Celebrate Fireball’s 60th with Network

Posted on 28th October 2022 by Parker

Network have a special free evening planned to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Fireball XL5!

Join Network On Air from 18:50 BST on Friday 28th October for an evening hosted by everyone’s favourite automaton – Robert the robot.

The evening will include the restored version of Planet 46 (first shown on this day six decades ago in (ATV London, Ulster, Scottish, Westward and Channel ITV regions) alongside brand-new colourisations of Fireball‘s The Sun Temple and Four Feather Fall‘s First Train Through, and another edition of Gerry Anderson’s ‘lost’ factual series from 1955: You’ve Never Seen This!… and… much more!

Improved Fanderson Sales service

Posted on 13th October 2022 by Parker

Fanderson has improved the way we handle merchandise orders.

By relocating our merchandise mailing operation we’ll better keep our costs under control. Also, from today, orders will shows as ‘Complete’ in your online club account*, so you will know that your order is on its way.

* Unfortunately, we’re currently unable to show ‘complete’ for memberships or Silva Screen products in your order, though we intend to add this just as soon as we can. If your order includes any of these products, the ‘complete’ status does not apply to them.

It’s your final chance to renew your membership!

Posted on 1st October 2022 by Parker

Today’s the last day for Fanderson members to renew their memberships for 2022/3!

In FAB 100, mailed back in May, we explained that as part of our changes to the membership package, all memberships would expire with the then upcoming FAB Express 101.

All copies of FAB Express 101 mailed in August were accompanied by a letter to explain the changes again, and invite everyone to renew their membership by 1st October. The letter also included details of how we were ensuring those owed issues of FAB under their existing membership would not be out of pocket, and coupon codes included in letters expire today.

We need all renewals in by 1st October so that we can plan to produce the right number of FAB Annual 2023. Producing too many copies would be a waste of members’ money, so we won’t be over-printing for those who don’t renew their membership in time.

We close the database at midnight tonight, so if you haven’t yet renewed your membership (including Friends of Fanderson), get your skates on and do it now!

If you still need a nudge, here’s all five preview pages of the Annual that we’ve shared this week…

FAB Annual 2023 – don’t miss out on your copy!

Posted on 23rd September 2022 by Parker

Fanderson’s all-new FAB Annual 2023 will be sent to all club members in our winter mailing.

If you haven’t yet renewed your membership since FAB Express 101, you’ve only got until 1st October to be included in the winter mailing and get your copy of the FAB Annual. This 100-page, A4 hardback book includes features on all your favourite Gerry and Sylvia Anderson productions, with a few surprises too!

To ensure we don’t waste members’ money, we won’t be over-printing FAB Annual in case anyone renews after the 1st October deadline. Don’t miss out – if you haven’t already done so, renew your membership now!

Mission Of The Darians watchalong

Posted on 17th September 2022 by Parker

Next Saturday, 24th September, Fanderson members are encouraged to join an online ‘watchalong’ of Space:1999 Mission of The Darians with episode director Ray Austin and actor Prentis Hancock.

Watchalongs are like the episode commentaries on DVDs, but live. Fanderson’s first watchalong was Space:1999 The Last Sunset with actor Zienia Merton, at the Stand By For Action convention on Sunday 19th May 2002.

You can register to be part of the watchalong by emailing livesinthepictures@gmail.com

[USA] Thunderbirds on MeTV

Posted on 11th September 2022 by Parker

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Thunderbirds is showing on MeTV (Memorable Entertainment Television) in the USA from 11th September.

You can see Thunderbirds on MeTV:

Sundays at 06:00 EST/07:00 Central

MeTV is available in across the USA – check your local guide for details.

Thanks to Charles Grayson for the heads-up. If you know about one of Gerry and Sylvia Andersons’ productions being broadcast, please let us know so we can share the news!

Network’s August BOGOF now on!

Posted on 26th August 2022 by Parker

The UK’s top cult TV and film home video label, Network, has another ‘buy one, get one free’ offer this weekend!

Until 16:00 on Wednesday 31st August if you buy one of the 100 selected titles on DVD, you get another free (cheapest item will be free).

Fanderson members will be mostly interested in Fireball XL5, Space:1999, Space Precinct, Supercar and Terrahawks. However, those looking for something a little left-field might enjoy Space:1999 co-stars Barry Morse and Catherine Schell supporting Gene Barry in The Adventurer!

You can see all titles in the promotion here.

FAB Express 101 is go – worldwide!

Posted on 24th August 2022 by Parker

The first issue of our new club magazine – FAB Express – has been mailed to all Fanderson members around the world!

As part of our updated membership package FAB Express will be published each spring, summer and winter, with a new hardback FAB Annual in the winter mailing too.

We’re aligning memberships so that everyone expires with the summer mailing each year. This will streamline our operation, helping to control costs by having fewer individual items, and fewer permutations of each mailing. FAB Express 101 is being sent to you as a free extra mailing, so you know what you’re signing up for when you renew your membership.

With every issue is a letter explaining how we’re ensuring that anyone who was owed issues of FAB under their old membership won’t be out of pocket. Please wait until you receive FAB Express before renewing your membership, but be sure to renew by 1st October 2022 to be included in the winter mailing and get your next FAB Express and FAB Annual 2023!

The publication of FAB Express also means that FAB 100 is now available as a back issue, for anyone who missed out.

41 FAB Years

Posted on 21st August 2022 by Parker

On Thursday, 20th August 1981, Gerry Anderson invited fans of his work to meet him at his office at Pinewood Studios, and together they formed Fanderson.

On Saturday, 20th August 2022, Fanderson members celebrated Gerry and Sylvia’s work, and the club itself at the 40th birthday bash (albeit one year late, due to Covid-19!).

Deliberately designed to be a social event rather than a convention, club members enjoyed music, models, puppets and lots of chat as it had been three years since they’d been able to get together (at our Supercelebration convention back in 2019). We were delighted that puppeteers Mary Turner and Judy Preece were available to celebrate with us too. It was a perfect day, weather-wise, and so we were able to enjoy the garden of the Pinewood Hotel much of the time, especially for the barbecue and cake (lots of cake!).

The event package included a birthday card, poster, badge and the first issue of our new club magazine, FAB Express.

Club secretary John Wilkinson also set a couple of quizzes for anyone with time on their hands:

a headlines quiz asked members to state the year for 40 Daily Mirror headlines
the particularly fiendish episode synopses quiz asked members to identify Anderson episodes from their TV Times listings

You can have a go now (just for fun) and the answers are below the photos.

Well done to our winners Lily Ride (31 out of 40 headlines correct) and Mark Castell (32 out of 40 episodes correct) who each win a lifetime Fanderson membership and Zavvi’s reissued Topps trading cards or vinyl EP boxset (respectively).

Well done to all who took part in the quizzes, and a big thank you to everyone who was able to attend and/or contribute to our 40 FAB Years!

Headlines quiz answers:

1987
2010
2006
1992
2011
2008
1988
1995
1998
2001
1984
2003
2007
1999
1982
1985
1994
1983
2020
1996
2009
2004
1989
1990
2017
2018
2002
1981
1991
2012
2016
2000
2005
2013
2014
2019
2015
1993
1986
1997

Episode synopses quiz answers:

Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons Flight 104
Thunderbirds Pit Of Peril
Space:1999 The Full Circle
UFO The Dalotek Affair
Joe 90 Business Holiday
Thunderbirds 30 Minutes After Noon
Stingray The Master Plan
The Protectors Petard
Thunderbirds The Man From MI.5
Joe 90 Hi-Jacked
The Protectors Goodbye George
Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons Fire At Rig 15
Fireball XL5 Robert To The Rescue
The Secret Service More Haste – Less Speed
Supercar Keep It Cool
Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons Codename Europa
UFO Timelash
Space:1999 A Matter Of Balance
The Protectors Burning Bush
Thunderbirds Martian Invasion
Stingray The Big Gun
Joe 90 The Fortress
Space:1999 Earthbound
UFO Destruction
The Secret Service Recall To Service
Stingray Sea Of Oil
Thunderbirds End Of The Road
Fireball XL5 Convict In Space
UFO Flight Path
Space:1999 Missing Link
Thunderbirds The Cham-Cham
Space:1999 Dragon’s Domain
UFO Survival
The Protectors A Case For The Right
Thunderbirds Path Of Destruction
Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons The Trap
Space:1999 The Immunity Syndrome
Joe 90 Relative Danger
UFO The Long Sleep
Thunderbirds Martian Invasion

FAB Express is go!

Posted on 20th August 2022 by Parker

The first issue of our new club magazine – FAB Express – is go!

Fanderson members who are today at the club’s 40th anniversary event 40 FAB Years are the first to be given copies, as part of their event package. Next week, copies will be winging their way around the world to all current club members, and we’ll confirm this on the website just as soon as we’re sure they’re all in the post.

As we explained in FAB 100, as part of our updated membership package FAB Express will be published each spring, summer and winter and include the all the news, reviews, competitions, club news, merchandise, letters and any other time-sensitive content. You’ll see that FAB’s popular Timelash feature lives on here too, under the new title of Flashback and with a new resident team of ‘flashbackers’.

Meanwhile, club designer and former FAB editor Mike Jones is hard at work on getting the FAB Annual 2023 ready for the winter mailing. He promises it’s all looking good already, and will be packed with all the interviews, cutaways, research and in-depth articles you’ve come to know and love in FAB, with lots of new ideas thrown in for good measure.

Also as we explained in FAB 100, we’re aligning memberships so that everyone expires with the summer mailing each year. This will streamline our operation, helping to control costs by having fewer individual items, and fewer permutations of each mailing.

Every member will receive a letter with this FAB Express that explains how to renew your membership to be included in the winter mailing (and get your first FAB Annual) and how we’re ensuring that anyone who was owed issues of FAB under their old membership won’t be out of pocket.

Please wait until you receive FAB Express before renewing your membership, but be sure to renew by 1st October 2022 to be included in the winter mailing and get your next FAB Express and FAB Annual 2023!