Fanderson convention: 2019

 

Supercelebration logo

20th to 22nd September 2019
Holiday Inn, Maidenhead

 

Fanderson presents a full weekend event celebrating 50 years of UFO, Doppelgänger, The Secret Service and the productions of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson

• Guest appearances • Rare screenings • Model, puppet, costume & artwork displays • Games • Exclusive merchandise • Workshops • Evening entertainment •
And much more…

The Programme | The Guests | The Charity | Auction/Raffle | The Venue |
Member Tickets | Non-member tickets | Traders Tickets | Terms and Conditions

Autumn 1969: principal photography was underway on UFO at MGM Borehamwood Studios, Universal Pictures was readying Doppelgänger for its theatrical release and on 21st September the last Supermarionation series – The Secret Service – would receive its broadcast premiere on ATV in the Midlands.

Fifty years on, and fans of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s iconic creations will be celebrating this and more – including their other amazing visions of the future Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Space:1999 – at Supercelebration, Fanderson’s convention for 2019. For convention details and the latest updates, keep an eye on www.fanderson.org.uk.

THE PROGRAMME

Join us at Supercelebration – Fanderson’s weekend of events celebrating 50 years of UFO, Doppelgänger, The Secret Service and more. Catch up with old friends and make new ones; hear from the people who made our favourite programmes; add to your autograph collection; marvel at original and studio-standard replica models, puppets and costumes; get into the nitty-gritty in our interactive workshops; browse our gallery of stunning artwork; catch an episode or two, or rare screenings. And be ready to transport all the goodies you’ll be taking home from Fanderson Sales and our traders.

The weekend will include a sparkling celebratory reception, but you’ll need a clear head to take in all there is to see and do in a packed convention. Find time to recharge your batteries for our Saturday night Supercelebration disco.

Paul Weston at Fanderson's Special Assignment convention

The full schedule won’t be confirmed until much closer to the weekend itself, but the outline is:

  • Friday 20th September 2019 – 15:00 registrations and traders’ room opens, 19:00 sparkling reception, 19:30-22:00 evening entertainment
  • Saturday 21st September 2019 – 08:00 registrations opens, 09:00 opening ceremony, 18:00 temporary closure to allow rooms to be re-set, 20:00-00:00 SUPERCELEBRATION disco
  • Sunday 22nd September 2019 – 09:00 registrations re-opens, 09:30 opening ceremony, 18:00 closing ceremony

The Supercelebration disco will be full of the very best music, and the best Anderson characters as we’re hoping everyone will get into the spirit with an Anderson-themed fancy dress outfit. All we ask is that your costume isn’t an off-the shelf number, and that you’ve not worn it at a Fanderson event before. We’ll have prizes for the best costumes.

THE GUESTS
Supercelebration guests

We’re inviting a long list of guests from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s productions to join you at Supercelebration.

Guests so far confirmed:

THE CHARITY

Fanderson has a great track record of raising funds for charities including The Alzheimer’s Society, BBC Children In Need, Breast Cancer Care, Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund. Macmillan Cancer Support, Terrence Higgins Trust, Guide Dogs For The Blind and Diabetes UK.

We’re asking everyone who books a place (or supporting package) at Supercelebration before 1st June 2019 to let us know the charity that they would like us to consider as the convention charity. Put your preference in the ‘special instructions’ box when you checkout on our website, or in the appropriate box on the PDF booking form.

AUCTION/RAFFLE

We’ll have lots of goodies in our live auctions, silent auctions and raffles during the weekend. No matter your budget, everyone will have the chance to leave Supercelebration with something very special, and raise important funds for our convention charity.

THE VENUE

captain-scarlet-champagne-special-assignmentThe popular Holiday Inn, Maidenhead is once again our venue for Supercelebration, following excellent feedback from our The Future Is Fantastic! event in 2015 and Special Assignment in 2017. Reservations can be made from 5th October. It’s set in a residential area one mile from Maidenhead town centre and has a complimentary car park for residents. The health club includes a large swimming pool, children’s pool, whirlpool, sauna, steam room and two gyms. The restaurant serves seasonal dishes as well as classics like steak and pasta, and there’s 24-hour room service. There is also a very large open plan cocktail bar that serves bar snack meals and is great for socialising.

The hotel is a short drive from AP Films, Century 21 and Pinewood Studios and a vast array of filming locations nearby:

  • 3.6 miles/12 minutes to Islet Park
  • 6 miles/12 minutes to Bath Road (AP Films)
  • 6.6 miles/13 minutes to Stirling Road (Century 21)
  • 12.1 miles/23 minutes to Pinewood Studios

The hotel has good transport connections to Heathrow, London, the West, the Midlands and the motorway network:

  • 1 mile (3 minutes) to M4
  • 9 miles (13 minutes) to M40
  • 12 miles (14 minutes) to M25
  • taxi from London Heathrow: 25 minutes/£35 one-way approximately
  • taxi from London Gatwick: 1 hour/£60 one-way approximately
  • train from London Paddington to Maidenhead: 37-47 minutes/from £11.10 one-way
  • taxi from Maidenhead railway station: four minutes/£4 one-way approximately
  • Rooms at the Holiday Inn are available to delegates at the special rate of £100 per standard double room/per night (bed and breakfast) whether for single or double occupancy. Just call 01628 506070 in normal office hours (9:00-17:00 Monday to Friday) and quote the reference ‘Fanderson’.

Alternative hotels in the area:

PRICES

Supercelebration prices

As a fan-organised event, the earlier everyone books for Supercelebration, the earlier we know how extravagant we can be in staging the show.

Tickets start at just £55 per person for one day, or £90 for the whole weekend. We’ve managed to keep the price the same as our Special Assignment convention in 2017 because we’re a fan club and no-one is taking a salary. Every penny you pay for your place goes into staging the event. Ticket prices will rise on 1st January 2019.

Book your place(s) online now or, if you’d prefer to pay by UK cheque or postal order, print and complete the registration form and return it to us with your payment.

MEMBER TICKETS

Saturday only £65 – Add to Basket

Sunday only £65 – Add to Basket

Full weekend £110 – Add to Basket

 

NON-MEMBER TICKETS

Non-member tickets at Supercelebration

If you’re not already a Fanderson member (even if you’re coming along with a Fanderson member) you must apply for a trial member’s place at Supercelebration, which includes a sample membership at a special price of £10. This will start when you arrive at the convention and run until 31st December 2019. It will include the latest issue of the club’s FAB magazine, membership badge, enable you to buy our merchandise at the convention at special prices, access our full range of merchandise online and access to the members’ area of the Fanderson Forum.

Saturday only £75 – Add to Basket

Sunday only £75 – Add to Basket

Full weekend £120 – Add to Basket

Not able to be with us in person?

If you’re not able to join us at Supercelebration but would still like to support the event, you can buy a Supporting place. You’ll be supporting our convention charity and we’ll send you a full convention pack straight
after the event.

UK £10 – Add to Basket

Europe £12.50 – Add to Basket

Rest of the world £15 – Add to Basket

Traders tickets

fab-grooves-special-assignment

If you’re a trader or licensee who’d like the opportunity to sell your merchandise to fans of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s work (or even a club member who wants some of your collection to go to a good home) you can buy tables in our Supercelebration Traders’ Room. Each table is approximately 1m x 2m and permits one person to attend that table (so, for two people at your table, you’ll need to buy two tables etc). A Trader’s table doesn’t give you access to the main convention areas.

Saturday only £65 – Add to Basket

Sunday only £65 – Add to Basket

Full weekend £110 – Add to Basket

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

zero-x-model-special -assingment

Supercelebration is being staged by Fanderson. The world’s only official Gerry and Sylvia Anderson appreciation society, Fanderson is endorsed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment, Anderson Entertainment, Gerry Anderson Productions, ITC Entertainment Group and the family of Sylvia Anderson. Based in the UK, with over 1,300 members worldwide and run by a small unpaid committee of fans, Fanderson was formed in 1981 from several small clubs at the request of ITC Entertainment and Gerry Anderson, so that they could support a single independent fan body for all Anderson productions.

As a club, we can only sell merchandise to club members, which enables us to keep costs down and direct all our funds into our products and services. No-one running Fanderson takes a salary, ‘mutual trading’ with our members means we’re exempt from certain taxes that would inflate our prices, and copyright holders are often willing to forego the expensive merchandise licences that commercial companies have to buy. And, because we’re fellow fans like you, we aim to get the little details right. Join us at www.fanderson.org.uk

This information was correct at the time of going to press, but does not constitute a contract to supply any of the attractions mentioned, nor a definitive timetable. Convention images are from previous Fanderson events and do not necessarily represent everything you’ll be enjoying at Fanderson’s Supercelebration.

By booking any places at Supercelebration, you are agreeing to the below, in addition to Fanderson’s standard terms and conditions on the Fanderson Forum.

  • All payments are non-refundable.
  • You’ll automatically receive confirmation of your order if you book online at www.fanderson.org.uk, or by e-mail if you use this form and include your e-mail address. If you’d prefer us to send a hard-copy acknowledgement of your order, please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with your completed form.
  • It is your responsibility to book and pay for your own accommodation and any associated costs, or to pay any cancellation costs due to your failure to attend the event.
  • The convention committee and/or the hotel reserve the right to decline registration for any reason whatsoever and, should your application for registration be declined, any registration fees that you have paid will be refunded in full.
  • The convention is not suitable for children under 5 years of age
  • Any children in your party are your sole responsibility for the duration of the convention, and that the organisers will not make any special arrangements for children of any age.
  • The organisers will make every effort to provide you with the contents of the programme of events as described, but changes to the programme may be implemented at the organisers’ discretion due to unforeseen circumstances that may arise nearer the date of the event.
  • The organisers cannot control the taking of personal photographs and/or video footage which includes delegates at Supercelebration, and by booking a place at Supercelebration delegates consent to such photographs and/or footage being used to promote Fanderson and/or its products and services.

Zienia Merton has died

Zienia Merton as Sandra Benes from Space:1999The Club is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Zienia Merton. Beloved for her role as for Senior Data Analyst Sandra Benes in both series of Space:1999, she was a great supporter of Fanderson over the years, while her humour and warmth made her a firm favourite with fans at conventions. This is reflected in her appearance in A Message from Moonbase Alpha, a 7-minute film recorded for the Breakaway convention, held in Los Angeles 1999 to mark the year the Moon left orbit in the series.

Zienia made her TV acting debut in the early ’60s and after Space:1999 went on to appear in series as diverse as Hammer House of Horror, Lovejoy, Casualty and – more recently – The Sarah Jane Adventures.

An obituary will appear in FAB 91.

She will be dearly missed.

Shout! Factory TV and ITV Studios launch 34-hour Thunderbirds marathon

In celebration of International Thunderbirds Day on September 30th, Shout! Factory TV and ITV Studios will livestream a 34-hour Thunderbirds marathon exclusively on social video service Twitch. The global event can be enjoyed by fans around the world, who will be able to watch all 32 episodes from the show’s original run, complete with bonus content including the three recent Thunderbirds 1965 episodes based on original Century 21 audio recordings.

The marathon begins on Sunday, September 30th at 7AM PT / 3PM BST on Shout! Factory TV’s official Twitch channel. International Thunderbirds Day celebrates the anniversary of the first TV broadcast of Thunderbirds in the UK, over 50 years ago on September 30th, 1965.

thunderbirdsday

FAB 90: The most special issue

FAB 90Who would have thought it…? The 90th issue of FAB magazine falling in the same month as the 50th anniversary of Joe 90’s release. Of course, we had to celebrate it with an amazing cover and take some slight liberties with the club logo – just this once!

The stuff on the inside is pretty good too… In this issue we have:

THUNDERBIRD 3: DESIGNED FOR SPACE RESCUE
In the first of a new series we look at an International Rescue craft, starting with the sleek and gloriously retro Thunderbird 3.

GERRY ANDERSON INTERVIEW
Mark Braxton presents an unpublished interview with Gerry Anderson from 2005, where he discusses bringing back Spectrum for the 21st Century.

TIMELASH JOE 90 TRIAL AT SEA
Your views are in, let’s see what you think of this Joe 90 adventure…

JOE 90
Ian Fryer explores the world which was the first to meet a 9-year-old secret agent named Joe, and John Wilkinson tells us when it originally happened.

APPRECIATION STATION
Jay Mullins takes on a taboo… Smoking!

END CREDITS
Ian Wheeler roots out a long lost, but never forgotten Dinky Toy.

THUNDERBIRD 6 PART TWO
Jonathan Baxter picks up where TV21 left off, with an exclusive photostory re-telling of the second Thunderbirds feature film, the delightful Thunderbird 6.

…plus all your familiar favorites – FAB News, FAB Noticeboard and FABMail! Copies should be winging their way to club members very shortly. Ok, so now you’re thinking…

How do I get FAB magazine?

The answer’s simple – join Fanderson! FAB magazine is available exclusively to Fanderson club members – we deliver three times a year, and we do our very best to make each issue a joy to read for every fan – regardless of your favourite series!

Find out how to join Fanderson and receive FAB

Ray Harryhausen book signing and film screening in London

Harryhausen The Movie Posters BookAnderson fans will be interested to know that legendary visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen will be celebrated in a twin event on Saturday 8th September in London.

Writer and broadcaster Richard Holliss will be signing the newly released Harryhausen The Movie Posters Book at Forbidden Planet Megastore in London from 12.30pm – 1.30pm.

This will be followed at 3pm by a special 4K screening of Harryhausen’s classic 1964 movie First Men in the Moon, starring Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and Lionel Jeffries at The Regent Street Cinema – London’s oldest Cinema. The film will be presented by Harryhausen Trustee and filmmaker John Walsh.

Uber-fans may know that Ian Scoones, Special effect director on Thunderbirds, worked under Harryhausen during his career – not that you’d need any excuse to attend these great events!

Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation to help with the delicate and on-going restoration programme for the creature collection.

Ray Harryhausen with medusa

Photo credits: Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation