Mike Trim to attend The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on 26th June 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson is excited to announce that Mike Trim will be attending The Future is Fantastic! in October.

A popular figure with fans at conventions, Mike began working for Gerry and Sylvia Anderson as a modelmaker and designer in the final days of Stingray. He then went on to work on Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, The Secret Service, and UFO, as well as the Thunderbirds and Doppelganger feature films.

Having worked closely with Derek Meddings for many years, Mike will be able to offer an invaluable insight into how the Century 21 series were produced. He joins a great list of special guests for what will be Fanderson’s first full-weekend convention in five years.

We accept walk-ins!

Not sure yet if you can make it to TFIF!? Never fear. Fans should note that we will be accepting walk-ins over the course of the weekend. However, if you wish to book a room at our venue – the Holiday Inn Maidenhead – we strongly advise that this is done in advance, as rooms are in limited supply.

Parker and Light Fingered Fred figurines to launch at The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on 18th June 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

22/07/15: Update! Here’s the latest photo of Robert Harrop’s new Parker and Light Fingered Fred figurines. Initially these will be exclusive to attendees at Fanderson’s upcoming convention – The Future is Fantastic!

Fanderson, in association with Robert Harrop, is delighted to announce that these beautiful limited edition Parker and Light Fingered Fred figurines will premiere at Fanderson’s upcoming convention, The Future Is Fantastic.

The early pre-sculpt versions pictured above show the characters in memorable poses from the classic Thunderbirds episode “Vault of Death”, with Parker polishing a boot and Fred complete with fag in mouth.

Sculpted by Anthony Halls, these two figurines will initially be exclusive to attendees at the event, and on sale at a special convention price.

Stock of these fabulous figures will also be available from Robert Harrop after the event through the normal channels…

Another very a very good reason to join us in October!

The Future is Fantastic! So, have you booked your ticket?

The Future is Fantastic! will take place over the weekend of 2nd to the 4th October 2015 at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead.

As well as a wonderful array of special guest panels and interviews, Fanderson’s first full-weekend convention in five years will also feature rare screenings;model, puppet and artwork displays, interactive workshops and games…

…plus a few other surprises!

Sylvia Anderson to appear at The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on 6th April 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

sylvia-anderson-crew

Fanderson is thrilled to announce that Sylvia Anderson has agreed to appear in her first-ever Fanderson convention this October. Sylvia has expressed the view that she thinks The Future is Fantastic! will be ‘very special’, and now leads a formidable list of guests who will be appearing at the event.

Producer, writer and voice actress, Sylvia Anderson worked with her husband Gerry in the 1960s and 1970s to co-create most of the series and films that Fanderson celebrates today. She is famous for developing the characterisation and costumes of these productions – particularly in Thunderbirds, where she both voiced and designed the look of Lady Penelope. Fittingly, she is set to return to the new Thunderbirds Are Go as Lady Penelope’s Great Aunt Sylvia this year. She has also recently been developing a new animated series called the The Last Station in collaboration with her daughter, Dee.

So far, the full list of guests announced for The Future is Fantastic! is:

sylvia-anderson-space-1999

The most up to date guest list can be found here

PLEASE NOTE:

Ticket prices for The Future is Fantastic will be increasing in April, so this is your last chance to buy your tickets at the full discounted price!

The Future is Fantastic! will take place over the weekend of 2nd to the 4th October 2015 at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead.

As well as a wonderful array of special guest panels and interviews, Fanderson’s first full-weekend convention in five years will also feature:

rare screenings
displays of models, puppets and artwork
exclusive merchandise
interactive workshops
games…

…plus a few other surprises!

In the meantime, you can…

What do you think of the exciting news about Sylvia’s involvement at the convention? Let us know below by posting your comment below!

Mary Turner to appear at The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on 2nd April 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson is excited to announce that Mary Turner has agreed to appear at The Future is Fantastic! Mary, a puppeteer and puppet designer who worked on Supercar through to The Secret Service, was responsible for sculpting some of the most iconic Supermarionation characters, including Steve Zodiac, Troy Tempest, Captain Scarlet and Lady Penelope.

An extra special guest announcement coming soon…

Mary Turner joins a considerable list of special guests who have signed up to appear at the convention…and there will be more to follow. In fact, an extra-special guest will be revealed in the next few days- so stay tuned for more information!

Buy your tickets NOW – last few days before prices increase!

The Future is Fantastic will take place over the weekend of 2nd to the 4th October 2015 at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead. Tickets prices will be increasing in April, so don’t delay and book your place!

Thunderbirds Are Go: Ring of Fire screened at BFI Southbank

Posted on 31st March 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

thunderbird-1-thunderbirds-are-go-screening (1)

ITV launched Thunderbirds Are Go in style today at the BFI Southbank in central London to a packed house of fans and journalists, desperate for their first real glimpse of the new series.

The audience was treated to the opening two-part story, Ring of Fire, which had been edited together to make a single 50-minute episode. The BFI’s superb NFT1 screening room did full justice to the visual effects and soundtrack, which wowed fans of all ages and roused several rounds of applause mid-viewing.

It was an action-packed introduction to the series that, in terms of pacing, was reminiscent of the opening double-bill of New Captain Scarlet. Resoundly embedding all the major core elements of the series format, Ring of Fire introduces all the regular characters and vehicles during an exhilarating pair of rescue missions orchestrated by the Hood.

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A Q&A session followed the screening, featuring ITV Executive Producers Giles Ridge and Estelle Hughes, Head Writer Rob Hoegee and voice artists David Graham, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kayvan Novak. David Menkin, Rasmus Hardiker and Andres Williams were also in attendance. Hoegee re-stated some of the small reveals about the series that he made at a recent Q&A on Reddit, including further insights into the fate of Jeff Tracy and the return of a certain star vehicle from the original series…

The screening was organised as part of the BFI’s regular Fun Day event for children, and included a storyboarding competition and animation stands to help younger fans bring the series to life.

ITV reveals Thunderbirds Are Go air date

Posted on 25th March 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

ITV today revealed the air date for Thunderbirds Are Go, finally putting an end to weeks of fan and media speculation. In what looks like a very astute piece of scheduling, Episode 1 will be broadcast as an hour-long special at 5pm on ITV1. Episode 2 onwards will air on Saturdays on ITV and CITV as a simulcast at 8am.

The launch appears to be geared to give the new series maximum exposure over the Easter weekend, and will be a very good indicator of general public interest in the series for the weeks ahead.

The first episode will be preceded by a behind-the-scenes look at the new series. Reggie & Thunderbirds – No Strings Attached will air on ITV on Thursday, April 2 at 8pm on ITV2.

Will you join Fanderson at the Thunderbirds Are Go press screening?

Posted on 4th March 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

Thunderbirds Are Go Logo Our friends at ITV Studios have given Fanderson a small number of tickets to the press screening of Thunderbirds Are Go at the BFI Southbank in London on 31st March at 16:00, and we’d love you to join us!

We’re offering four tickets to club members in a free-to-enter draw. Just e-mail query@fanderson.org.uk with your name, Fanderson membership number and postcode by midnight GMT on Saturday 7th March. We’ll draw the lucky winners and announce them early next week. Just make sure you can get the time off work and be able to get to London before applying!

Good luck. Thunderbirds Are (almost) Go!

Nicholas Parsons to appear at The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on 1st March 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson is delighted to announce that Nicholas Parsons has agreed to be appear at The Future is Fantastic!, Fanderson’s eagerly-awaited convention in October. This raises the number of confirmed guests to 12 – and we can confirm that there are more to come!

Nicholas wrote his name into the Gerry Anderson canon when he was cast as the voice of Sheriff Tex Tucker in Four Feather Falls. The hero of the show, Nicholas’s character Tex kept the peace in the eponymous small town in Kansas, with the aid of four magic feathers which allowed his dog and horse to talk, and his guns to swivel and fire by themselves!

Four Feather Falls is of course just a tiny part of Nicholas’s long career in television, radio and theatre, and he is perhaps best remembered for his role as gameshow host on the hugely popular Sale of the Century.

is an English radio and television presenter and actor. His long career in television, radio and theatre has made him a household name and he has been described as “the ultimate quiz show host” because of “(his) geniality, clarity of diction and the speed with which he rattled through questions

We’re looking forward to welcoming Nicholas to the convention and hope you’ll have lots of great questions to put to him – either on stage or in the bar afterwards.

The Future is Fantastic will take place over the weekend of 2nd to the 4th October 2015 at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead.

The current full guest list is:

Matt Zimmerman
David Graham
Shane and Sheila Rimmer
Mike Noble
Terry Adlam
Steve Woodcock
Judy Preece
Gary Tomkins
Alan Shubrook
Nicholas Parsons

Keep watching this website for further guest announcements! In the meantime you can:

David Graham, Mike Noble and Terry Adlam to attend Fanderson convention

Posted on 10th February 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

Three more guests have been confirmed for The Future is Fantastic!, Fanderson’s upcoming Gerry Anderson convention in October.

David Graham, Mike Noble and Terry Adlam have all agreed to take part in the event, and will be very welcome additions to our schedule of interviews taking place over the weekend. You might even get the chance to talk to them in the bar if you buy them a drink!

David Graham
The man of a thousand Supermarionation voices, David Graham will once again be re-united with fellow voice artists Shane Rimmer and Matt Zimmerman. The ‘FAB 3’ will be in high demand as always, in this, the 50th anniversary of the original Thunderbirds series. Of course, we’ll also be asking David about what it was like to play Parker for the second time around!

Mike Noble
Much-loved and respected, comic artist and illustrator Mike Noble was responsible for some of the most beautiful TV Century 21 strips of the 1960s, starting with Fireball XL5. He later contributed to Alan Fennell’s revival of the TV Century 21 strips in the 1990s.

Terry Adlam
Comedy writer Terry Adlam wrote and directed the gag-a-second Dick Spanner, Gerry Anderson’s cult animated series in the 1980s. Perhaps we should expect some fun and games on stage…maybe even some impromptu performances!

This news follows hot on the heels of the first guest announcements, bringing the total number to 13!

The Future is Fantastic! will be Fanderson’s first full weekend convention in five years. It takes place over the weekend of 2nd to the 4th October 2015 at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead.

Find out more about The Future is Fantastic and book your tickets here!

Fanderson confirms first guests for The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on 31st January 2015 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson is excited to reveal the first confirmed guests for The Future is Fantastic!, the club’s first full weekend convention in five years. No less than eight people from across the Spectrum of Gerry Anderson series have so far kindly agreed to give up their free time to be with us and meet fans, and there will be more to follow! The current list includes:

Shane and Sheila Rimmer
Thunderbirds Are Go! might be just around the corner, but fans know that there is only one Scott Tracy! Forever to be known as the voice of Thunderbird 1 pilot, Shane has also had a long-running and successful career as a writer.

Shane will be accompanied by his wife Sheila, and has been a mainstay at conventions for many years.

Matt Zimmerman
Mr Alan Tracy returns once more to entertain us with his vibrant humour and general enthusiasm for life! A successful stage actor, Matt is a real fans’ favourite at conventions. Watch out for his insights into the lives of the Tracy Brothers…

Steve Woodcock
Known by fans for his model work on Terrahawks, alongside his colleague John Lee, Steve provided a fascinating slideshow of his work at Fanderson’s 30th Birthday event for Terrahawks back in 2013.

Judy Preece
As a puppeteer on Terrahawks, Judy was tasked with bringing life and character to Gerry Anderson’s new style of ‘Supermacromation’ puppetry.

Gary Tomkins
Since cutting his teeth as an art director on Terrahawks, Gary Tomkins has gone on to have a successful work in the film industry, including work on the Harry Potter and Star Wars series.

Alan Shubrook
Working alongside Derek Meddings, Alan was a modelmaker during the heydays of Century 21 at Slough and has since published a fascinating book on the subject.

Richard James
An established actor in films and children’s TV, Richard played the likeable Officer Hubble Orrin in Space Precinct.

Future-is-fantastic-1

The Future is Fantastic will take place over the weekend of 2nd to the 4th October 2015 at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead.

We hope to confirm more guests soon – keep watching this space!

In the meantime, you can…