After a difficult trading year that has seen losses for CCT and the sp nose-dive to 25p at one point the solution to return to profits may come from the launch of electronic Sudoku games in time for Christmas. Character will launch two Carol Vorderman Sudoku products. For Sudoku fans on the move, there are two handy travel size products: a hand-held LCD game (19.99) with over 750 grids, and a touch screen version (29.99), with over 100,000 permutations of the game. A plug and play version, allowing addicts to play Sudoku on their home TV (29.99) will follow later this year. It won't take many sales to rack up good profits if these are anywhere near as addictive as the puzzle books have proved to be so far.
500,000 sold at guess 5 profit per item would rack up 2.5m, with less than 53m shares that is a healthy EPS of 4p on one item alone and my estimate is probably conservative? They also have licensing rights to Dr Who, Little Britain and Batman amongst others.
Also 70% of these shares are in the hands of Directors, Pension Trusts and Funds and as has been seen in recent weeks, moderate buying has pushed up the share price. It has all the hallmarks of a possible recovery stock as was IDS which I tipped last year at 81p and is now 382p. Not saying this will reach those heights but if Sudoku sells well this Christmas expect CCT to show a good start to their financial year. 2005 figures ending August 31st will not be good but we don't buy shares on the past, there is no gearing and 8m of shareholders funds available.
Take a look. The profits could be more pleasing than solving the puzzles.

Still looking good.

Paul Rowland, Western Mail

CHRISTMAS sales of Doctor Who merchandise have been "in a different league" to rival TV and film spin-offs this year, toy retailers said yesterday.

The popularity of the toys and figures from the hit BBC series, which is filmed in Wales, has comfortably outstripped that of merchandise from blockbuster films like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Batman Begins.

Chris Davies, at The Entertainer toy chain's Cardiff shop, said radio control Daleks had easily been its most popular items in the run-up to Christmas.

"They've just been flying off the shelves," he said. "Last Thursday we got 50 in, and by the next morning they were only four left.

"Most of the rest of the range has been going nearly as well. It's easily outselling things like Star Wars, which aren't even in the same league as it at the moment.

"We thought that might just be because it was filmed in Cardiff, and so might have been popular here because of that, but then we phoned our other shops around Wales and found it had been going just as well there as well."

The Doctor Who range also includes a battery-powered Sonic Screwdriver, a themed board game and walkie talkies modelled on Christopher Eccleston, who starred as the Time Lord before being replaced by David Tennant, and one of the bloodthirsty Slitheen aliens.

Ben Keywood, of mail order firm Galaxy 4, which specialises in merchandise from the cult series, said manufacturers had been taken by surprise by the popularity of the spin-off products.

"It's been very difficult to meet the demand," he said. "The problem has been that nobody really anticipated that it would be quite so popular, and so the companies who were licensed to produce it didn't make enough.

"It's only been in the last couple of days that we've had enough radio-controlled Daleks on our hands to fulfil all the pre-orders we've had, and so it wasn't until then that we could post them out for Christmas.

Mr Keywood said the visual appeal of the Dalek made it irresistible to fans of the show.

"Obviously it's to do with the fact that the Dalek is so iconic and if you see one in the shops, you will just buy it because it looks so good and it's quite quirky.

"I think you can't resist buying it when you see one, so when they have appeared, people have just snapped them off the shelves.

"But the biggest reason is because the series is so popular and it just brought people back to Doctor Who all over again.

"The merchandise has become this year's must-have present because the series was so well written and so well produced and it just captured everyone's imagination all over again."

Interest in the toys is also likely to have been boosted by the airing of a feature-length episode on Christmas Day.

In October, the new series of the show, the first for 16 years, scooped three prizes at the National Television Awards, including Most Popular Drama.

Tick down, CCT has gone X divi today.

Character Group PLC
09 January 2006


The Character Group plc ('Character' or 'the Company')


Digital Division Approach


Character announces that it has received an approach which may or may not lead
to an offer for a substantial part of its digital products division.
Negotiations are presently ongoing and shareholders will be updated in due
course.

The sale of the Digital Division could be 50p to 100p on the sp IMO

I reckon we could see cash returned to shareholders, wouldn't that be good, sp up and cash returned.

Hello all, very interesting thread.
Driver can you expand on why you believe the SP could rise 50-100p on sale of digital division.
Andysmith, regarding cash to shareholders is this a hunch? or do you know something.
Keep up the good work, I have always liked this share as it yo-yos regularily

Peadar10
It was a consensus opinion from another board that I agree with

If WWL is worth roughly half the business, & the market cap was about 30mil, that values it at about 15mil normally it is three times that on average (the bid that is), so at 3x = 45mil or 86.5p per share. Plus the options half at a similar value (?) = 1.73. Assuming it sells that is?

peadar, I know absolutely nothing at all, just a normal investor with a day job.
I think a possibility as CCT have a good cash position and may wish to return some money to shareholders who have stuck by them in recent times.
Of course could be absolutely wrong and they'll keep it for investment in the business or further licence acquisitions, either way I still think that this is one to watch this year, a new series of Dr Who soon can only help and keep the momentum even though I hate Dr Who!! Nice 150,000 buy today, very encouraging especially as now ex dividend. If there is a good trading update, followed by sale of this digital division and good results, with few shares in the open this will rocket IMO.

Hi All

Excellent update today. Profits up substantially for period and momentum strong for the year ahead. Hopefully interesting trading in this for a while and hopefully a good increase in the SP. Good luck to all holders. I believe this is going to be strong in the next few months. I`m holding. Obe

A good update from CCT sales up 60 pct on a year earlier, these shares are looking very cheap at the moment.

Two consecutive days of good news but the SP doesn`t really reflect this,you could hardly say there is any large volume today for such good news.

The news hasnt really leaked out to the average punter yet and there is a shotage of stock holding the price back. This share should be flying top up if you can.

Some large end of the day buys, its looking good for tomorrow after press reports.

Thanks for the answers to my questions gentlemen. I have followed this stock for years as it is a good one to buy when shares are low, remember a few years back offered to shareholders at 20p - went up to 160p or so withen a year and a half. After yesterday and todays news it looks to me that we are on the way back to at least 100p. I also remember that last year after a profit warning, directors bought at roughly 58p if memory serves me correctly - I think they knew the good times were around the corner. Anyway lets hope for the best. Just in case anyones interested I am a total amateur so don't take a word as gospel.
All the best, hopefully it will be interesting.

Peadar10
We are all amateurs at the end of the day, gamblers, but this one looks a sure bet to me.

Not much time left to get on board sum 62p

A good buying opportunity at these prices IMO while the mms play their games.

True enough driver. More buys to sells and they wack
the price down. Way over done in my opinion.
Trying to shake the weak out should mark it back up
in the morning.

Did the recent announcement re sales increases get any press coverage. Disappointed price has not moved up rapidly. Still hoping that sp rise is only a matter of time.

Peadar10

Looks like there was a piece in the Guardian on the 11th of January.
Can't access full story got to pay a subscription.
Other than that I cannot find anything.