[UK] All Fireball XL5 episodes and Century 21 Slough now on ITVX

Although most episodes of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s productions have been available for some time on ITVX, free of charge, inexplicably only two episodes of 1962’s Fireball XL5 have been included. Now that’s been remedied, with all 39 episodes available from today on the streaming service.

Also added to ITVX today is the Century 21 Slough documentary:

On the eve of demolition, the former film studios where Stingray, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons and Thunderbirds were launched are brought to life one last time. Join original AP Films team members as they say goodbye to the buildings, sharing memories as they tour recreated sets, models, and puppets alongside studio originals.

ITVX is free to view, with most of the Anderson content available ad-free too. There’s a free seven-day trial of the subscription Premium service (normally £5.99 a month/£59.99 a year) which offers even more content, ad-free, from the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Studio Canal.

An heroic deed indeed!

Over the last 12 months Fanderson members have helped to raise £750 for Hearing Dogs For Deaf People, from activities including 2022 advent calendar, Easter Egg Hunt and special items available for a donation to the charity.

Fire control expert Jason Smith, just back from his latest assignment, graciously accepted a cheque from Fanderson on behalf of the charity before he was called away to an incident at an oil rig in the Middle East. Before leaving he thanked the club and its members and wished everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Sarah Squirrell, of Hearing Dogs, said:

“Thanks to everyone at Fanderson for the kind gift of £750.

Your special gift will help train life-changing hearing dogs and allow us to provide long-term support for our hearing dog partnerships.

At Hearing Dogs, the training and support we provide does not end when the dog is placed with their partner. We provide ongoing help and further training to deal with life changes whether they are planned or unexpected.

Starting university is a huge change for anyone but as a deaf student with a hearing dog, there were some extra things Ana had to think about, including some additional training for her hearing dog, Valley. Together with a Hearing Dogs trainer, Valley was gradually introduced to lecture theatres and labs and learnt how to settle under Ana’s chair during lectures. Ana has now been invited to train with the England Deaf Women’s football team and, as for Valley, she is loving all the extra attention from Ana’s teammates!

Once again, we would like to thank you very much for your support.”

Fanderson has a great reputation for supporting worthwhile causes, and over the club’s 42 years members have raised in excess of £50,000 for the likes of Alzheimers Society, Baby Lifeline, Children In Need, Diabetes UK, The Film And TV Charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, Orchid, Silverline, Terrence Higgins Trust, Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal and many more. To the left of Jason in the photo is our statue of SHADO, from our funding of a guide dog for the blind in 1996.

Our 2023/4 fundraising is in aid of Actors’ Benevolent Fund. Remember that the 2023 Advent Calendar is still running with most offers valid until 31st December.

[UK] The Noble Art of Fireball XL5 on TPTV

Talking Pictures have added The Noble Art of Fireball XL5 to their free Encore streaming service.

In this fascinating 17-minute documentary by Fanderson member Jeff Smart, legendary TV Century 21 and Look-in artist Mike Noble talks about his work on Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, Zero X and Space:1999 comic strips, among others.

The programme will also be broadcast on Talking Pictures at 14:40 on Saturday 20th January 2024. Talking Pictures TV is a free vintage film and TV channel available in the UK on Freeview/Youview 82, Freesat 306, Sky channel 328 and Virgin 445.

Don’t forget Jeff’s Talking Thunderbirds series on Encore too! Encore is a free service – watch via the red button on internet-connected Freeview TVs,  or register to gain access to a wealth of classic television and films.

UPDATED: Captain Scarlet originals to be auctioned

12/11/23: updated with hammer prices in red


Propstore will be auctioning over 1,800 unique and original items in one of the world’s largest auctions of film and television memorabilia between 9th and 12th November 2023, including original items from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s 1967 series Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons.

Headline lots in the Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: London 2023 auction include:

  • A screen-matched light-up C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) head from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), from the personal collection of the longest-serving star wars cast member, anthony daniels (estimated £500,000 – £1,000,000)
  • The largest collection of Blade Runner (1980) props, memorabilia and production ephemera to ever come to market – including Harrison Ford’s director’s chair (estimated £10,000 – £20,000)
  • The iconic black cowboy hat worn by Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) in the legendary western The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966) (estimated £50,000 – £100,000)
  • From the first bond girl to the last bond – Honey Ryder’s (Ursula Andress) bathrobe from Dr No (1962) (estimated £70,000 – £140,000) and James Bond’s (Daniel Craig) tuxedo from No Time To Die (2021) (estimated £20,000 – £40,000)
  • The hero screen-matched Freddy razor glove armature and schematic from the original A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), (estimated £200,000 – £400,000)
  • Don Vito Corleone’s (Marlon Brando) coat from The Godfather (1972), (estimated £25,000 – £50,000)
  • Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) bow and quiver from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), (estimated £20,000 – £40,000)

But of particular interest to Fanderson members will be:

9th November:

    • Lot 98 Ken Turner’s personal annotated shooting script for The Mysterons (series pilot) – estimated between £1,500 and £3,000 (£2,125)
    • Lot 99 Pair of Derek Meddings’ hand-drawn sketches of mysteron rifle (£1,500 and £3,000 estimated) (£1,875)
    • Lot 100 Captain Black Head with Replica Body and Costume is estimated to fetch between £60,000 and £120,000 (£75,000)
    • Lot 101 Captain Blue Supermarionation Puppet Head (estimated £8,000 and £16,000) (£13,750)

12th November:

    • Lot 1692 Full-Size FAB 1 Rolls-Royce Bonnet “The Spirit of Ecstasy” ornament (£1,500 and £3,000 estimated) (£1,875)
    • Lot 1693 Replica Parker puppet – estimated between £800 and £1,600 (£1,125)

Propstore, one of the world’s leading entertainment memorabilia auctioneers, estimates the auction is expected to fetch over £12 million.

Global bids can be placed online, over the phone or via absentee bidding. Registration is now open online at https://propstore.com/liveauction. Online proxy bids can be submitted from October 10th 2023.

In-room bidding will be open to the public at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London on the 9th & 10th November 2023. Online and telephone bids can be placed across the whole event.


 

UPDATED: Let’s make it an Annual Affair!

UPDATED 23/11/23: Offer extended to end of December


As we prepare our winter mailing to all club members, we can now make remaining stocks of FAB Annual 2023 available to buy, just in time for Christmas.

And to really make it a Christmas to remember, until the end of November December we’ve got two great offers for you:

See all six items here. Just be sure to apply the relevant coupon code at checkout before you pay.


OFFER TERMS AND CONDITIONS (in addition to our standing Ts&Cs)

  • Discount will be applied to items as detailed above in the same transaction.
  • Apply either coupon code AnnualAffair3 or AnnualAffair6 before you pay to get the relevant discount detailed above.
  • Members must apply the coupon code themselves to get the discount. It cannot be applied after you have paid, and we cannot apply it retroactively.
  • This is an online-only offer. It cannot be redeemed via the post.
  • This offer ends on 30th November 2023, though Fanderson reserves the right to close the offer early.

UPDATED: Corgi SPV and Angel Interceptor re-issue

UPDATED 17/10/23: FAB 1 now available for pre-order


As well as their upcoming Stingray die-cast, Corgi has announced that they will also be re-issuing the classic Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle and Angel Interceptor models from Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons. See these and more in this video (wind through to 6:00)

Both are due to be released this autumn at £29.99 each (UK) and along with Thunderbird 2 with TB4 (£27.99) are available to pre-order now.

UPDATED: Space:1999 items up for auction – 13/14th October

UPDATED 15/10/23: We’ve updated the listing to include hammer prices (in US$).


Heritage Auctions (“The World’s Largest Collectibles Auctioneer”) will be auctioning over 550 items from the film and television science fiction in The Greg Jein Collection on 13-14th October 2023.

The landmark Greg Jein Auction features the collection of the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated miniature-maker who helped create the mothership from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and worked on most of the Star Trek movies and TV series since 1977. Jein spent decades putting together this unparalleled assemblage, which includes one of the largest collections of Star Trek props, costumes, models and production photos ever offered to the public, from the original series to nearly every big- and small-screen sequel and spinoff that followed. They’re joined by some of the most significant pieces from sci-fi and cinema history, including his mothership maquette. It spans Jein’s beloved 1940s and ’50s serials, including Spy Smasher and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal Of The Universe, to such 1960s TV shows as Batman and Lost In Space to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars.

Lots likely to be of interest to Fanderson members:

  • 89041: photos from Supercar through to Joe 90 ($9,375)
  • 89429: Altares spaceship from The Day After Tomorrow ($15,000)
  • 89430: Gwent spaceship from The Infernal Machine ($13,750)
  • 89431: John Koenig spacesuit ($13,750)
  • 89432: Dr Helena Russell spacesuit ($13,750)
  • 89433: Moonbase Alpha rocket pack ($5,750)
  • 89434: Moonbase Alpha medical kits ($8,125)
  • 89435: three Moonbase Alpha uniforms ($18,750)
  • 89436: three Moonbase Alpha uniforms ($32,500)
  • 89437: two Moonbase Alpha uniforms plus Dr Helena Russell tunic ($16,250)

 

 

Will you win the FAB Challenge?

Something we’ve been asked for many times over the years is now, thanks to club members Matthew Teevan and Mark Whyte, finally available – the exclusive FAB Challenge card game from Fanderson!

Easy to play, but fiendish to master, FAB Challenge presents 40 of the greatest vehicles from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s productions in a card game. Accompanying the brand-new vehicle artwork on each card is the FAB Spec & Tech, from which you must choose one item to beat your opponents and seize the hand!

LIMITED TIME INTRODUCTORY OFFER: We know that some members will want to play FAB Challenge with their friends and family, whilst keeping a set pristine (possibly unopened!). So, put two in your basket together and apply the coupon code FABChallenge before you pay and you’ll save £4! This offer will expire on 1st October 2023.

IMPORTANT: Members must apply the coupon code to get the discount. It cannot be applied after you have paid, and we cannot apply it retroactively.


 

[AUS] Up to 50% off in ViaVision’s Big UK TV Sale!

Australian cult and classic film and television label ViaVision has a Big UK TV Sale now on, where you could save up to 50%!

Of particular interest to Fanderson members will be The Protectors in Classic ITV Bundle 2, Stingray, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons and Space:1999 in Sci-Fi DVD Bundle. With over 50 titles included, there’s sure to be something for everyone, but hurry as the sales ends on 24th August!

 

[AUS] Supermarionation DVD boxset from ViaVision

Australia’s cult and classic film and television label Via Vision is releasing Supermarionation – The Gerry And Sylvia Anderson Collection on 5th July.

This brings together Via Vision’s previous DVD sets of Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons and Joe 90 into a 21-disc super-set, currently available to pre-order at AU$99.95.

Though Via Vision’s Fireball XL5 is now out of stock, separate releases for the other three series remain available.