Month: June 2022

Thunderbirds are going!

Posted on by Parker

Launched in 2016 to mark 50 years since the end of the classic TV show, there’s only a limited amount of time left to snap up stylish pop art prints from Art & Hue’s Thunderbirds collection before it ends on the 30th of July.

No fewer than 22 art prints are available in a choice of 19 colours and 3 sizes, printed on museum-quality archival card of 310gsm, made from 100% cotton, using pigment inks for longevity.

From a modernist secret island base of mid-century architecture, that looks as if it was designed by Richard Neutra or Frank Lloyd Wright, Jeff Tracy and his sons listen out for distress calls to swoop in and save the day using their iconic craft, cleverly launched from within the island itself.

Ubergeek engineer Brains and the Tracy brothers may be all-American but Britishness is elegantly represented from Creighton-Ward Manor and FAB 1, the pink Rolls-Royce, thanks to London Agent Lady Penelope, along with her loyal and ‘umorous butler Aloysius Parker.

Jet over to Art & Hue before the 30th of July!

 

UK: Dolores Mantez in Rainbow City on BBC Four

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

UFO star Dolores Mantez can be seen in one of her earlier roles as a schoolteacher in Rainbow City, to be re-broadcast on BBC Four on Wednesday, 22nd June at 22:00.

Rainbow City is a groundbreaking BBC drama series from 1967 about the experience of the West Indian community living in and around Birmingham, featuring Errol John in the lead role.

Also of note in the cast is Clifton Jones (Space:1999‘s David Kano) and Ysanne Churchman, who voiced Sara Brown in 1962’s Sara And Hoppity as well as numerous voices (but particularly Marla and Cassiopeia) in Space Patrol (1966) – both for Roberta Leigh.

Posted in UFO

RIP Ralph Titterton

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson members will join together in mourning the passing of Ralph Titterton, who died on Wednesday.

Though not one of the club’s founding members, Ralph was incredibly important during its formative years, creating Fanderson News, being the club’s liaison with Gerry Anderson and ITC and masterminding much of our early merchandise.

More recently, Ralph’s focus has been on curating the Barry Gray archive of music, manuscripts and more, alongside his partner Cathy, and has been an invaluable help in the creation of the club’s critically-acclaimed soundtrack albums.

RIP Ralph.

UK: Farewell, Forces TV

Posted on by Parker

On 30th June 2022 we’ll say goodbye to Forces TV, which in recent years has become the home to much classic British television, including UFO and Space:1999.

Forces TV was originally a military-themed factual channel but in time its primetime schedule has become the home of such comedy classics as Bless This House, Sorry! and Oh No It’s Selwyn Froggitt, and dramas including CHiPs, Doctor Who and Return Of The Saint.

Together with the bizarrely-named Horror channel, Forces TV has also broadcast Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s UFO and Space:1999 numerous times in recent years.

Forces TV is closing as the frequency spectrum used to broadcast it and other channels is being handed over to the expanding 5G mobile network. You can read more about this here.

A statement from BFBS (the charity that runs Forces TV) says:

“We are very sad to go but, as a military charity and media organisation, we’re focusing our resources on our core mission: to entertain, inform, connect and champion our UK armed forces, families and veterans.”

Farewell, Forces TV, it’s been great knowing you.

Win a Zavvi exclusive vinyl singles boxset!

Posted on by Parker

Silva Screen Records and Zavvi have announced a newly remastered limited edition Anderson 7” singles box set,  featuring music from the extensive Barry Gray soundtrack catalogue. Gray’s partnership with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson was one of the most successful of its kind in TV history, forever linking the iconic Supermarionation imagery with the composer’s distinctive orchestral themes.

Due for release on 31st August, this exclusive box set contains the soundtracks to some of the Andersons’ most popular Supermarionation shows, including Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, and also includes the soundtrack to live action series Space:1999. This limited edition 7” singles box set is the perfect addition to your vinyl collection.

One lucky club member will win one of the new boxsets – see the first issue of FAB-lite (working title) soon!

Previously a staggered release by Silva Screen from 2012 in time for 2013’s Record Store Day, the new boxset includes The Cass Carnaby disc on shocking pink vinyl (the 2013 was a clear flexidisc), five exclusive art cards and is limited to just 500 units worldwide.

Track Listing:

Thunderbirds 7” on blue vinyl

Side 1

    • Thunderbirds – Main Theme (1:36)
    • Dangerous Game (1:40) (Vocals: Jack Clegg)

Side 2

    • Thunderbirds Are Go! (4:28)

Captain Scarlet 7” on red vinyl

Side 1

    • Captain Scarlet – Main Theme (1:33)
    • The S.H.E.F. March (2:35)

Side 2

    • White As Snow (3:12)
    • Captain Scarlet – End Titles (1:28) – Performed by The Spectrum

Joe 90 7” on yellow vinyl

Side 1

    • Century 21 Sting (0:08)
    • Joe 90 – Main Theme (1:58)
    • The Most Special Agent (3:19)

Side 2

    • Splashdown (4:44)
    • Joe 90 – End Titles (1:20)

Space:1999 7” on white vinyl

Side 1

    • Space: 1999 Year One – Main Titles (1:10)
    • Breakaway Suite (4:39)

Side 2

    • Black Sun Suite And End Titles (5:52)

The Cass Carnaby Five 7” on pink vinyl

Side 1

    • This Is The Twist (1:40)
    • Formula 5 (1:23)
    • Let’s Play Ad Lib (2:56)

Side 2

    • Spoke City Jazz (1:39)
    • Until Midnight (2:22)
    • Double Agent Entertainment (2:02)

USA: New postage rates

Posted on by Parker

Club members in the USA will notice that we are introducing a new price band for our products and services especially for them.

For many years the postage cost differences between the USA and other destinations outside Europe has been negligible, so we have had a ‘rest of the world’ price band that includes them alongside Canada, Japan, Oceania and other territories. Unfortunately, postage to the USA has risen sharply recently, to the extent that in many cases it is now more expensive to mail from the UK to the USA than it is to mail to Australia!

The Fanderson Sales leaflet mailed with FAB 100 details all the new prices.

It will take a short while to add the new option to all of our products in the Shop. If you’re in the USA and we haven’t yet added the US price to an item you want to buy, please select the RW (rest of the world) option for that item.