December 2001

Carlton gives us a Flashy, Thunderbirds Christmas gift!

Carlton emailed a Thunderbirds-themed Christmas treat for Thunderbirds fans. It requires Macromedia Flash, and can be viewed by clicking on this link. It is an"ecard".

Thunderbirds toys seen in the US!

We have received various reports that a handful of the UK toys may be finally making their way into the US. An email has been received indicating that the Times Square branch of "Toys R Us" is carrying a limited amount of the Thunderbirds toy range. However, it is unclear whether there are plans to offer the toys in other brandhces. Any additonal info would be gladly received.

Thunderbirds goes wireless!

Thunderbirds invades the phone industry, from this press release courtesy of Carlton:

THUNDERBIRDS rides the zeitgeist once again, with a new licensing deal signed with Digital Bridges, a world leader in wireless entertainment. The deal sees Digital Bridges, who are launching the THUNDERBIRDS WAP Game later this year, licensing characters and themes from Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation series for use on mobile phone entertainment features.

Graphics for mobile phone screens and 'celebrity' voicemail will be available to consumers via Digital Bridges relationship with European phone networks. The downloads will feature elements of Supermarionation classics such as THUNDERBIRDS, CAPTAIN SCARLET, JOE 90, FIREBALL XL5, SUPERCAR and STINGRAY.

Voicemail elements will include key phrases, now part of the vernacular, such as the THUNDERBIRDS A-OK signal - "F.A.B.", as well as Troy Tempest of STINGRAY fame answering your missed calls, and the evil Mysterons, enemy of CAPTAIN SCARLET, scaring would-be callers with "This is the voice of the Mysterons ..."

Brian Greasley, CEO of Digital Bridges, said, "Digital Bridges has already created some of the most popular wireless games in the world, including the highly anticipated THUNDERBIRDS title. The agreement with Carlton International will allow us to target other high value areas of mobile entertainment, such as logos and ring-tones, using a number of very strong licenses."

Rob Corney, Licensing Executive at Carlton International commented: "Carlton International is in the fortunate position of representing some of the most loved and respected brands around. Through this deal with Digital Bridges, we look forward to taking the classic Supermarionation titles to more new media outlets, bringing to life some of the futuristic visions of their creator, Gerry Anderson. "

Alan Fennell has passed away

Alan Fennell passed away on December 10th. Alan was the "fourth wheel on the wagon" of A.P. Films. He wrote scripts for most of Gerry's series and was the driving force behind TV21. A magazine that supported the series and was no doubt a significant factor to their success.

Alan had been ill for some time but was recently recovering quite well.

Now he's gone. One more of the A.P. Films stable left us. With the likes of Derek Meddings, Christine Glanville, Barry Gray and Reg Hill to name but a few of the better known names that went before him.

November 2001

Replica puppets available from original sculptor! UPDATE

Terry Curtis, the sculptor of many Anderson puppet has decided to make a very limited number of replica puppets. Here is what he has to say:

My name is Terry Curtis and I am one of the original Thunderbird/Captain Scarlet/Joe 90 Sculptors. To cut a long story short, after much arm twisting I am recreating some of the characters that I orginally made - from the orginal puppets in my possession. One of them is Paul Travers, Captain of the Zero X spacecraft in 'Thunderbirds Are Go'. I am making a limited edition of him, each microchipped and authenticated by myself.
I have already entered two of these puppets in auctions for next year - one with Fleetwood Owen and the other at Christies. I will also be recreating Captains Blue, Grey and Ochre - which were also my puppets - at a later date. I have obtained permission to recreate these from Carlton International.
Everything is set up to accept a solenoid - I will not be including one however as most people replace them with remote control servos if they want the puppet's lip to move. I will not be recreating 10 as per the flyer. Regarding Captain Blue - again only six will be recreated from the original close up puppet that I have. I am unable to give a definite price until the first auction in February 2002 by Fleetwood Owen.

For the full text of his ad as well as an image of the replica, see this page in the collectables area.

There will be a maximum of 6 replicas for each puppet. If you are interested, you can contact Terry via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please bear in mind that a replica puppet made by the original sculptor is likely to sell for several thousand pounds, but will be identical to the original, including electronics.

October 2001

Cards Inc to produce a set of Captain Scarlet cards

Cards Inc., the people who recently brought out the excellent Thunderbirds cards is now planning to follow them up with a series of cards from Captain Scarlet. Details coming soon, but here are some images of early card prototypes. Yes, I know the text is from Thunderbirds, like I said, prototypes.

Another Mike Trim sketch on ebay

Mike Trim is auctioning off another of his sketches on ebay. This time it is a sketch of the "wombat" aircraft as seen in Thunderbirds. Let the bidding commence...

More Thunderbirds licensing in the Pacific Rim

Thunderbirds gets even more high tech! Soon the Japanese will be able to download images from Thunderbirds and other supermarionation shows. Plus info about a Thunderbirds-themed bank card promotion in New Zealand:

In Japan, the property's licensing agent Tohokushinsha are taking THUNDERBIRDS, literally, into the latest generation of mobile phones, through a new technology, currently only available in Japan, which allows phone users to view images on large, high-resolution colour screens.

Tohokushinsha have established a property focussed content transmission service called EZ-WEB operated by KDDI - the second largest telecommunications company in Japan. For a monthly fee, KDDI will offer an exclusive service to their members to access the EZ-WEB server and download still images from THUNDERBIRDS, and Carlton International's other classic Gerry Anderson productions which have huge followings in Japan, such as CAPTAIN SCARLET, UFO, STINGRAY, JOE 90, SPACE 1999 and SUPERCAR. In the near future customers will also be able to download video clips of the programmes. The service will be launched in late 2002.

Tohokushinsha have managed the hugely successful licensing campaign for the THUNDERBIRDS brand in Japan which includes toys, models, gaming machines, publishing, confectionery and apparel. The company has also recently started to expand CAPTAIN SCARLET licenses with a distribution deal for Vivid Imaginations' toy product as well as new friction pull-back vehicles with Takara Co. Ltd.

Takara also successfully launched THUNDERBIRDS toys and THUNDERBIRDS toy products are now available in mass market retailers like Toys 'R' Us across Japan.


Also occurring around the Pacific Rim… Carlton International has signed a high profile advertising licence for leading New Zealand bank, ANZ. THUNDERBIRD's cerebrally over-compensated character BRAINS will feature in a massive media promotion for the ANZ Bank's new ZED Credit Card. The campaign features several television and radio commercials, as well as national press activity and point -of -sale displays in all 155 ANZ branches.

The BRAINS ZED Card campaign will commence in early November and will run for a full year. In New Zealand THUNDERBIRDS is currently screening on TV3 and a range of toys, apparel, video, DVD and sports merchandise is also available.

Thunderbirds still popular with advertisers

If you think the popularity of Thunderbirds may be waning, think again. Travel seems to be a popular theme. Most be the vehicles... Check out this press release from Carlton International:

THUNDERBIRDS IN THE DRIVING SEAT

The power of Thunderbirds - the classic 'International Rescue' television series - has been proven yet again - with leading brands extending their association with the television entertainment property.

Ogilvy & Mather, on behalf of Ford, have extended their consumer press DPS campaign on behalf of Ford Galaxy, which features a child in the back of the car (kids on board), happily watching an episode of Thunderbirds on the cars new MMS (multimedia system - kids not bored). The advertisement was initially slated for one run of insertions in June 2001, but the campaign was so well received that the license agreement was extended for a further 12 insertions throughout Autumn 2001, with further options for 2002 and 2003.

Sian Facer, Head of Consumer Products at Carlton International said, "This was a perfect marriage of brands on many levels - the name of the vehicle, the Galaxy, reflects THUNDERBIRDS' science-fiction appeal and technological edge. The THUNDERBIRDS television show and licensed merchandise have been hugely popular in the UK since the relaunch, cementing even further THUNDERBIRDS' status as an immediately recognisable cultural icon".

Other companies who have embraced THUNDERBIRDS' instant recognition factor include the DVLA (the government owned Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency). They are featuring THUNDERBIRDS, with Lady Penelope and her chauffeur Parker, in national television and cinema commercials. Entirely new sets were built for the vintage Lady Penelope and Parker puppets who enacted a warning to consumers not to forget to pay their road tax.

THUNDERBIRDS has also been used to promote the UK's largest independent travel agent, Travelcare in a TV advertisement. The advertisement begins with two young girls relaxing on holiday around a huge swimming pool. The Voice Over explains that Travelcare's advice 'could prove very useful', when suddenly the pool begins to slide away and the nose cone of TB1 begins to emerge. The rocket blasts off and the girls run off screaming. We see that the girls have visited Tracy Island. The Voice Over finally says 'Travelcare - we'll tell you what the brochure won't.

Thunderbirds to get promotion in the US!

It appears that Thunderbirds will finally get the respect and promotion it deserves in the US. Most of the merchandise available in the UK will now hopefully be available in the US as well.

During the early 1990's when Thunderbirds was popular worldwide, the US was notable for (a) butchering the show in ill-conceived "turbo-charged" versions and (b) poorly promoting the show so that very few toys were available and even fewer sold.

The new owner, Carlton, does not intend to repeat those mistakes as the following press release testifies:

The US based Sharpe Company has been appointed as licensing agent for Thunderbirds on behalf of Carlton International, due primarily to their experience in niche market retailing.

Sharpe have announced new deals for Thunderbirds which will see Headline Entertainment providing a range of adult and youth t-shirts, available from September, FunKo Inc. are developing a range of wacky wobblers, and Irwin Toys have signed as key toy licensee. They will be distributing the highly successful Tracy Island playset, Soundtech action vehicles and figures, manufactured for Vivid Imaginations, throughout the USA and Canada starting in late 2001. They also plan to develop more Thunderbirds products that will capture the spirit of the series. Demand from the collector market is already high and this will be the initial focus, however a full PR and marketing campaign is being developed to launch this classic brand to today's generation of kids.

In addition, Carlton International have signed a video/DVD arrangement with New Video (A&E) are releasing Thunderbirds videos and DVDs, and Carlton Books will be distributing selected titles from their book range including the Complete Book of Thunderbirds and Cross Section books.

Charles Day, President of The Sharpe Company said, "We are thrilled to be the agents for Thunderbirds in the USA. If the incredible success of Thunderbirds in the UK is anything to go by, Thunderbirds could be the boys action brand that the American market is looking for."

Emma Chilvers, Senior Licensing Executive at Carlton International comments "It is very exciting for us to be working with The Sharpe Company and strong key partners like Irwin to launch Thunderbirds in this important territory. The USA is a welcome addition to our growing global success story for Thunderbirds."

Irwin Toys gets Thunderbirds licence for Canada and US

From the press release below, it appears that the UK Vivid Thunderbird toys will be sold in the US under the Irwin Toys banner. If you see any of these items in the US, please drop me a line and tell me wher you saw them. Here is the press release from Irwin Toys relating the above announcement:

Irwin Toy steps back in time to go futuristic with Thunderbirds in the Fall launch of figures, vehicles and playsets that feature super detail, amazing action and high-tech fun. The product is based on the classic action-adventure marionette-style TV series that the Company expects will enjoy a revival in the U.S. and Canada, as it did this past year in the U.K.

Thunderbirds is popular worldwide and are fresh off a major success in the U.K., where the Tracy Island playset hit the Top 5 list and Thunderbirds toys were Christmas "must-haves." Grant Irwin, Sales Manager, said, "The Thunderbirds groundswell is being ignited by collectors and a new generation of fans who enjoy Thunderbirds home videos and follow the story on the Internet. They eagerly await the toys and we expect a strong specialty market response."

The Irwin Toy product launch will include a spectacular new Tracy Island playset featuring SoundTech technology, enabling children to play while hearing signature Thunderbirds phrases such as "This Is International Rescue" and "Thunderbirds Are Go!" Tracy Island will also give kids access to Jeff Tracy's famed Control Center, with illuminated launch pads and a hide-and- reveal ability for Thunderbirds aircraft and featuring 12 speech phrases from characters such as Scott and Brains. Jeff Tracy's office features light-up character portraits, just as in the videos. Fantastic talking Thunderbirds 11-inch action figures will speak up to five authentic phrases and come with tool and weapon accessories.The figures will capture the essence of the string-puppet style of super-marionation developed by Gerry Anderson.

The vehicle collection includes the famed Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 3 craft, each with programmed speech phrases. Also available will be Lady Penelope's fabulous six-wheeled Rolls Royce, FAB 1, and the sleek Thunderbird 4 submarine and the Mole, which can be interchanged in the Tracy Island control center. David Hiltz, Director of Licensing and Research for Irwin Toy, said, "Thunderbirds is a natural fit given our strong position in the boys sector. As North American toy licensee, we are very happy to add Thunderbirds to our line up!"

Thunderbirds is rocketing into North America on the momentum of a major TV and toy re-launch in the U.K. The 32 marionette-style digitally re-mastered Thunderbirds episodes and two movies, "Thunderbirds In Outer Space" and "Thunderbirds To The Rescue," recount the Tracy brothers' adventures as pilots of International Rescue. Flying their Thunderbirds super secret spacecraft, the Tracy family thwarts the evil Hood and save Earth. Grant Irwin added, "Based on the U.K. success, Thunderbirds has strong appeal among three key market sectors: collectors, fans 10 to 24 years old who enjoy the campy style, and children 5 to 9 for the fantastic play value and entertainment.

Japanese capsule toys to be distributed in the UK

If you know about the Japanese Yjin/Gashapon Thunderbirds toys from Japan, good news. They will be available in the UK soon via Tomy UK.

The toys are sold in Japan in vending machines like gumball machines. Each toy comes in a clear plastic "egg" with a pretty nice Thunderbird craft and a little colour booklet. They have been making these for the last couple of years, and sets can frequently be picked up on ebay. With any luck, the UK versions will be the same quality, but a lot cheaper!

From the Carlton press release:

Carlton International announced a deal with TOMY UK to create a range of collectible THUNDERBIRDS capsule toys that will be available at 2,792 sites throughout the UK from Autumn 2001, including Toys 'R' Us, Argos, Mothercare, Woolworths and Safeway.

The collectible capsule toys will initially feature the various THUNDERBIRDS vehicles, with the range continually being updated and expanded.

Thunderbirds for Game Boy Advance set for November 2001 release

The long awaited Thunderbirds game for Game Boy Advance by SCi has now been given a release date of November 2001. Download video of game here.

Take charge of various Thunderbird vehicles, characters and FAB 1 & 2 to complete an array of missions consisting of more than 30 levels split over 7 environments - Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam, London, South Africa, Russia and Silicon Valley.

Thunderbirds nominated for advertising awards

The annual Licensing Industry Dinner and Awards is being held this year on the 24th October at the Natural History Museum in London. Thunderbirds has been nominated in two categories, Character or Entertainment Brand of the Year, and Brand of the Year.

Joe 90 puppet from BBC promos for sale!

The makers of the Joe 90 BBC promos are selling the Joe 90 puppet. Puppet is complete with dungaree outfit and (hopefully) at least one of the other outfit changes. It is fully working and comes with lip-sync box etc. They are looking for offers around the £4000. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. via email if interested.

Auction of Mike Trim Artwork on Ebay!

Mike Trim is auctioning off a few original drawings. Although they are going out on eBay, they are original items from the period that were thought lost but rediscovered by Mike recently. They are testing the waters with eBay at the moment as further items may go through Phillips in London but they hope to reach a wider audience than perhaps the casual eBay browser.

The item numbers are

• 1470270285 - Radar dish from Thunderbirds
• 1470282110. - TVR satellite from Captain Scarlet.
• 1012317831 - shuttle from UFO
  

August 2001

Behind the Scenes of the Joe 90 BBC promo!

We have an exclusive article about the making of the Joe 90 promo films mentioned below. This includes several behind the scenes shots. Text and images provided by the person who built the replica Joe 90 puppet used on this shoot.

Parker Puppet sold for £38,000!

The Fleetwood Owen's Movie and Entertainment auction sale at Planet Hollywood (see below) went well.

Gerry's original Parker puppet sold for £38,000, his Lady Penelope replica went for £15,000. Phil Rae's Alan Tracy puppet was sold for £19,000, but then this did include several accessories, like the original flying costume worn in his appearance in Thunderbird 6, a pair of original vinyl hands and an original storage case marked "Property of Century 21 Productions, Stirling Road, Slough, Bucks" plus an operating controller and an electronic transformer and switch to operate the lips.

The catalogue does not mention who it was sold to, but apparently Parker was bought by a Japanese businessman. Does anyone have more details?

JOE 90 To Work With the BBC!

Joe 90 has been enlisted by the BBC to assist them in promoting their new series 'I Love the 90's'.

Joe 90 will appear in a series of three trailers to be seen on both BBC 1 and 2 where Joe transforms into various iconic figures of the decade like Liam Gallagher, Garth from Wayne's World and Vic Reeves. (someone send these to me!)

Joe is no stranger to being called upon for such tasks; in the original television series, he was the boy with super powers hired as the youngest secret agent for the World Intelligence Network (WIN). Joe is programmed with the skills and experience of the world's greatest daredevil adventurers using Big Rat, a machine that can record the brain patterns of one person and transfer them to another. Joe 90 is slated for re-issue on VHS and DVD some time in 2002.

News item Courtesy of Carlton International Media

Captain Scarlet Merchandising News From Carlton International

Following the success of Thunderbirds - the classic Supermarionation series that is presently licensed in over 30 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, USA, France, Japan and Singapore - comes Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. The series has been bought by the BBC for broadcast in Autumn, and other countries such as Japan, Finland, Israel, Cyprus, with additional VHS/DVD activity in the USA. Carlton International announced that a major deal with leading UK toy manufacturer Vivid Imaginations has been signed which will see action figures of Captain Scarlet and Captain Black, vehicles and playsets on the shelves alongside Thunderbirds' Tracy Island and the International Rescue team.

Additional UK deal partners include Carlton Video, who will launch Captain Scarlet on VHS, and premier the series on DVD from the Autumn, Carlton Books (annuals and other books based on the series), The Mousepad Company (mobile phone and computer accessories), Dekker Toys (playsuits, bags & stickers), Martin Yaffe (lunch boxes, drink flasks and fridge magnets), Pedigree Group (marionettes and finger puppets), Impact International (radio controlled cars), Memory Lane Cakes (celebration cake), Aykroyds & TDP Licensing (underwear & nightwear), Ravensburger (puzzles), Slow Dazzle (Calendar), Tex UK (towels and bedding) and a Weetabix promotion with collectible figurines in packets of Weetos cereal.

Thunderbirds in Wedding Shocker!

As Parker might say: "Stone the crows!" ...

Thunderbirds fan John Rondeau is counting 5..4..3..2..1 down to his wedding day with a twist on 11th August. John plans to celebrate his F.A.B. day in true International Rescue style by transforming his Essex home into his very own Tracy Island, complete with palm trees and some of the Thunderbirds craft including a 7ft replica of Thunderbird 1.

The bride-to-be, Linda Barrett, AKA Lady Penelope, will be indulging John's obsession, but only after a traditional church ceremony.

John will roll up to St Margaret's Church in a specially built Thunderbirds vehicle to add a little madness even before the wedding begins. As they leave the church, John and Linda's guests will don an International Rescue hat and sash, and receive a Special Security Pass to prepare them for the Thunderbirds extravaganza that is waiting at the reception in Downham.

Gerry Anderson, creator and producer said: "I wish John and Linda every happiness and I hope their marriage will be as successful as Thunderbirds…and lasts just as long. F.A.B!"

The Thunderbirds characters will be there to stamp their approval on the day, while best man Paul will be posing as chauffeur Parker. The guests will devour a BBQ at themed tables while drinking lavish Lady Penelope cocktails.

The bride's sister was John's nurse after he suffered a horrific accident two years ago that left him in a coma for three months. As he was recovering she mentioned how suited John and Linda would be, a blind date followed and three months later the couple were getting married!

John has been a Thunderbirds fan since the first time the series was shown in the UK 1965, and he credits watching hours of Thunderbirds videos in hospital as helping him through his recovery.

News item Courtesy of Carlton International Media

Gerry Anderson to visit The National Space Centre in Leicester

Takeover Radio has arranged a VIP visit day for Gerry Anderson to The National Space Centre in Leicester. Takeover Radio is the National Childen's Radio station and is presented by children. Gerry is scheduled to arrive at the Centre on August 16th at approx 12 noon onwards.

He will given a tour of the centre and the Challanger Mission. Gerry Anderson is a Patron of the station. Additionally, he will be the guest that day on the radio shows being recorded for the following week, so from Tues 21st August, internet fans will be able to hear interviews with Gerry on the radio station at the website.

New Supercar Comic Coming in 2002!

A brand-new mini-series of comics based on Supercar will be coming out in the spring of 2002. This is an officially licensed comic strip which will remain faithful to the characters and situations of the 1959 TV show. The comic is co-written by Kez Wilson (who also started the Supercar list on Yahoo Groups) and Michael Wolff. The artwork is by Kez wilson and Charles Barnett III. The comic will be published by Misc Mayhem Productions. This is the first officially licensed Supercar product since the early 1960s!

July 2001

Details on the upcoming DVD release of Captain Scarlet

We just got more details on the extras which will be included on the forthcoming Captain Scarlet DVDs. Firstly, and possibly most importantly, the DVDs will be Region 0 discs!. What does this mean? Well, if you have a DVD player/TV combo which can play PAL discs and you are not in region 2 (UK), the discs will play without complaint.

If you live in an area where PAL is not the TV standard (for example, the US uses NTSC), you will need a multi-standard TV, a PAL->NTSC convertor or a DVD player which can output a PAL disc as NTSC. The latter is relatively easy to find if you look on the web.

This also implies quite strongly that there is no need to region-encode the discs as they will not be sold elsewhere in the world, making a US DVD release unlikely.

Extras to be included on the discs:

• 2 x Gerry Anderson commentaries (the Mysterons and Attack on Cloudbase)
• 4 1960s Scarlet adverts (2 x Sugar Smacks and 2 x Lyons Maid)
• Captain Scarlet bumpers (end of part 1 and part 2)
• original ITC publicity material
• memorabilia -
  • 5 TV21 EP audio adventures
    
  • TV21 comics
  • Scarlet books
• 2 stills galleries
• Scarlet on the Golden Shot photo story
• text pieces on Cloudbase, SPV, SPC, MSV, Spectrum Helicopter, SPJ and Angel Interceptor
• all the alternate opening sequences (including the Japanese one)
  

The box set and the individuals will be exactly the same except that the bonus disc of Gerry Anderson's Scarlet documentary will not be available individually.

More DVDs from Thunderbirds in Australia

Further to the first 2 volumes released earlier this year (see story below), volumes 3 and 4 of the Australian DVDs for Thunderbirds were released. They appear to contain identical material to the UK DVDs. These are Region 4 PAL.

Volume 3:

Brink of Disaster
Perils of Penelope
Terror in New York City
End of The Road

Extras:
Full Interactive Animated Menu
Dolby Surround Sound 5.1
Stills Gallery
Fab Fact File (Tracy Island)
Chapter Breakdown per Episode
Character Featurette "Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know" Feature


Volume 4:

Day of Disaster
Edge of Impact
Desperate Intruder
Move and You're Dead

Extras:
Full Interactive Animated Menu
Dolby Surround Sound 5.1
Stills Gallery
Fab Fact File (Original Memorabilia)
Chapter Breakdown per Episode
Character Featurette "Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know" Feature

Catch Gerry on TV July 6th!

Friday, July 6th, the British Sci-Fi Channel is screening "The Seven
Ages of Sci-Fi", 8 - 9pm. Documentary tracing the history of science
fiction. Featuring contributions from Ray Harryhausen, Gerry Anderson
and Iain M Banks. May be worth checking out their website to learn more.

Stand by for Action TV!

The latest issue of Action TV - The Cult Adventure TV Magazine is in the shops in the UK now. Issue 4, dated Spring 2001 sells for the reasonable price of £3.00. This issue contains a wealth of Anderson-related items such as an article on Thunderbirds and a very in-depth interview with Sylvia Anderson.

This issue also contains articles on the Prisoner - complete with photos of the scrapped Rover machine. Adam Adamant and Charlies Angels(!) round out this issue. The magazine is well produced with a colour cover and lots of black and white photos inside. It has more than a passing resemblance to Timescreen.

The magazine should be available at your favourite specialist store, but if you have a hard time locating it, their address is:

Action TV
PO BOX 25,
Horseforth,
Leeds,
LS18 5TJ

Please enclose an SAE or IRC if you would like a reply.

Captain Scarlet to be released on DVD in September 2001

Contrarary to earlier reports (see below), the DVD boxed set of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons will now be released in the UK on September 17th 2001. Details to follow.

Catalogue now available for the upcoming puppet auction

The auction to be held at the end of this month at Planet Hollywood in London (see related sotries below) now has a printed catalogue available from the auction house, Fleetwood Owen.

June 2001

Thunderbirds comes to UK satellite TV!

The UK Cartoon Network channel "Boomerang" will be showing the restored version of Thunderbirds this summer:

Get ready for a summer of action, espionage and adventure as International Rescue blasts off from Boomerang on its eternal mission to thwart evil. Yes, you got it folks, your chance to experience the original and digitally re-mastered Thunderbirds is most definitely GO from July 2nd as it receives its premiere on digital satellite. Transmission from Tracy Island commences weekdays 5:30pm with bonus weekend episodes at 8am.

Working for the good of mankind, former astronaut Jeff Tracy and his 5 intrepid sons Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John pilot International Rescue's 5 super secret craft - the Thunderbirds, designed by computer genius Brains and his assistant Tin Tin.

These vehicles, created to tackle every impossible situation comprise rocket Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 2, which transports the Mole, spaceship Thunderbird 3, while submarine Thunderbird 4 is used for underwater rescues. John Tracy monitors the entire operation up in Thunderbird 5, a space satellite.

This is only the Boomerang in the UK, and does not appear to be on the listings for the US version.

Gerry Anderson MBE!

Gerry Anderson is to be appointed MBE (Member of the British Empire) for services to animation as part of this year's birthday's honour list by the Queen. He said: "It's something I suppose I hoped might happen one day, that I might get a gong ­ but you think it's just a hope and it will never happen."

"I've been doing a lot of publicity recently because of Thunderbirds and the return of Captain Scarlet in the autumn, and talking to people I have been amazed and delighted at the number of fans the shows have got. I'm glad that they have provided such good wholesome fun in this day and age."

Full story at the Independent site on this page.

More original Anderson items for the auction in July

• 'Alan Tracy' puppet and accessories from 'Thunderbirds'. £15,000-16,000
• 'Stingray' model from 'Stingray'. £9,000-10,000
• 22in. 'Eagle Transporter' spaceship & accessories from 'Space 1999'. £9,000-10,000
• 16.5in. 'Hawk' spaceship from 'Space 1999'. £6,000-7,000
• Computer panels from 'Space 1999'. £350-450
• Truck from 'Thunderbirds' and 'Captain Scarlet'. £2,000-3,000
• 'Zero X' spaceship wheels from the feature film 'Thunderbirds Are Go'. £200-300
• Unassembled Spacehawk spaceship from 'Terrahawks'. £400-500
• Investigator car and boat from 'The Investigator'. £2,500-3,000
• Spacecraft / spacesuit joystick from '2001: A Space Odyssey', and UFO. £400-700
• PLUS: Original props/costumes/models from Alien, Outland and Event Horizon

Free episodes of Stingray and Space:1999 on DVD!

PC Format magazine, published in the UK, comes with a CD-ROM or a DVD on the cover. The DVD edition for June includes episode 1 of Stingray, and the July issue will have "Breakaway" from Space 1999. Published by Future Publishing, retail price is £5.99. The magazine's website is: http://www.pcformat.co.uk

FAB (adjective)?

Apparently, Carlton/Gerry Anderson are attempting to have the word "FAB" accepted as a word in the Oxford English Dictionary. No really. Check it out on the official Thunderbirds website.

Lady Penelope and Parker are to Go!

Gerry Anderson is selling off two of his puppets from Thunderbirds. One is a studio original "Parker" puppet in authentic uniform. The other is a replica Lady Penelope puppet made by Christine Glanville for a TV commercial in 1990. They are both Gerry Anderson's property, which should help with the bid prices somewhat. Parker is expected to reach quite a high price - possibly up to £50,000. Lady Penelope will probably not go quite so high, expected to reach closer to £10,000 due to the fact that it is not a studio original.

The auction is to take place at 7pm on Tuesday 31st July 2001 at the Planet Hollywood restaurant in London.

This auction will be part of auction house Fleetwood Owen's Movie and Entertainment auction. Other items for sale include Dr Evil's costume (Austin Powers) and the Alien Queen head from Aliens.

May 2001

Thunderbirds F.A.B. UK tour dates for 2001

After a successful run in London over the Christmas holidays, "Thunderbirds F.A.B." embarks on a UK tour this summer. Dates, places and phone numbers are below.

"Making of" secrets revealed for Captain Scarlet CGI pilot

The latest issue of UK magazine CGI, contains an article about the making of the recent Captain Scarlet CGI pilot. It makes for very interesting reading. It contains a number of interesting images, such as the gradual build-up of the "improved" SPV vehicle. Read all about it here.

Problem with some Stingray DVDs

If you bought the Stingray DVDs and had a problem playing them on your player as reported below, help is at hand.

The first pressing of these discs featured programming faults which have been discovered to be incompatible with some DVD players, primarily Samsung, Proline and Pioneer, locking the player after the opening Carlton Video logo. Replacement discs are now available so all you have to do is post the faulty disc(s) to Carlton Video with your name, address and details of your DVD player. They will send you a replacement disc. The address is:

Customer Services,
Carlton Video,
The Waterfront,
Elstree Road,
Elstree,
Hertfordshire, WD6 3BS

April 2001

Captain Scarlet video update

The Region 2 PAL DVD and PAL VHS release of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons by Carlton is set for 1st October 2001. The DVD box set will consist of 5 DVDs, the VHS set will consist of 9 tapes. Both sets will retail for £74.99. Carlton is accepting pre-orders at their web site.

New set of Thunderbirds premium trading cards coming soon

Cards Inc are doing a superb set of Thunderbirds cards. This will include 72 main cards, 15 foil cards, 7 autograph cards, 4 rare insert cards. They are also making a storage binder.

Stingray DVD set disc 1 fault aknowledged

Some people who bought the recent Stingray DVD box set may have experienced problems with playing the first disc. This is due to a fault on the disc which prevents it from working on some "budget priced" DVD players like the Samsung 709 and Wharfdale 750. Carlton is aware of this and will be exchanging the discs as soon as new ones are ready. Full details when we have them.

Check out (with) the new Captain Scarlet toys - coming soon!

Vivid Imaginations in the UK is working on a set of toys from Captain Scarlet due out in the autumn. These will be available during the time when the TV show is being aired on BBC and the videos and DVDs get released. Dave Nightingale at Engale Marketing/Star Trader has a page for pre-ordering the toys along with descriptions of the toys and early sketches of what they may look like. There will be figures of Captains Scarlet and Black, in addition there will be an SPV, Command Team (Angel Interceptor, SPC and helicopter) and Cloudbase. All will feature the "Soundtech" technology. Just as my wallet was cooling down...

Thunderbirds Promotion at Little Chef Restaurants

If you have just completed your KFC (UK) Thunderbirds toy collection, get ready to blast off again now that Little Chef is offering a Thunderbirds promotion. They are giving away a Thunderbirds toy with every £3.49 Kids Fun Meal. They do appear to be different from the KFC ones too. One even comes with the Thunderbirds spaghetti shapes. Here we go again...

Starburst interviews Sylvia Anderson

The latest issue of UK sci-fi magazine Starburst contains an interview with 'Er Ladyship 'erself, Sylvia Anderson.

We are about to relaunch...Stingray!

Stingray is gearing up for a big push now that Thunderbirds has finished its run on BBC in the UK. Two episodes a week will be shown in the same slot that was occupied by Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, the Excellent Stingray DVD boxed set is available, complete with lots of goodies. Lastly, there is also an official Stingray web site. Take 'er down Phones....

Nyree Dawn Porter passes away

Nyree Sawn Porter appeared as the Contessa Caroline di Contini in the 1972 Gerry Anderson series "The Protectors" opposite Robert Vaughan. She was 61. Full obituary at Fanderson.

Joe 90 Fan Site Launched

Joe 90 fan Andrew Frampton has finally unveiled his Joe 90 web site. This contains a comprehensive episode guide, a memorabilia guide and much more. Well worth a trip.

Supercar Almost Ready for Lift-off

The Johnny Lightning Supercar die-cast is almost ready, due out in May, and now we have colour photo of the finished product. Looks like it is going to be very nice. the car will be available separately, on in the "Hollywood on wheels 3" set. No woody jokes, please.

March 2001

Space:1999 DVD Menu Screens Preview

For those who can't wait any longer, DVDREVIEW has obtained images of the menu and supplementary material from the forthcoming Space:1999 DVDs. It is in the news section. Looks like they really put a load of good stuff these DVDs. Anyone want to buy my REGION1 versions?..

So, you want to see the Scarlet CGI pilot eh?

If you are not one of the lucky ones who has seen the Captain Scarlet CGI pilot show, then we have a treat for you. An eagle-eyed fan found clips from the pilot on the demo reel of the company that worked on it. The showreel is about 4 minutes long and contains about a minute of material from the Scarlet CGI pilot. The Scarlet pilot is about 5 minutes in length, so this is by no means the whole thing, but does show off the superb work done. Naturally, as this is a showreel, it also includes material from their other productions, which is also impressive.

No word yet on the fate of the proposed series, but "the buzz" about the pilot has been extremely positive...

http://www.moving-picture.com/whatwedo/showreels/showreels.php

Select '3D Reel' in your chosen format (Quicktime, Real Player or Windows
Media) & amongst the collage of their current work are random shots from the
Captain Scarlet CGI Pilot!

Thunderbirds in New Zealand!

Thunderbirds is to be shown on TV3 in New Zealand commencing on June 10th.The new range of Thunderbirds toys will be delivered to retail stores to coincide with the viewing schedule. The campign is called "Thunderbirds are back".

Thunderbirds music for the Stratford Music Centre!

Saturday 7th April will be a FAB day for orchestral players and film music lovers, as Thunderbirds is coming to town! No, not the programme, but the theme music, which is going to play a major part in an orchestral workshop being held at Stratford Racecourse organised by the Friends of Stratford Music Centre. The workshop is entitled A Day At The Movies , and, as well as the theme from Thunderbirds, will feature other favourites from the film world including Indiana Jones, Mary Poppins and The Dam Busters. Tim Raistrick, well known to Stratford audiences, will join the orchestra to sing Oh, What A Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma, and Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific.

The workshop is open to all orchestral players of Grade 4 standard or above, and is free of charge, including lunch. It is being totally subsidised by the Friends of the Music Centre to give orchestral players a rare chance to play some of the most famous film music in the world. There is a concert at 6.00 pm, which includes an auction of talents and promises, with auctioneer Steven Bruce, and the proceeds from the auction will be going towards the Music Centre’s production of ‘West Side Story’, which is being taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

Conductor Jenny Barrie said that it is a marvellous opportunity to play such music, especially the Thunderbirds theme. "We have been extremely fortunate to have been given a copy of Barry Gray’s original score for Thunderbirds, and it is very exciting to see the music in its original state, rather than an edited version. Although we won’t be able to reproduce the sound effects as Barry Gray wanted, we hope to be able to do the music justice."

Further applications for the workshop are welcomed, and anyone interested should telephone the Stratford Music Centre (01789 263620).

Captain Scarlet DVD to get 5.1 surround sound!
From the DVDREVIEW website

We've been speaking to some very nice people at Carlton Video and can announce some thrilling news for fans of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's Captain Scarlet (1967). You probably know that the complete series is due to be released in September but we can confirm that the release will feature a remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack for each of the 32-episodes! Although the 5.1 surround mix on Thunderbirds (1966) proved highly popular there were a few gripes from purists. So in a laudable effort by Carlton Video to satisfy everybody the Captain Scarlet release will include both the original mono soundtrack and a stereo mix in addition to the 5.1 track.

We've also been looking at the test discs for Volumes 2 and 3 of Stingray due out on 2 April. We'll be posting a news story about these shortly but presentation wise these surpass Carlton's previous Thunderbirds boxset and we hear that the Space: 1999 discs (currently at the emulation stage) are even better.

Both Stingray, Space: 1999 and Scarlet will be getting their own official websites ala Thunderbirds which Carlton will use to promote the DVD releases and provide additional material not seen on the DVDs. Such as? Well on the Stingray disc there's a virtual CGI flyby through the Stingray cockpit. Because of storage considerations it's only around 30 seconds long but the plan is for the website to host the full version. Further publicity will follow when the BBC begins repeats of Stingray in April and Captain Scarlet in the autumn.

FULL STORY

Thunderbirds released on DVD down under!

Two Thunderbirds DVD's have been released in Australia.

Disc one

• Trapped in the sky
• Pit of Peril
• City of Fire
• Sunprobe
  

Disc two

• The uninvited
• Might Atom
• Vault of Death
• Operation Crash Dive

They appear to have the same extras as the R2 discs, but this is unconfirmed.

Supercar die-cast update

The Johnny Lightning Supercar die-cast reported last month is scheduled for availability in April from the usual stockists. No photo of the finished product is available as yet, but here is a photo of the "Hollywood on Wheels 3" set of which Supercar is a part. Please note the colours are only this way for the prototypes. The final versions will feature authentic colours.

Pending Video releases

The following is the known release dates for videos in the next 6 months. These are all for the UK which means Region 2 DVDs and a PAL TV signal. The Thunderbirds movies will include narration by David Lane, the director along with Sylvia Anderson.

Thunderbirds are Go! March 28th 2001

Thunderbird 6 March 28th 2001

Stingray April 2 2001 (complete series on 5 discs)

Space:1999 April 30th 2001 (series 1 volumes 1-3)

Space:1999 June 11 2001 (series 1 volumes 4-6)

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons September 2001 (complete series on 6 discs)

For full details of world-wide availability of current and-soon-to-be-released VHS videos and DVDs, visit the current Anderson videos and DVDs page.

Related story at DVDREVIEW.NET featuring photos of Sylvia and David.

Preview of Thunderbirds movies at DVDREVIEW.NET

Gerry Anderson Lecture at Fusion Research Centre
From Fanderson News page

Gerry Anderson will be delivering a lecture entitled "What Makes Thunderbirds Go" at the Culham Science Centre in Abingdon, Oxfordshire on March 21st. Full text of story

Thunderbirds released on DVD and VHS in the US!

About bloody time! These are practically identical to the UK DVDs and VHS tapes, except that the US DVDs contains noticeably fewer extras. It does appear that the picture quality is the same however. (TV21 review of the UK discs). They are published by A&E, the same people behind the recent Space:1999 releases and the superb Avengers discs.

The DVDs are sold in sets with 2 discs each. The first two sets contains 6 episodes each, 3 per disc. The VHS tapes are sold in sets of 3, with 2 episodes per tape.

Region 1 DVDs (Amazon)
 Thunderbirds Set 1  (2 discs)
 Thunderbirds Set 2  (2 discs)

VHS Videos (Amazon)
 Thunderbirds Vol 1 (3 tapes)
 Thunderbirds Vol 2 (3 tapes)

Puppets under fire for TV smoking!
Report from Times of London

THE world’s best-known female undercover agent, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, has been attacked by health campaigners for setting a poor example to children.

By smoking through her trademark cigarette holder, the string puppet Lady Penelope, a “Supermarionation” secret agent for International Rescue in the BBC series Thunderbirds, has fallen foul of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

The Liverpool-based charity wants the BBC to censor scenes of Lady Penelope and Parker, her butler, smoking cigarettes before reshowing the series. Christine Owens said yesterday: “The broadcasters and programme-makers are being irresponsible by including these scenes in a show aimed at children. Thunderbirds is a national institution which has a responsibility to its audience.” Full story

February 2001

News from the Netherlands
News report from Theo de Klerk in the Netherlands

This coming Sunday the NET-5 station will start broadcasting the newly
restored versions of Thunderbirds in the Netherlands. Because this is a
commercial station the episodes will be interrupted for commercials but they
will run an entire episode per screening (not 2x25 minutes). This is a first
for Holland since in the past, PBS station AVRO broadcasted the series
in 1965, 1973, 1992 and 1994. Carlton's price per screening/episode was
considered too much for them this time round.

Wednesday 28th Feb 2001 Gerry Anderson will visit Amsterdam to promote the
series to the press and license holders much the same way as Sylvia Anderson
did in 1993. Unlike that event, it is likely that the series will not be credited to all people involved, and become a "Gerry Anderson Production" rather than a team effort. Even a Carlton DVD with an old b/w documentary had all mention of Sylvia Anderson removed.

Dutch versions of the UK DVDs will also be released soon - identical to the UK release but with the added option of a dutch subtitle. The fact that 10 episodes have complete dutch dubbing tapes ready for use and offer as an optional audio track has been ignored.

A coverage of this visit will be shown in the TV programme "Netwerk" by AVRO
on the Thursday or Friday following the 8pm news on Nederland 1. It may also
include some interview bits of long time fans of the series.

The Filmhuis Den Haag will show both feature films Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird Six in the week of April 29 - May 6th. This coincides with the release of these two films on DVD. Thunderbirds are Go and Thunderbird Six are shown daily from 29 April to 6thMay with exception of 5th May (dutch WW2 liberation day). Thunderbirds Are Go is shown at 14.00 h, Thunderbird Six at 16.15 h. Admission tickets NLG 12.- Reservations by phone 070-3656030 or via the cinema website www.belbios.nl

It will also stage an exhibition of Thunderbirds merchandise from the early 60's to the latest items. On opening night they are considering a guest speaker from the production team of these feature films. Potential candidates are thought to be a director or special effects man.

FAB CAFE

The FAB CAFE in Manchester recently held their Gerry Anderson evening event. We received this report from Ken Redfern:

The Captain Scrlet CGI 'test' clip was shown last night to thunderous applause!

An old guy like me preferred the look of the puppet original heads.
But even I had to admit, the sight of Captain Black coming out of a grave was magnificent!

Gerry said that if all legal angles are covered that the series will be
made. But would take 2 & 1/2 years and major purchases of workstations!

So, I suppose this means that we can look forward to new episodes of Captain Scarlet around Autumn 2003. Wow.

New Supercar diecast due in May!

Collector toys company Johnny Lightning will be releasing a new set of cars entitled "Hollywood on Wheels 3". The set includes a Supercar vehicle. The set is due out in mid May of 2001 with the following cars: Mod Squad Woody, Black Beauty, Felicity Shagwell's '65 Corvette, Mystery Machine, Supercar, and Partridge Family Bus. The Supercar will be available individually.

UFO reruns

UFO starts a repeat run on the British Sci Fi Channel starting on March 18th at
6pm. Meanwhile US Sci-Fi channel viewers get nothing of the sort, just more of the usual, like endless reruns of Hercules followed by 5 hours of infomercials. Me? bitter? well of course.

New version of Memorabilia guide due soon

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., author of "The Gerry Anderson Memorabilia Guide" is currently in the process of updating the publication, adding all those items missing from the original 1994 book, and things discovered since its release. This time around he is planning a CD-ROM collection detailing all-things
Anderson related, and now available with full-color images. Volume 01 (Twizzle to Stingray) is planned for a mid/late 2001 release.

Anyone interested in having a sneak-peek' at the Supercar listings can access the sample site at http://users.bigpond.net.au/nodette/SUPERCAR/0-fr.htm

This is NOT a completed layout as it only shows small thumbnail images of the various memorabilia. The CD version details all items in full-screen resolution, with many items containing several images each. The Supercar section alone is 136Megs and contains over 130 listed items,
and 240+ color images. He would be interested to hear from anyone who considers any Supercar-related item is still missing.

Carlton Books publishes more Thunderbird titles

Carlton books has just published four new Thunderbirds titles. These are all based on episodes, but are not in the same format as the earlier ones which were clearly aimed at a younger audience. The new titles are in paperback form and are:

• Thunderbirds No. 1 The Uninvited
• Thunderbirds No. 2 Brink of Disaster
• Thunderbirds No. 3 Sun Probe
• Thunderbirds No. 4 Atlantic Inferno

Thunderbirds are Go! ... internationally...

International fans of Thunderbirds will be happy to hear that International Rescue is launching on the International scene…

• Australia: Thunderbirds is coming to Foxtel TV1 in February and then Channel 9 in late Spring 2001.
• Holland: Thunderbirds will be airing on SBS (Net 5 Channel) in Spring. (see related story below)
• France: Thunderbirds is currently on Canal Jimmy.
• Japan: There is already a loyal Thunderbirds fan base in Japan who can look forward to more Thunderbirds activities this year.
  

Thunderbirds are Go comic strip to get reprinted in Holland

Gerry will be in Holland in a few weeks time to promote Thunderbirds. In Holland, a company has succeeded in securing the rights and reproducable material (the old Daily Mails) of the Thunderbirds Are Go! newspaper comic strip with art by Don Lawrence. This seven page strip (28 newspaper strips) will be published in a Collection of books reprinting all the work of Don Lawrence except for The Trigan Empire and Storm. Hopefully an English magazine or newspaper will follow this example.

UPDATE The book will be published in March by the Don Lawrence Collection, which is associated with the Don Lawrence Fanclub. The Don Lawrence Collection also publishes a Deluxe reprint of Storm, Don's current comic strip, and Pandarve, which is the magazine of the Don Lawrence Fanclub. This fanzine was created for Don Lawrence to publish the latest and probably last episode of Storm, The Armageddon Traveller. Furthermore the fanclub sells Don Lawrence artwork. Check out www.donlawrence.nl.

HiFi Sci-Fi Limited Edition CD

A small label named "FLR" has put together a limited edition CD containing interesting variations on a number of Gerry Anderson TV show themes. These are not the original themes, they are... erm... interpretations by various bands. The following information is direct from the FLR website:

The first FLR release of 2001 is in keeping with the Film 2001 as it is in fact a limited edition Science Fiction themes Album. Unfortunately it doesn’t include the Theme for 2001, but it does include lots of Gerry Anderson themes and two of the T.V’ shows that have the biggest followings namely Star Trek and DR.WhoPlus two rare original tracks Nightmare on Elm street and Alien. There will only be 100 copies and it should be deleted by the end of February 2001. The track listing is as follows:

1. Captain Scarlet (Instrumental)
2. Joe 90
3. Stingray
4. Thunderbirds
5. Space 1999
6. U.F.O
7. Captain Scarlet (Vocal)
8. Dr Who
9. Star Trek
10. Barberella
11. A Clockwork Orange
12. Alien
13. Nightmare on Elm street.

More Thunderbirds toys!

TVCentury21 sent UK representative, Ralph Titterton to the toy fair in London to report on the latest crop of toys coming our way. He prepared quite a report.

• New toys from Vivid Imaginations
• Toy show report including photos of new larger Thunderbird toys!

Last issue of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Models Magazine dedicated to UFO

Sadly, the UK magazine "Sci-Fi and Fantasy Models" has ceased production and the final issue will be number 53, the issue almost entirely dedicated to "UFO". The magazine featured a significant amount of Anderson effects and models over the years. The publisher, Mike Reccia, was also the man behind the superb "Century 21" magazine which lasted about 10 issues in the mid 1990s. The web site has gone too. Bummer.

Half Price tickets are Go!

For a few days only, tickets for the "Thunderbirds FAB" theatre show in London can be obtained for half price from LastMinute.com. The sale lasts until February 10th 2001. Tickets usually at £25 will be £12.50 and the sunday shows will be £10 instead of £20. Get them while you can!

5...4...3...2...1...Thunderbirds Are Go!
'You'll have to see it to believe it!' - The Daily Mail

Blasting back into the West End once again, the original cast of Thunderbirds F.A.B have an updated version of the hilarious show that earned them a cult following and worldwide acclaim!

Hold on to your seats as Brains, Scott, Virgil and the boys join Lady Penelope, as International Rescue battle to save the world from disaster!

January 2001

All systems are go for Takeover!

The creator of the cult Thunderbirds television series is the latest celebrity to give his support to an
Internet radio station run by Leicestershire children. Gerry Anderson has pledged his support to Takeover Radio as a patron. He joins the ever-growing band of celebrities and companies offering their help to get the first national radio station run by children for children on the air. Radio promoter Phil Solo said:

"Takeover Radio has already made a string of 28-day broadcasts across the county through community station The Wall." 19/01/01

www.takeoverradio.co.uk

From the Leicester Mercury, Friday 19th January 2001.

Book published with arrangements of Barry Gray music

A new large softback book has recently been published in the UK for
those who enjoy playing the themes from our favourite TV shows and
films. To quote from the book itself:

"From Sci-Fi favourites to Crime Show classics, enigmatic Spy Thrillers
to spectacular Spaghetti Westerns, "The Music of Cult Fiction" presents
for your playing pleasure 24 cool and exhilarating original soundtrack
gems from the pens of John Barry, Laurie Johnson, Lalo Schifrin, Ennio
Morricone, Henry Mancini, Roy Budd and a whole host of other
quintessential cult theme creators!"

All superbly arranged for solo piano, and including chord symbols.

• The Avengers
  
• Bullitt,
  
• Captain Scarlet
  
• The Champions
  
• Chinatown
  
• A Clockwork Orange
  
• A Fistful of Dollars
  
• Get Carter
  
• The Godfather
  
• The Ipcress File
  
• Man in a Suitcase
  
• Mission: Impossible
  
• The Munsters
  
• The Persuaders
  
• The Prisoner
  
• Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
  
• The Saint
  
• Star Trek
  
• Strange Report
  
• The Sweeney
  
• Thunderbirds
  
• Touch of Evil
  
• The Twilight Zone
  
• Twin Peaks

Published by Wise Publications
ISBN: 0-7119-7499-3
Price £12.99
www.musicsales.com

Gerry Anderson story in "Model & Collectors Mart" magazine in the UK

The British magazine "Model & Collectors Mart", an offshoot of "Exchange
& Mart" have started a multi-part series of articles telling the Gerry
Anderson story. Written by one Peter Taylor (whoever he is!), the two
articles published to date are very well researched, well written and
quite well illustrated, which is often not the case with many Anderson -
related newspaper and magazine articles.

The December 2000 issue starts with an overview of Gerry's career,
whilst the January 2001 issue gets down to the in-depth material by
concentrating solely on "The Adventures of Twizzle".

For British readers, "Model Mart" is available from most good newsagents
at £2.20, or you can enquire about mail subscriptions by contacting:

Tel: - 0121 233 8737
Fax: 0121 233 8715.

Stingray DVD release details

The UK (Region 2 PAL) DVD release of Stingray is set to be available as a boxed set as well as individual discs. It is not clear if any work has been done to "restore" the episodes, preferably to clean up the image. There are a number of extras which will be available on the DVDs:

• A very interesting additional "goodie" is the commentaries on two episodes by Gerry Anderson
• The audio and covers for the three TV21 mini albums
• character biographies
• memorabilia sections
• gallery of annuals and toys
• the Des O'Connor Stingray sketch
• the intermission card
• the original ITC publicity material
• Stingray and Thunderbirds lolly adverts
• the French end credits with an alternate version of Aqua Marina
• four deleted scenes (filmed for an abandoned 40th episode!)

The Stingray DVDs will be released in the UK on April 2 2001. Pre-order information can be found on the current videos page.

Live Internet chat session at UK Thunderbirds web site

The UK Thunderbirds web site is hosting its second live internet chat at 5 pm GMT on Saturday 13th January. In order to participate, you must register prior to the event. Registration is simple, just contact the webmaster (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) in order to get the password.

Gerry Anderson's second visit to Fab Cafe

Gerry will be making a visit to Fab Cafe 111,Portland Street Manchester M1 4RJ tel: 0161 236 1213 on Tuesday 20th February 2001 @8.00pm.

Gerry will be joined by his son Jamie who will be showing slides and film from behind the scenes of Thunderbirds and other series.It should be a great evening with lots of chat and Q and A`s etc. Its the second visit to Fab for Gerry the last one was fantastic so this should be very special with the series being reshown again.

Gerry Anderson @ the Fab Cafe Tickets

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Written by: Simon Wickes

Category: Uncategorised

Last Updated: 05 August 2013

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1995 Archive

	Contributions, corrections to NEWS
	November 1995 The new James Bond film, "Goldeneye" opened in America. Special effects by the recently deceased Derek Meddings (see below). There is a memorial to him at the end of the credits. October 1995: David Healy passed away David Healy reported died in London. He was a regular contributor to the Gerry Anderson shows. He did several voices from the Supermarionation shows, such as Shane Weston, Deputy director of W.I.N. from Joe 90. He also supplied guest voices for Captain Scarlet and The Secret Service. He appeared in the "Ordeal" episode of UFO, and provided the voice for the witness being protected in the opening episode of Space Precinct. The Internet Movie database has this information on his work. Space Precinct Cancelled Production of Space Precinct has been halted. The US airings of the show did not go down well, due largely to poor air times and lacklustre promotion. The show is now airing in the UK and it is hoped that the show can be re-launched in the US in 1996. September 19th 1995: Auction Phillips the auction house hosted an auction in London. They sold some of the original puppets and various other unique items. The items sold were ones that belonged to Sylvia Anderson. The date for the auction was Tuesday September 19th 1995 Here's a link to a local version of the article put out by the Electronic Telegraph, complete with a picture of Lady P. 10th September 1995: Derek Meddings passed away. From the fab-1 newsgroup: I am sorry to have to inform everyone that Derek Meddings died on Sunday 10th September. Apparently he had been suffering from bowel cancer for quite some time. I have no more details than this. Derek will be missed and I feel that it is sad that (mainly due to work commitments) more fans did not have a chance to meet him. As well as meeting him at the UFOria convention in 1988, I was able to attend a talk given by him at Wolverhampton in 1992 and to meet him afterwards. He was a very charming man. He will be missed. Katie Bleathman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Internet Movie Database has this information on his work.

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Written by: Simon Wickes

Category: Uncategorised

Last Updated: 05 August 2013

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1996 Archives

	Contributions, corrections to NEWS
	25th October 1996 Video re-issues/price reduction (UK ONLY) Polygram has re-released 42 Anderson videos for budget prices of £4.99. Supercar Vol 1-4 (identical to previous release) Fireball XL5 Vol 1-4 (identical to previous release) Stingray Vol 1-10 (with 3, 4 or 5 eps each, incl. compilation eps) Thunderbirds Vol 1-12 (3 eps each, first 3 still only the compilation Space Theatre versions) Captain Scarlet Vol 1-8 (3, 4, 5 eps, incl .compilation eps) Joe 90 Vol 1-4 (all eps, 7-8 eps/tape, again with compilation eps) All episodes that are part of the compilation stories will be released in original format in 1997. Space:1999 Yr 1 and Yr 2 are now available completely. Also compilation episodes now available as individual episodes with proper titles. 23rd October 1996 Gerry Anderson biography published The official title is Gerry Anderson, The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls, published by Legend Books (an imprint of Random House) ISBN 0099781417. The UK address is: 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, London SW1V 2SA. Price is £15.99. Signature sessions Tue Oct 22 Eastbourne 12pm Waterstone Thu Oct 24 Blackpool 1pm Dillons, Tower Shopping Centre Sat Oct 26 Birmingham 12noon Andromeda Sat Oct 26 Gt. Yarmouth 4.30pm Cult TV Apprec.Weekend Wed Nov 20 Cardiff 1pm Blackwell's, Royal Arcade He will also be heard on radio: BBC Radio 2 Fri Oct 25 6pm in John Dunn's program. Also on BBC Radio 4 Sat Nov 2nd in "Loose Ends" (time not specified) Special interviews planned in the magazines SFX and "Infinity" in November 23rd October 1996 BROADCAST UPDATE USA Captain Scarlet is being aired again by the Sci-fi channel weekday mornings at 7am. This will continue until the first week of November when the series will have run its course. The slot with then be filled by Stingray. UK UFO is being aired on BBC2. The shortened episodes of UFO to make rooom for the Party Conferences will be shown in full length in the second rerun in late 1997 / early 1998 As much as possible new 35 mm prints are used, but some 16mm prints are also used in the first rerun currently under way. Unscheduled yet, but British satellite station Bravo also plans to show a complete run of Supercar and Fireball XL5 early 1997 as well as all episodes of Secret Service. 25th September 1996 Major Derek Meddings article to be published! This email was sent in by Marc Frattasio: Ok everybody, remember how I told you all some weeks ago that Science Fiction & Fantasy Models magazine had an important interview lined up that I was sworn to secrecy about? Well, the story can now be told. Read this message I just got from my friends over at SF&FM: We have just returned from Shepperton Studios where we met up with Elliot Meddings - Derek's son - who kindly allowed us to interview him and has also allowed us to borrow some fabulous pieces of artwork and sketches done by his father. These will be featured in a major three part article beginning in issue 18 (out at the end of January) and continuing in issues 19 and 20. The article will include pre-production sketches from Thunderbirds, Derek's alternative costume design for Stingray, plus many, many more never-before-seen sketches, paintings and renderings from Gerry Anderson series plus the T'bird films and Doppelganger.This is a not-to-be-missed piece for every Anderson fan and we are extremely grateful to Elliot for making it possible... Ok, you have your advance warning. Do whatever you have to do to ensure your copies of Science Fiction & Fantasy Models issue 18, 19, and 20! Please feel free to route this message to the UFO, 1999, boards and to anyone else who might be interested. You can get SF&FM from: Charles Many (in the USA and Canada) Dark Empire PO Box 15553 New Orleans, La 70175-5553 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Mike Reccia (elsewhere in the world) SF&FM 57 Lynwood Avenue Clayton-Le-Moors Near Accrington Lancashire England, BB5 5RR This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 26th June 1996 New series from Gerry Anderson! A brand new Gerry Anderson series is set to begin shooting this autumn at the Cosgrove Hall Studios in Manchester. LAVENDER CASTLE is a science-fantasy series which will be filmed using 'state of the art' stop-motion animation with space sequences generated using computer animation. The script for the first episode has been written by Gerry Anderson based on a story by award-winning children's author Pauline Fisk. Music for the series will be specially composed by internationally reknowned rock musician Rick Wakeman, best-known for his conceptual albums such as "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "Seven Wonders of the World". Conceptual designs have been crafted by cult fantasy artist Rodney Matthews, famed for his series of album covers for the 70's band Yes, guaranteeing that LAVENDER CASTLE will be, in the words of Gerry Anderson, "Like nothing you've ever seen on television before". Originally announced as a project for the BBC back in 1991, it has taken Anderson over five years to bring LAVENDER CASTLE to fruition. Although the series is aimed primarily at 4 to 10 year olds, it is anticipated that LAVENDER CASTLE will appeal to teenagers and adults in much the same way as Cosgrove Hall's highly successful 1983 stop-motion series THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. Pre-production work on the series will take six months with filming of the 13 ten-minute episodes anticipated to take a further 12 months. Broadcast of the series is not expected until late 1997 or early 1998. Further details will appear in FAB 26. Contrary to reports that have appeared elsewhere, a second series of SPACE PRECINCT is not currently in pre-production and does not start filming in the autumn. 17th June 1996 This just in from Theo de Klerk I just got a phonecall from Mary Turner, one of the puppeteers of the Anderson series. She told me that some puppetheads were back on auction because the original buyer did not cough up the money. From John Read and Mary Turner the following items are on sale at Phillips auctioneers in Bayswater, London tomorrow, Tuesday 18th June 1996: prof. Ian McClaine head Joe 90 - frowner head From someone else (very likely Phil Rae) the following items are on sale: The Investigator car and boat Parker (from Thunderbird Six) FAB 1 license plate from studio model Moonbuggy from Space:1999 perspecs Hawkeye cockpit from Terrahawks Prices on all items unknown. People interested should call Phillips auctioneers in London, 10 Salem Road, Bayswater, London W2 4DL tel. +44 171 2299090 fax + 44 171 7929201 19th April 1996 Polygram asked Fanderson to do a proposal for a Space:1999 music album based on Barry's tape that they still look after. It turned out there is insufficient music (of different sorts rather than slight variations on the same) to fill a CD. Therefore Fanderson (in person by Ralph Titterton, liason oficer of Fanderson) proposed to include some UFO tracks too as these have never been released before. In parallel Fanderson also put together a proposed music selection for a Thunderbirds music album based on incidental music. Whether anything happens remains to be seen. It's Polygram that must act now. 6th March 1996 Rumours persist that Space Precinct is not dead yet. Despite poor results in the US and in Europe, additional episodes are to be filmed to make up enough for the series to enter syndication in the US. Hopefully this will open the door to another season... Unfortunately, it appears that some of the original American cast will not be returning for the additional episodes. 1st March 1996 This autumn will finally see the release of the Gerry Anderson biography by Legend books. This was started by Simon Archer, who wrote the "FAB FACTS" book and was killed in a car crash at about the time the book was published. The book was almost complete at the time of his death but it has taken a long time to find someone to complete it. 1st March 1996 Apparently, some of the items auctioned off at the second Phillips auction were not fully paid for. It seems that the cheques for the Parker puppet and the FAB 1 car bounced resulting in a significant cash drain for the would-be seller who was trying to raise money to pay for his recent Captain Scarlet puppet acquisition. To make matters worse, it seems that the FAB 1 car was inadvertantly damaged during storage.

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1997 Archive

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	October 1997 Thunderbirds and Gerry Anderson 1998 calendars There will be a 1998 Thunderbirds and 1998 FAB (general Gerry Anderson) calendar! These are published by Slow Dazzle in the UK at £8.99 each. You can order them over the web site or by phone. Full details and photos at the web site. September 1997 Thunderbirds movie update A story in the Hollywood Reporter stated that the producers of the Thunderbirds movie are planning to to turn the Thunderbirds movie into a franchise. This could entail a significant amount of new merchandise as well as the possibility of sequels. The script is in second rewrite, and the producers (Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner) say the first Thunderbirds film will be released in 1999, with filming to begin next summer. Gerry Anderson will not be involved in the production. Working Title Films will handle the special effects for the live-action film version of the 1960s U.K. Gerry Anderson TV series Thunderbirds in house, according to published reports. Working Title is setting up its own effects studio, which will be headed by Peter Chiang, who supervised special effects for Working Title's The Borrowers. June 1997 NTSC Thunderbirds episodes finally available! CBS/Columbia has released uncut videos of Thunderbirds. They have advertised in "TV Guide". The only catch is that you buy it in their TV show "club" format where you get the first tape for about $5.00 and every 6 weeks or so another one arrives, this time for about $20.00. I believe that there are 2 episodes on each tape, so its quite a good deal. http://www.columbiahouse.com 4 June 1997 Thunderbirds movie rumours start up again. The English newspaper "The Independent" recently ran a story on a proposed Thunderbirds movie which is supposed to be live action. The article was recently posted on the "FAB-L" list and is reproduced below: Thunderbirds are go - again Film chiefs rack their Brains as casting begins for big screen version of Sixties TV hit. David Lister Arts News Editor It is the casting dilemma of the year. Who can play five almost identical brothers? And which actress can portray a Sixties icon with beautiful features, imperious manner and an icy upper class accent? Thunderbirds, the cult television animation hit launched 32 years ago, is to be filmed by Working Title, the British production company behind films such as Fargo and Four Weddings And A Funeral. Peter Hewitt, director of the forthcoming big screen adaptation of the children's book The Borrowers, has been appointed as director and the search is now on for a cast to attract a young audience without tarnishing the childhood memories of devoted forty somethings. Thunderbirds, launched on ITV in 1965 by the husband and wife team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, became an instant hit, launching the animatronic and future merchandising careers of the technical wizard Brains and his all-American family employers, the Tracys. Jeff Tracy, and his five handsome sons, operated Intemational Rescue, a top secret Organisation of the 2020s dedicated to rescuing those in need, both globally and intergalactically. Operating from a remote island in the Pacific, International Rescue was the brainchild of former astronaut Jeff, who together with his offspring and state of the art Thunderbird rescue vehicles, takes on a variety of daring missions. The Tracys' London-based agent is the glamorous Lady Penelope, rarely seen without Parker - her trusted chauffeur - who in turn is rarely heard without his cold below-stairs accent. The beaming smiles of the puppet characters provide the enduring memory for British fans. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore once parodied this to great effect in a sketch, playing Lady Penelope and Parker. Hearing news of a massive disaster, Moore cried "this is terrible" through gleaming, bronzed smile, arms and legs shaking marionette style. The series proved its popularity when the BBC ran 32 repeated episodes a few year ago. There was such demand for Thunderbirds toys that there were shortages of Tracy Island models. When Blue Peter showed its viewers how to make a do-it-yourself version, more than 100,000 fans wrote in for an instruction sheet. British fans of Thunderbirds will want to see the haughty Lady Penelope played by a homegrown actress. One film industry insider said there was a good chance of this, with Julie Christie being mentioned for the role. "She has the right mouth," said the industry source. The Oscar winner Kristin Scott Thomas, star of The English Patient, is another likely contender, with Elizabeth Hurley a distant outsider. Perhaps the real 100-1 shot is TV presenter Anneka Rice, who made a passable Lady Penelope for a television comedy sketch some time ago. American actresses will also covet the job. Sharon Stone, keen to play a comic role, is also likely to be considered by the production team along with fellow Hollywood star Nicole Kidman. As for the Tracy brothers, a set of real-life brothers may be cast. Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has acting brothers in Daniel, William and Stephen. They could portray four of the Tracy brothers. The Bridges brothers, Beau and Jeff are another Hollywood pair with international appeal. This side of the Atlantic there are the acting brothers McGann. Paul, a former Dr Who, and Joe, Mark and Stephen have already. appeared together on screen. Ralph and Joseph Fiennes could also figure. Ralph Fiennes, despite his role as romantic hero in The English Patient, is not averse to a change of pace with a movie adaptation of a Sixties TV hit. He started shooting this week on the film of The Avengers, in which he plays John Steed opposite Uma Thurman's Emma Peel. Thunderbirds will go into production in 1998 with its release expected the following year. It is one of the first movie projects to emerge from the ITC Entertainment Group catalogue, bought by Polygram, Working Title's parent company. The ITC catalogue includes other classic TV shows ripe for the big screen treatment: shows such as the cult series The Prisoner, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, and The Persuaders - which is already in development with Working Title for a future movie release. Tim Bevan, co-chairman of Working Title Films, said: "The Thunderbirds television series has been one of the UK's greatest success stories, with modem audiences continuing to enjoy its characters, storylines and fantastical gadgets."

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1998 Archive

	Contributions, corrections to NEWS
	December 1998 Lord Grade dies Lord Grade died on Sunday 13th December 1998. He was 91.   November 1998 Fanderson set to release Space:1999 CD The next Fanderson CD will be out with the next FAB issue. It'll be a Space 1999 Year 1 double CD with STEREO tracks of Barry's music, from the multi-track tapes they found at Abbey Road studios. In order to make the recording, Fanderson had to "bake" the tapes, as in warm them up, play them once and record to DAT, afterwards dispose of baked tapes since they cannot be played anymore. Price will be around £29.00 / $45.00 for the double CD set.   New Bandai Thunderbirds toys...in gum machines! In Japan, Bandai will be releasing a number of new Thunderbirds toys for distribution through gum machines around the end of November. This image was scanned from the most recent issue of Hobby Japan magazine. The toys are to be packed in plastic bubbles and distributed through large gum machines. The cost per toy will be 200 Yen. Selection will be completely random, meaning that fate will determine what toy you get when you insert money into a gum machine. It is not clear if the Thunderbirds toys will be by themselves in the machines or with other things. It looks as if these toys may be the Furuta Thunderbirds premium model kits from the early 1990s but it's not clear. Also, the article in Hobby Japan indicated that this was the first wave of Thunderbirds premium toys so others may follow.   October 1998 Seagrams buys Polygram Its official: Seagram bought Polygram, the owner of the ITC library. They did not buy the ITC library, however. The current rumour is that Carlton Communications is interested. Thunderbirds and Space 1999 calendars available for 1999 After the success of last year's calendars, Slow Dazzle have created a new set of Gerry Anderson calendars for 1999. There is one for Thunderbirds and, fittingly, one for Space:1999. Space:1999 original music to be released on CD Following the success of the Supercar CD, Fanderson has announced they will be issuing a 2-CD set of the music from Space:1999 in early 1999. The calendars can be previewed at the web site and then you can even place an order for them right there!   August 1998 Original Supercar and Fireball XL5 music released on CD Fanderson, the UK-based Gerry Anderson fan club has produced a superb collection of Supercar and Fireball XL5 music by the great Barry Gray. This is only available to Fanderson members. From the site: Superb compact disc album featuring the original recordings of the themes and incidental music composed for Supercar and Fireball XL5, digitally remastered from Barry Gray's master tapes. 52 tracks including both first and second season versions of the Supercar theme song, Fireball XL5 opening and closing titles, "Formula 5", "This Is The Twist", "Batonga Theme", "Zizi's Song", numerous character themes and individual episode scores. (Note: many of these tracks formed part of the scores for the later Gerry Anderson series, including Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Space:1999.) CD comes complete with 16 page colour booklet detailing the origin of each track. Running time: 72 mins UK - Details Written by: Simon Wickes Category: Uncategorised Last Updated: 05 August 2013 Hits: 23579 1999 Archive 2000 Archive 2003 Archive Page 1 of 2