Fanderson is saddened to hear of the death of actor Windsor Davies. Famous for his role as Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Davies is best known among Anderson fans for voicing another sergeant major – this time robotic and disembodied: Zero, in Terrahawks. His family announced that he passed away on Thursday. He will be sadly missed. Fans can expect to read a full obituary in the next issue of FAB magazine.
Fanderson is thrilled to reveal the first guests to confirm their attendance at Supercelebration.
Fittingly, the pilot of Thunderbird 1, Shane Rimmer, and his wife Sheila are the first to confirm they will be attending Fanderson’s full weekend convention. The couple have been great supporters of Fanderson conventions over the years, and have given fans many happy memories, including interview panels alongside fellow Supermarionation stalwarts such as David Graham and Matt Zimmerman.
Taking place from 20th to 22nd September 2019 at the Holiday Inn, Maidenhead, Supercelebration will feature guest appearances; rare screenings; displays of models, puppets, costumes and artwork; as well as games, merchandise and workshops. Back by popular demand, there will also be a Saturday night disco, so you can strut your stuff while dressed as a your favourite Anderson character!
Join us for a Supercelebration!
Early bird tickets to Supercelebration start at just £55 per person for one day, or £90 for the whole weekend. In this challenging financial climate, we’ve managed to keep the ticket price the same as our Special Assignment convention in 2017. That’s because we’re a fan club and no one is taking a salary.
Find out more and register now
Santa pulled out all the stops to make sure FAB 91 is reaching fans before Christmas. This very special issue includes:
05 FAB NEWS
10 MIKE NOBLE – A CELEBRATION
We profile and celebrate the life of the popular, talented and much loved artist.
15 CHRISTMAS IN TOPSY TURVY LAND VIA LIVERPOOL
John Wilkinson remembers a very special Christmas many years ago…
16 THUNDERBIRDS: THE SECOND SERIES
We take a detailed look at the second series of International Rescue’s adventures, and see how it compares to the first batch.
36 REMEMBERING ZIENIA MERTON
The much-loved actress and friend of Fanderson, who brought to life
Space:1999’s unforgettable sweetheart Sandra Benes.
46 FAB NOTICE BOARD
48 APPRECIATION STATION
This issue, Ian Fryer talks dogs in Anderson productions!
50 FAB REVIEW
54 FAB MAIL
Let’s see what you think of this Space:1999 Year One adventure…
62 END CREDITS
Ian Wheeler looks at Space Precinct in a new light.
64 THUNDERBIRD 6 PART THREE
Jonathan Baxter picks up where TV21 left off, with an exclusive photostory
re-telling of the second Thunderbirds feature film, the delightful Thunderbird 6.
How to get FAB magazine? 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!
Fanderson is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of beloved TV21 comics artist Mike Noble.
Known today for his vivid, energetic and highly colourful work, Mike began illustrating comics in the late 1950s with something far more sedate – a strip called Simon and Sally that followed the adventures of a pair of eponymous infant twins. He quickly proved his talents as a first-rate illustrator of TV-inspired strips, working on The Lone Ranger and Popeye for TV Comic. However it was in the mid to late 1960s that Mike will be remembered for his amazing work on a series of Gerry Anderson tie-in strips for TV21, including Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet and Zero-X. Throughout the 1970s he worked for Look-In, illustrating Star Trek, The Adventures of Black Beauty, The Tomorrow People, Worzel Gummidge and – of course – Space:1999.
Later in his career Mike reconnected with the Anderson universe, contributing to the Fleetway Comics revival of TV21 overseen by Alan Fennell.
As well as being a hugely talented and prolific artist, Mike was a gentleman, always happy to talk to fans about his work and unsparing in his contributions – whether attending conventions, donating artwork or taking commissions – Fanderson included! He attended the club’s last convention, Special Assignment, in 2017, where he exhibited a wide selection of his work, signed artwork and talked on stage with fellow Anderson artist Graham Bleathman. Despite ill health had been eager to attend Supercelebration next year. He will be sadly missed. A full tribute will be appearing in FAB soon.
Mike’s passing follows swiftly that of actor John Bluthal, best known to Anderson fans as the voice of the cantankerous Commander Zero in Fireball XL5.
Fans are welcome to leave tributes to both men on the Fanderson Facebook group and the Fanderson Forum.
Fanderson is saddened to hear of the death of actor John Bluthal. Best known to Anderson fans as the voice of the cantankerous Commander Zero in Fireball XL5, Bluthal reached wider fame with his role as Frank Pickle in The Vicar of Dibley.
He was born in Jezierzany, Galicia, Poland (now Ukraine) before emigrating to Melbourne, Australia with his family in 1938 at the age of nine. He later returned to Europe, where he worked extensively in theatre and radio comedy before moving into TV appearances in shows such as Fireball XL5, The Saint and Q. Bluthal’s long-running film and television career stretched from the 1960s up until a role as philosopher Herbert Marcuse in the Coen Brothers film, Hail Caesar!
A tribute will be appearing in FAB magazine shortly.
An Anderson-themed evening of glamour and entertainment will be held at Pinewood Studios this winter to raise money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
The Silver Screen Ball is an exclusive black-tie event taking place on Saturday 1st December 2018. It will be a fabulous evening where guests get to walk the red carpet and mingle with a host of celebrity guests.
The evening will include a champagne reception, followed by a sumptuous three-course dinner with wine accompanied by amazing entertainment. The night will be rounded off with the presentation of the Sylvia Anderson Awards, celebrating emerging talent, and an Auction and Raffle supporting GOSH. Prizes include a replica Parker puppet! All this, plus dancing into the early hours.
Thunderbirds fans will be delighted to know that celebrity guests include Mary Turner, David Graham and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. They will be joined by:
For ticket enquiries and bookings, please contact Adrian at tickets@sylviaanderson.co.uk
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.
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.
The full schedule won’t be confirmed until much closer to the weekend itself, but the outline is:
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.
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.
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 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:
The hotel has good transport connections to Heathrow, London, the West, the Midlands and the motorway network:
Alternative hotels in the area:
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.
Saturday only £65 – Add to Basket
Sunday only £65 – Add to Basket
Full weekend £110 – Add to Basket
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
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
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.
The 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.
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.
Who 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!
