In tribute to the 50^th anniversary of BBC Radio 1, Candy Jar Books has announced a Kindle-only short story, ’48 Crash by Mark Carton.

The celebratory tribute comes as BBC has revealed plans for a three-day “vintage” digital radio station beginning on Saturday 30^th September. The free story will go live on Amazon Kindle on this same day.

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar Books, said: “Having grown up listening to BBC Radio, I’ve been waiting to hear what they had planned for the 50^th anniversary of Radio 1. It seemed like a fantastic opportunity to celebrate a British institution that has had such an impact over the years. When Mark suggested that he’d like to write a short story to mark the event, I thought that combining his core idea with the Lethbridge-Stewart range was a no-brainer.”

The weekend commencing Saturday 30^th September will see 50 one-hour themed shows compiled from Radio 1 archive material, featuring DJs from across its entire history, to be broadcast on a sister station, Radio 1 Vintage. To coincide, ’48 Crash will be available to buy from Amazon Kindle for only £1.29 from Saturday 30^th as well.

Shaun continues: “This celebratory release aligns with our Kindle release of the individual short stories featured in our limited edition HAVOC Files one through three. Each short story will now be available to download from Amazon Kindle individually for £1.29. Customers who previously missed the PDF e-books will be able to read each story in isolation without having to commit to the whole load. This is something we’ve been asked for many times. You ask, we do!”

Mark Carton has been an avid follower of the Lethbridge-Stewart range, and is the author of Candy Jar children’s novel The League of the Red-Nosed Gentlemen.

He says: “The Brig is an iconic part of Doctor Who history, which itself, of course, an iconic part of the BBC’s story too. In tribute to Radio 1’s Birthday, we thought it would be fitting if he returned to the fold, so to speak, to help out Auntie once again! It’s an action-packed tale, and a little irreverent, which we thought was befitting of Radio 1’s ethos. Lethbridge-Stewart must solve a mystery encoded in some of the popular hits of Radio 1’s early days. When the music’s over, does he succeed? I’ll leave that to the readers to find out!”

A PDF version of ’48 Crash will also be available to customers who purchase The Flaming Soldier from the Candy Jar website.

It is also possible to pre-order a preview copy of the new Lethbridge-Stewart spin-off, The Lucy Wilson Mysteries, announced last month. The book is due to be released widely in early 2018, but limited copies are available now via the Candy Jar website: http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/bumpersummersale.html .

Candy Jar Books is also offering an exciting new opportunity for aspiring writers. Launched at the Candy Jar Book Festival in Cardiff this year, the Candy Jar Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Competition invites writers to submit a short story based on the Doctor Who character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

This story is free from Candy Jar when you buy The Flaming Soldier. It is £1.29 via Kindle.

More details about how to submit can be found at the Candy Jar Books Festival website here: https://www.candyjarbookfestival.co.uk