, but after the untimely death of my grandfather’s
sister Stella, the family found the Spiritualist movement, in particular
Buddhism. When looking at the beliefs of Buddhists, they include a belief in an
infinite intelligence, a continuous existence of the human soul where energy
will change form to spirit and that the spiritual world penetrates the material
world on a different dimension. It was this belief that formed the central
concept of the Great Intelligence, something I feel was lacking in its most
recent television appearances.
Type 40: Colonel
Lethbridge-Stewart and a few other familiar faces from The Web of Fear will be returning next year in The Forgotten Son, the first book for the new Lethbridge-Stewart novel range. What has been your involvement in
the development of this upcoming series?
Hannah: After chatting with Andy, he introduced me to
Candy Jar Books, where we discussed the possibility of me granting the rights
to use Lethbridge-Stewart. I have given Candy Jar complete creative control over
the characters and concepts my grandfather created for Doctor Who. I chat very regularly
with Andy, and he consulted me when he put together the official timeline for
the Great Intelligence, and I’m being kept in the loop with other authors. Most
of all, I trust the authors and if I have any questions, they are more than
happy to talk me through them.
Type 40: Without
giving too much away about the future of the series, can we expect to see some
appearance of other Doctor Who
characters and concepts associated with Lethbridge-Stewart along the way, such
as UNIT, Cybermen, or – dare we hope – the Doctor?
Hannah: Never say never! I think you will see certain
characters and concepts owned by various authors, but I’ve been sworn to
secrecy!
Type 40: Although
Nicholas Courtney died nearly four years ago and the character of the Brigadier
was declared dead three years ago, it seems Lethbridge-Stewart is alive once
more, but now as a Cyberman. Were you surprised to see Lethbridge-Stewart’s
return as one of first monsters he faced onscreen?
Hannah: It is documented that I haven’t been a
life-long Doctor Who fan,
but, under orders from Andy, I watched Death in Heaven and as soon as the Twelfth Doctor saluted the Cyberman, I got it. I was
very surprised and more than happy to see Lethbridge-Stewart return as a Cyberman;
I really wasn’t expecting that and I don’t think the fans were either.
Type 40: In your last
interview with Type 40, you expressed your feelings of joy at the Brigadier’s
unexpected return but also your clear opinion that he should not remain as a
Cyberman (and yes, those monsters still make me hide, too) but perhaps as a
sort of ‘higher consciousness’ to aid his daughter in future episodes. Do you
think it might be possible we may yet see the Brigadier again in Doctor Who, perhaps even with a new
actor, fighting alongside the Doctor?
Hannah: It would be nice to see the spirit of Lethbridge-Stewart
live on, but it would have to be done right for it to work. If you have ever
lost someone who is close, there are times when you feel their presence with
you. If it were to be done, it would have to be in that way and not as a Cyberman!
Type 40: Now seems to
be a time when the character of Lethbridge-Stewart is rising once more in
popularity and awareness amongst Doctor
Who fans. What do you feel makes your grandfather’s character so special
and so beloved and, I would say, even immortal?
Hannah: I really couldn’t pinpoint what it is. My grandfather
wrote his best works when he believed in the characters. When a writer believes
in the characters he creates and the part is cast to the right actor, as it was
with Nicholas Courtney, the character becomes believable and even more special
amongst fans. With Lethbridge-Stewart it was a combination of the two – great
writing and a great performance. My grandfather could not have hoped for a
better legacy, and alongside Candy Jar Books and Andy, we’ll make sure it
continues to be honoured.
Interview conducted by Chris McKeon, co-author of Time's Champion (with Craig Hinton).
Lethbridge-Stewart begins in February with The Forgotten Son, set directly after The Web of Fear. Pre-order it now from Candy Jar Books.
Or you can pre-order the first four books in the series.
They are;
The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen
Horror of Det-Sen by Lance Parkin
The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee
Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters
More exclusive interviews with the creative minds behind Lethbridge-Stewart coming up over the next two months. The New Year begins with Simon Williams, the cover artist, who will discuss his career with Marvel UK and own original projects.
Until then, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our readers at home, from Hannah Haisman, Andy Frankham-Allen, Shaun Russell, Lance Parkin, David A McIntee, Nick Walters, Simon Williams, and everybody at Candy Jar Books!
