5 December: Eddie the Eagle

Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards was born on this date in 1963. 10 things you might not know about him.

1. His real name is Michael David Edwards. His family call him Michael. “Eddie” was a nickname given to him by his school friends.

2. He was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

3. He first got bitten by the Skiing bug on a school trip when he was 13. He practised on dry slopes and worked for a season at Glenshee in Scotland.

4. He originally tried to get accepted for the British Olympic downhill skiing team in 1984 but failed. This was when, realising that no other Brits were competing in ski jumping, that he turned his attention to that instead.

5. He didn’t have any sponsorship and so had to fund all his equipment and training himself. Hence all his gear was second hand, including a helmet tied together with string. He spent some time in a Finnish mental asylum, not because he was ill, but because they were offering cheap accommodation.

6. Another obstacle was his poor eyesight which meant he had to wear thick glasses all the time. As any glasses wearing skier will know, they have a tendency to fog up in Alpine conditions, so a lot of the time he could barely see during his jumps. He’s since had laser surgery to correct his vision and no longer needs the glasses, but kept them so he can wear them for fans who expect to see him in them.

7. He was the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. Although he came last in both events, he nevertheless held the British ski jumping record from 1988 to 2001.

8. His nicknames included “Mr. Magoo,” “ski dropper,” “Inspector Clouseau on skis,” “Abominable Snowman” and “Unsteady Eddie.” The “Eagle” nickname came from a speech by Frank King, who said, “At these Games, some competitors have won gold, some have broken records and some of you have even soared like an eagle.”

9. Edwards recorded two songs in Finnish, despite not speaking the language. The first was called “Eddien Siivellä,” or “Fly Eddie Fly.” The second was called “Mun Nimeni On Eetu” or “My Name is Eddie.” It reached No. 2 on the Finnish pop charts.

10. In 2016, he was portrayed by Taron Egerton and Tom and Jack Costello in the biographical film Eddie the Eagle. This film was inspired in part by the film Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican bobsled team, another group of athletic underdogs at the 1988 Olympics. Producer Matthew Vaughn saw how much his kids loved Cool Runnings and decided they’d also love a movie about Eddie. Another link between the two films occurred in 2008 when Eddie was in Calgary for the 20^th anniversary of the games. He did a zip line with Devon Harris from the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team.

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle