New When The Boat Comes In novel set to be launched

A new When The Boat Comes In novel is about to appear on the bookshelves more than 40 years since the hit TV series first hit our screens.

By The Newsroom

Published 24th Apr 2018, 10:59 BST- 1 min read

Updated 24th Apr 2018, 11:51 BST

When The Boat Comes In author James Mitchell pictured at South Shields riverside by renowned town photographer Freddie Mudditt.

The drama, starring Sunderland-born James Bolam as Jack Ford, was first televised in 1976 and was written and created by late South Shields-born author and screenwriter James Mitchell.

The new novel, Jack High, has been written by Mr Mitchell's son, former journalist and television producer, Peter Mitchell, and was published this week.

Peter, a former director of programmes at Tyne Tees Television, said: "Jack High features all the familiar characters from the television series which was set in the mythical Tyneside town of Gallowshield.

“When the series was first aired, my father wrote three books to go with it and they covered the period from the end of the First World War up until the early 1920s.

“There was a three-year break in the transmission of the programme and when it returned, the protagonist – Jack Ford returned home after losing all his money in the Wall Street Crash in 1929.

“This new novel covers some of those missing years – the bit in the middle before Jack sails off to New York.”

The story sees a now wealthy Ford enjoying the over-indulgences of the Jazz Age.

After rescuing a total stranger, he suddenly finds himself crossing swords with some powerful political enemies.

Mr Mitchell added: “The mid-Twenties was a time when the Soviet Union was just finding its feet and was trying to gather left-leaning political allies across Europe.”

Jack High by Peter Mitchell can now be pre-ordered on Amazon as a paperback or as an e-book. Price Â£9.99.