DOCTOR WHO COMES TO PETERBOROUGH…
AND SO DOES CANDY JAR BOOKS
As part of the celebrations marking the fifteenth anniversary of the independent publisher Candy Jar Books, a thrilling new Lucy Wilson mystery is set to be released, and it’s unlike anything the series has done before.
The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: A Fright at the Museum, a Doctor Who spin-off book, takes Lucy Wilson to the heart of Peterborough, where strange forces are at work inside the city’s museum and art gallery. But this time, Lucy is crossing over into real world.
In May 2025, Adventures in Time and Space: An Unofficial Doctor Who Exhibition brought a stunning collection of monsters, props, costumes, ray guns, spaceships, and even the TARDIS itself to Peterborough Museum.
To accompany this, Candy Jar Books has teamed up with the museum to create a unique Lucy Wilson story that’s fully integrated with the exhibition’s locations. Set within the museum itself, A Fright at the Museum features many real-life details, including a plesiosaur skeleton. It explores the building’s historical charm and the people who bring it to life.
Author Tom Dexter says:
“For the past year, I’ve been working to bring the Doctor Who exhibition to Peterborough, and the museum was the first venue I approached. Thankfully, Sarah Wilson, the museum’s heritage manager, understood the concept immediately – and now it’s a reality. So what better way to celebrate than by sending Lucy Wilson, the Brigadier’s granddaughter, into the museum on an all-new adventure?”
In A Fright at the Museum, Lucy and her friend Hobo find themselves in the middle of an eerie puzzle. Museum staff are vanishing into thin air, and when Hobo disappears too, Lucy must investigate. With the help of Sarah, Lucy uncovers the secrets of a mysterious figure named Abbie Foster, and confronts a very unsettling fossil that may not be as dead as it seems…
Sarah Wilson adds:
“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the Doctor Who exhibition and Lucy Wilson to the museum. The fact that the Lucy Wilson story promotes reading and features our building so prominently is a fantastic way to celebrate what we do, and to engage young audiences in new, imaginative ways.”
Shaun Russell, Head of Publishing, at Candy Jar, says:
“I’m thrilled to see Lucy Wilson take on such a unique and atmospheric mystery. This story pushes both her and Hobo in new directions, and as a fifteenth anniversary gift to fans, there’s an Easter egg in the book that long-time readers will enjoy.”
Tom Dexter continues:
“This is the boldest, wildest Lucy Wilson adventure yet. It’s a mash-up of history, science fiction, and mystery that really tests Lucy and Hobo, and it’s been a joy to bring the museum and exhibition into the story in such an organic way.”
The exhibition itself features even more reasons to visit. Alongside the monsters and props, artwork by legendary Doctor Who artist Jeff Cummins will be on display, including some of his most iconic Target novel covers and new portraits of classic and modern Doctors. The display will also preview Jeff’s upcoming Candy Jar book, Outside the Box: The Complete Doctor Who Art of Jeff Cummins.
Jeff says:
“It’s truly amazing to see my work displayed in such a fantastic venue. From my very first Doctor Who illustration to my most recent work, this exhibition — and the book — trace a lifetime of creativity. I hope visitors get as much joy from it as I’ve had creating it.”
The exhibition also previews Jeff Cummins’ return to Doctor Who portraiture, showcasing new and exclusive artwork that continues to capture the spirit of the series. His already acclaimed illustration of Patrick Troughton’s Doctor features on the cover of the upcoming book When I Say Run, Run. Also written by Tom Dexter, this book dives deep into the often-overlooked legacy of Troughton’s era.
Dexter concludes:
“For years, Patrick Troughton’s time on Doctor Who remained shrouded in mystery. Behind the scenes, BBC Television Centre functioned like a well-oiled machine, with departments working in harmony to produce these ambitious sci-fi adventures. But Doctor Who was more than just a television show — it was a creative force that helped shape the careers of technicians, writers, and actors, leaving a lasting mark on the industry. This book sets out to provide that context and explore the wider impact Doctor Who had on 1960s television.”
Event Info:
Adventures in Time and Space: An Unofficial Doctor Who Exhibition
Location: Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery
Dates: 3rd May 2025 – 3rd November 2025
Featuring: Props, monsters, costumes, ray guns, TARDIS, original art by Jeff Cummins, and more
A Fright at the Museum blurb:
Deep in the shadows of Peterborough Museum, something sinister is stirring. When Hobo disappears during a visit, Lucy Wilson arrives to unravel the mystery. Teaming up with Sarah, the museum’s heritage manager, Lucy soon discovers there’s more to the museum than meets the eye.
Who is the enigmatic Abbie Foster? How has Hobo ended up in Paris at the end of the 1890s? What is the strange power behind the glowing blue light? And how could the fossil of a long-dead plesiosaur possibly be coming back to life?
A Fright at the Museum is no ordinary adventure for Lucy Wilson. Packed with mystery, time travel, and eerie encounters, this thrilling tale is set in the real-life Peterborough Museum, where you can visit the very locations featured in the story… and maybe even meet a certain prehistoric resident!
Time-Twisting Trouble and Heroic Hijinks:
The Lucy Wilson Mysteries Return to Celebrate
Fifteen Years of Candy Jar Books
To mark Candy Jar Books’ fifteenth anniversary, the Cardiff-based publisher is celebrating with a trio of thrilling new releases in the Doctor Who spin-off series, The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: A Fright at the Museum, Troubles in Time, and an expanded edition of Back in London (originally released in 2018). These stories bring back Lucy Wilson – the granddaughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart – as she battles aliens, tackles time warps, and saves the earth (again) with her best friend Hobo by her side.
In A Fright at the Museum, Lucy heads to Peterborough Museum, where something is very wrong – glowing lights, vanishing friends, and the fossil of a plesiosaur that may not be quite as extinct as it should be. Packed with eerie twists and time-travelling surprises, it’s an atmospheric adventure grounded in a real-life location.
Troubles in Time features two thrilling tales: Viva Las Llantwit Major, where time freezes and Lucy uncovers a plot to kidnap entire towns – complete with a giant worm – and Trouble at Tempus Novum, where a seemingly perfect science experiment reveals a much darker agenda – and a giant flying slug!
Back in London returns in a fully expanded edition – growing from two stories to six – as Lucy and Hobo take on haunted theatres, encounter the Queen during the Silver Jubilee of 1977, become possessed by evil suntan lotion, face time anomalies, and find themselves surrounded by living mannequins in Carnaby Street. Each adventure is set in and around the capital, grounding the sci-fi thrills in one of the world’s most iconic cities.
Shaun Russell, series creator and range editor, says:
“As Candy Jar Books marks its fifteenth anniversary, it feels only right to celebrate with Lucy Wilson – one of our most enduring and beloved characters. Incredibly, we have now published twenty-six books featuring Lucy and Hobo! These stories reflect everything we love about publishing: bold ideas, fantastic authors, and the kind of fun, fearless fiction young readers (and the young-at-heart) deserve.”
The authors included in these books are:
Tom Dexter (The Analysis Bureau and the upcoming book about Patrick Troughton, When I Say Run, Run!)
Chris Lynch (Lucy Wilson: Curse of the Mirror Clowns, Lethbridge-Stewart: The George Kostinen Mystery and UNIT: Operation Wildcat)
Lucy McCaul (Benton and Hawthorne Investigate)
Sue Hampton (Lucy Wilson: Avatars of the Intelligence)
Philip Bates (Companions, 100 Objects of Dr Who, The Benton Files 3)
Tim Gambrell (Lucy Wilson: The Children of January, Lethbridge-Stewart: Lucy Wilson and the Bledoe Cadets and UNIT: The Vaughn Identity)
Paul W Robinson (Lucy Wilson: The Web of Terror)
Baz Greenland (Lucy Wilson: Rampage of the Dropbears, Lethbridge-Stewart: Foreword to the Past and UNIT: A Legacy in Doctor Who)
Steven Walton (Lucy Wilson: Apocalypse Tomorrow and The Twelve Days of Christmas)
Blurbs:
A FRIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
Deep in the shadows of Peterborough Museum, something sinister is stirring. When Hobo disappears during a visit, Lucy Wilson arrives to unravel the mystery. Teaming up with Sarah, the museum’s heritage manager, Lucy soon discovers there’s more to the museum than meets the eye.
Who is the enigmatic Abbie Foster? How has Hobo ended up in Paris at the end of the 1890s? What is the strange power behind the glowing blue light? And how could the fossil of a long-dead plesiosaur possibly be coming back to life?
A Fright at the Museum is no ordinary adventure for Lucy Wilson. Packed with mystery, time travel, and eerie encounters, this thrilling tale is set in the real-life Peterborough Museum, where you can visit the very locations featured in the story… and maybe even meet a certain prehistoric resident!
THE LUCY WILSON MYSTERIES: BACK IN LONDON
London’s calling – and time is running wild.
Lucy Wilson and Hobo Kostinen are back in the capital, but this isn’t just a city break. From haunted theatres to alien chases through the city, their visit to London takes a chaotic turn when time travel, ghostly apparitions, and otherworldly threats start cropping up around every corner.
Whether they’re battling mind-controlling sunblock, meeting the Queen during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, or fighting mannequins in Carnaby Street, Lucy and Hobo are once again doing what they do best: saving the day, one weird adventure at a time.
This collection of six thrilling stories, written by a host of talented authors, is packed with heart, humour, and high-stakes heroics, all set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most extraordinary cities.
THE LUCY WILSON MYSTERIES: TROUBLES IN TIME
Time trouble comes in all shapes and sizes.
In Viva Las Llantwit Major, Lucy Wilson and her best friend Hobo discover the seaside town frozen in time. With only each other to rely on, they uncover a bizarre alien scheme to steal Earth towns for an off-world theme park. But things spiral when a monstrous space worm bursts onto the scene…
Then, in Trouble at Tempus Novum, a school project leads them to a shady biotech company that claims to grow crops at an impossible speed. But Lucy and Hobo soon discover the truth behind the miracle tech, and face off against a giant flying slug with a dangerous grip on time itself.
Two adventures. Two terrifying time-creatures. One unmissable mission.
