The Future Is Fantastic! is Fanderson’s convention for 2015

2015 will be, of course, the 50^th anniversary of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s legendary series Thunderbirds, plus it will also see the launch of ITV Studios’ reimagining of the series as Thunderbirds Are Go. But on top of that there are so many other anniversaries to celebrate:

• Four Feather Falls’ 55^th (first UK broadcast 25^th February 1960)
• Crossroads To Crime’s 55^th (UK premiere November 1960)
• Supercar’s 55^th (production started September 1960)
• UFO’s 45^th (first UK broadcast 16^th September 1970)
• Space:1999’s 40^th (first UK broadcast 4^th September 1975)
• Space Precinct’s 20^th (first UK broadcast 18^th March 1995)
• New Captain Scarlet’s 10^th (first UK broadcast 12^th February 2005)

Over the weekend we’ll be looking at the amazing visions of the future that the Anderson productions gave us in these series and more.

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THE GUESTS

A wide range of guests from across the Anderson universe will be attending The Future is Fantastic! to give interviews, sign autographs and perhaps mingle with fans in the bar! We would like to point out that our guests are all giving up their valuable free time to attend the convention. Commitments sometimes change and unfortunately may be surprise cancellations – but also additions! – at the last moment. However, for now we are thrilled to confirm the following guests:

• Sylvia Anderson (co-creator of the Anderson series and voice artist)
• Matt Zimmerman (voice of Alan Tracy – Thunderbirds)
• David Graham (voice of Parker, Brains, Gordon Tracy – Thunderbirds)
• Shane Rimmer (voice of Scott Tracy – Thunderbirds) and Sheila Rimmer
• Jeremy Wilkin (voice of Virgil Tracy – Thunderbirds)
• Brian Johnson (visual effects designer)
• Alan Shubrook (Century 21 modelmaker)
• Peter Hitchcock (Century 21 effects)
• Keith Shackleton (Head of Merchandising)
• Mike Noble (TV21/Look-In comic artist)
• Mike Trim (Century 21  modelmaker)
• Mary Turner (Century 21 puppeteer and puppet designer)
• Roy Scammell (actor – Space:1999)
• Christopher Penfold (writer and story consultant – Space:1999)
• John Lee (modelmaker – Terrahawks)
• Judy Preece (puppeteer – Terrahawks)
• Nicholas Parsons (voice of Tex Tucker – Four Feather Falls)
• Terry Adlam (creator/director – Dick Spanner)

THE VENUE

The Holiday Inn, Maidenhead was the venue for Fanderson’s Expect The Unexpected event in October 2013, from which the feedback was very positive. It is 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 Junction 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 in the heart of AP Films/Century 21 studio-land:

• 3.6 miles/12 minutes to Islet Park
• 6 miles/12 minutes to Bath Road (AP Films)
• 6.6 miles/13 minutes to Stirling Road (Century 21)
• 12.1 miles/23 minutes to Pinewood Studios

The hotel has good transport connections to Heathrow, London, the West, the Midlands and the motorway network:

• 1 mile (3 minutes) to M4
• 9 miles (13 minutes) to M40
• 12 miles (14 minutes) to M25
• taxi from London Heathrow: 25 minutes/£35 one-way approximately
• taxi from London Gatwick: 1 hour/£60 one-way approximately
• train from London Paddington to Maidenhead: 37-47 minutes/from £11.10 one-way
• taxi from Maidenhead railway station: four minutes/£4 one-way approximately

Rooms at the Holiday Inn are available to delegates at the special rate of £89 per room/per night (bed and breakfast) based on two people sharing. Just call 01628 506070 in normal office hours (9:00-17:00 Monday to Friday) and quote the reference ‘Fanderson’. Alternative hotels in the area: Crowne Plaza, Marlow – www.crowneplaza.com – 01628 496800 The Thames Riviera Hotel – www.thamesriviera.com – 01628 674057 Travelodge Hotel, Maidenhead Central – www.travelodge.co.uk – 0871 984 6456 Kingswood Hotel & Gandhi Restaurant – 01628 633598 Walton Cottage Hotel & Suites – www.waltoncottagehotel.co.uk – 01628 624394 Taplow House Hotel – www.taplowhouse.com – 01628 670056 Fredrick’s Hotel, Restaurant and Spa – www.fredricks-hotel.co.uk – 01628 581000

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THE PROGRAMME

We all love watching the programmes, playing games, dressing up, having in-depth discussions, hearing guests, and gawping at fantastic models, puppets, props and artwork. You can be sure that The Future Is Fantastic! will have all of this and more, though at this early stage we hope you’ll understand that it’s still coming together.

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THE CHARITY

Gerry Anderson was always so supportive of Fanderson and we will be showing our support by raising funds for The Alzheimer’s Society – a charity close to Gerry’s heart – plus BBC Children In Need.

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FANDERSON

The convention is being staged for and by members of Fanderson, the official Gerry Anderson appreciation society. Fanderson is the only official appreciation society for the work of Gerry Anderson, endorsed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment, Anderson Entertainment, Gerry Anderson Productions and ITC Entertainment Group, with over 1,200 members worldwide. Based in the UK 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 Gerry 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 takes a salary, ‘mutual trading’ with our members means we’re exempt from certain taxes that would vastly inflate our prices, and because we only trade with our members the various copyright holders are often willing to forego the expensive merchandise licences that commercial companies have to buy. Also, because we’re fellow fans like you, in running the club we take the time and care about the little details in our products that commercial operations often can’t or don’t bother about.

Ticket Prices

Tickets to The Future Is Fantastic! are just £65 per person for one day, or £110 for the whole weekend. We’ve managed to keep the ticket price the same as our TV21 convention in 2010 because we’re a fan club and no-one is taking a salary from it. Note that Saturday or Sunday-only tickets do not include any refreshments that are included in the weekend ticket.

Trial Memberships

If you’re not already a Fanderson member you must apply for a trial membership with your ticket to The Future Is Fantastic! at a special trial price of just £10. The trial membership will start when you arrive at the convention and run until 31st December 2015. This will get you the latest issue of the club’s FAB magazine, membership badge, enable you to buy our merchandise at the convention at special prices, access to our full range of merchandise online, access to the members’ area of the Fanderson Forum.

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DRESS CODE
We know from many past conventions that some fans love to dress up and enter into the spirit of the Anderson universe! We want to encourage you to be as creative as you can this year, especially on Saturday night. That’s why we hope to be awarding some prizes for the best dressed out there!

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

I understand that once my registration has been confirmed, all deposits and subsequent payments are non-refundable. I understand that once my registration has been confirmed, it is my responsibility to pay the hotel bill for my room and any associated costs upon checkout, or to pay any cancellation costs due to my failure to attend the event. I understand that the convention committee and/or the hotel reserve the right to decline registration for any reason whatsoever, and that should my application for registration be declined, any registration fees that I have paid will be refunded in full. I understand that the convention is not suitable for children under 5 years of age I understand that any children in my party are my sole responsibility for the duration of the convention, and that the organisers will not make any special arrangements for children of any age. I understand that the organisers will make every effort to provide delegates with the contents of the programme of events as described, but that changes to the programme may be implemented at the organisers’ discretion due to unforeseen circumstances that may arise nearer the date of the event.

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