Fantastic Expect the Unexpected prize raffle

Posted on 31st August 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Have you ever dreamt of picking up Atlanta Shore at a party or owning a Terrorfish? Well, two lucky attendees at Fanderson’s Terrahawks 30th anniversary event in October will get the chance to do just that…

As part of the programme for Expect the Unexpected, Fanderson will be holding a raffle where the top prizes are special limited edition figurines from Stingray, courtesy of Robert Harrop.

Strictly limited to just 250, the Robert Harrop Atlanta Shore and Titan Terrorfish figurines have been produced in beautifully hand painted ceramic, are individually numbered and come with their own special presentation box.

So, don’t miss out on the Expect the Unexpected prize raffle !

Just to illustrate what an amazing prize this is, it’s worth pointing out that limited edition figurines of Brains and Parker that were sold at Fanderson’s TV21 convention in 2010 are now reaching up to £700 on Ebay!

Other raffle prizes include a funky ‘I’ve got Brains’ sweatshirt and baseball shirt and a special prize connected with the new TV21 reprint book, scheduled for release by Egmont this autumn.

Have you booked your ticket yet?

If not – don’t delay! There’s still time to register for Expect the Unexpected. The event be held at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead on Saturday 12th October. Tickets are available for both club members and non-members and cost £65 per person. Your ticket will include an evening meal and give you the chance to rub shoulders with the cast and crew from the series!

News from Expect the Unexpected

New Gerry Anderson convention announced for 2014

Posted on 21st August 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Andercon logo Gerry Anderson Convention alert! Anderson Entertainment has announced it will hold its first ever Gerry Anderson convention in April 2014.

Hosted by Anderson Entertainment and produced by Basestar Limited, AnderCon will celebrate the life and legacy of British television’s most celebrated Science Fiction producer, and creator of telefantasy classics including Thunderbirds, Space 1999, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Stingray.

There will be guest appearances from many of the actors and voice artists from across the series, including Zienia Merton, Prentis Hancock and Pam Rose (Space 1999); David Quilter and Richard James (Space Precinct); David Graham, Matt Zimmerman and Shane Rimmer (Thunderbirds).

Production personnel attending currently include Mike Trim, Steve Begg, Kevin Davies, Crispin Merrell, Terry Adlam and Phil Ford.

In what promises to be a first for a Gerry Anderson convention, the event also aims to bring to life the creativity and ingenuity of those early studio days through displays of production drawings, together with recreations of actual sets used in the filming of classic shows such as Thunderbirds and Stingray!

Andercon will be held across the weekend of Saturday 19th – 20th 2014, at the Park Inn Hotel, Heathrow Airport, London.

Watch out for:

Brains’s Laboratory
an explosive Refinery
the Rolling Road beloved of many an action sequence
Stingray’s “underwater” tank, complete with fish alongside some of the surviving full-sized vehicles that appeared in Anderson’s productions.

There will be an impressive display of reproduction props and models courtesy of fan collectors and prop builders, providing some great photo opportunities for fans.

More information on the event can be found on the event website: www.andercon.co.uk with additional guests and event attractions to be announced in the coming months!

Terrahawks in high definition

Posted on 13th August 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

See Terrahawks as you’ve never seen it before: Terrahawks in high definition!

Fanderson has revealed screen grabs of the new high definition (HD) prints it has made of Terrahawks episodes to be screened at the club’s Expect the Unexpected event in October.

Remastered exclusively at BBC Resources from Fanderson’s own prints, Expect the Unexpected will see the world premiere of Terrahawks in high definition!

To compare the new and improved picture quality of the HD prints with the original standard definition, click on the thumbnails below!

Expect The Unexpected will be held at the Holiday Inn Maidenhead on Saturday 12th October. Tickets are available for both club members and non-members and cost £65 per person. Your ticket will include an evening meal and give you the chance to rub shoulders with the cast and crew from the series, including James Bond special visual effects guru Steven Begg.

Find out more about Expect the Unexpected and book your ticket!

Steven Begg to attend Fanderson Terrahawks event

Posted on 30th July 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Terrahawks crew - Expect the Unexpected Britain’s foremost visual effects artist Steven Begg is to attend Expect the Unexpected, a special event to mark the 30th anniversary of Terrahawks.

Steven Begg is perhaps best known for his work on the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale and Skyfall, for which he received BAFTA nominations, as well as other Hollywood smash-hits such as Batman Begins. However, Terrahawks also played an important role in the early stages of his career, where he worked on all 39 episodes as special effects director from 1983 – 86.

Other confirmed guests include:

John Lee – Terrahawks modelmaker
Judy Preece – Terrahawks puppeteer
Steven Woodcock – Terrahawks modelmaker

Expect the Unexpected will also showcase specially remastered Terrahawks episodes in high definition (HD). The event will be held at The Holiday Inn Maidenhead, will start at 10:00 on Saturday 12th October and run into the evening. Tickets cost £65 per person and will include your evening meal. This event is open to non members at the same price.

Accommodation

Fanderson has arranged a special rate for double/twin rooms at the Holiday Inn on either Friday 11th or Saturday 12th October of just £65 bed and breakfast. You must quote “Fanderson” when you book to receive the discount. For more information about the hotel visit www.himaidenheadhotel.co.uk.

To book your room at Fanderson’s special rate please call house reservations on 01628 506070 between 9am to 5pm, Monday – Friday.

Find out more about the event and book your ticket!

Terrahawks was Gerry Anderson’s first television series of the 1980s, and employed a style of puppetry called ‘Supermacromation’ . View our production index to find our more about the series.

Stay on this channel for further guest announcements and updates!

Space:1999 stars at Autographica

Posted on 27th June 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Autographica, the world’s largest autograph event, is yet again paying tribute to Gerry Anderson’s Space:1999, which is taking place on the 21st-22nd of September 2013 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, NEC. This popular event is proving to be an absolute must for Space:1999 fans, featuring no less than eight guests from the series.

Heading the guest list is the Moonbase Alpha Eagle Pilot himself, Nick Tate, while the roster also contains Year One Main mission operative Lee Oswald played by Loftus Burton and a Technician played by Robert Atiko. They are joined by Year Two starring guests Peter Duncan who played Cantar in the episode The Exiles, John Standing (was Pasc in The Mark of the Archanon), Sarah Douglas (“B” in The AB Chrysalis), Greg De Polnay (Peter Garforth in The Lambda Factor) and Nick Hobbs (a Security Guard in Space Warp).

Another guest at the event who will be of interest to Anderson fans is actor George Little who had a small part in the Gerry Anderson series The Protectors. A packed guest list also contains James Bond girls plus other actors and actresses from Dr Who and other TV shows and films. You can even get to meet a real-life astronaut!

To book your tickets go to www.autographica.co.uk or phone the ticketline on 01959 573792, open 9.00am to 9.00 pm seven days a week.

Chris Evans to drive FAB1 for Breast Cancer Care

Posted on 14th April 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

TV and radio presenter Chris Evans has launched a year-long fundraising campaign that aims to raise one million pounds for Breast Cancer Care with the help of FAB 1!

Lady Penelope’s famous car (a bespoke pink Rolls-Royce Ghost) will be driven by Evans and other celebrities in a point-to-point journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Evans will share the driving duties with Gary Barlow, Professor Brian Cox and James May, with pitstops in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow en-route.

The FAB1 Million project aims to raise funds by making FAB1 available for hire on a daily basis to fans, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Care. Standard charges are £5,000 inc VAT for a standard day and £7,500 inc VAT for a premium day, supplied with a full tank of fuel and professional chauffeur. FAB1 is ready to hit the road anywhere its passengers desire to go in the UK!

Additional premium packages will also be auctioned via the website, www.FAB1million.co.uk. in which the purchaser will secure tickets to an exclusive event as well as their FAB1 chauffeur-driven experience. These incredible packages include high -profile entertainment and sporting events such as Glorious Goodwood, The Silverstone Grand Prix, The Festival Of Speed, Britain’s Got Talent The Final, The Brit Awards and Royal Ascot.

The Rolls Royce to be used for the campaign has been meticulously prepared, explained Jolyon Nash, Director of Sales and Marketing, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

“The interior hosts hand-embroidered pink ribbons on each headrest, a rear-seat fridge and accents of Blushing Pink leather as well as sumptuous lambswool carpets and FAB1 treadplates. Door umbrellas feature pink handles and trim, while the exterior is beautifully offset by a silver satin bonnet and finished with an up-lit Spirit of Ecstasy to brighten each and every special occasion.”

FAB1 can be booked by calling the FAB1 Million booking line on 020 7960 3482, or you can find out more information by visiting www.FAB1million.co.uk

Additional fundraising activities will allow supporters to enter a competition and have a chance of winning FAB1 for a day by donating £5 to Breast Cancer Care. All you need to do is text FAB to 83222. Text entry to the draw costs 50p, plus the standard network rate. For full prize draw terms & conditions visit the website.

After the 833.3 mile drive across the UK, FAB1 will return to London where it will become the centrepiece of a window display in Harrods for one week, where FAB1 Million representatives will be on hand to answer any questions and take booking enquiries for the car.

Also in the Harrods FAB1 window display will be a very special contribution from Jamie Anderson – the son of the legendary Gerry Anderson. To sit alongside a replica Parker puppet owned by Gerry Anderson, Jamie is unveiling a Chris Evans-inspired Parker puppet (sculpted and built by Duncan Willis) created specially to celebrate the campaign.

Chris Evans said: “You can hire the most famous Rolls-Royce in the world as the icing on the cake to whatever special event you are attending or celebrating knowing that you are donating to a very worthy cause in the process. It’s a win win situation. So, if you can, do. FAB1 awaits your mission wherever you are and whatever you’re up to. 5-4-3-2-1! FAB1 Million is go!!!”

For more information please visit www.FAB1Million.co.uk or email FAB1@thescarletlife.com

Documentary premiere lifts the lid on Space Precinct amid reboot rumours

Posted on 17th March 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

A new 90-minute documentary about the making of Space Precinct premiered at the Prince Charles Cinema in central London on Wednesday 13th March. The screening of Space Precinct Legacy was followed by a question and answer session hosted by the director Paul Cotrulia and series composer Crispin Merrell, who also scored an original soundtrack for the documentary.
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Featuring in-depth interviews with key members of the production team, Space Precinct Legacy provided a fascinating and at times controversial insight into the political, financial and creative tensions at play behind the scenes of the series.

“I think some people were shocked about how brutally honest the documentary is” said Cotrulia. “It doesn’t pretend that Space Precinct was Gerry Anderson’s best series and we reveal some shocking secrets about the making of it. I think when people see the documentary they’ll be more forgiving of some of the series flaws.”

Nevertheless, after watching the documentary it is easy to see why Cotrulia describes himself as a “hardcore Space Precinct fan”.

“It was an incredible honour to meet with and interview some of the makers of Gerry Anderson’s unique, yet under-appreciated series. I think his vision or concept for the series was brilliant even if it didn’t reach its full potential on screen.”

“I can’t tell you how exciting it was to sit in a cinema with some of those very filmmakers and Jamie Anderson and watch the documentary.”

According to Cotrulia, a decision is going to be made very shortly about the future of Space Precinct. “There is a very strong possibility of a Space Precinct reboot movie and Jamie Anderson could be involved,” he explained. “However that can only happen if the documentary is successful.”

Wow – this all sounds pretty exciting! So if you want to know the real, warts-and-all story of the making of one of Gerry Anderson’s most ambitious series and keep alive the possibility of a remake, you know what to do!

Order your copy of the Space Precinct Legacy on Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk today!

Teaser trailer screened at Gerry Anderson Q&A

Posted on 12th March 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fans of Gerry Anderson attended a Q&A session about the producer’s life and work at the National Space Centre in Leicester on Saturday 10th March.

Hosted by Gerry’s son Jamie, the panel included Terrahawks puppeteer Judy Preece, New Captain Scarlet director Mark Woollard, writer Phil Ford and visual and special effects artist Richard Gregory.

The talk proved to be both highly entertaining and insightful, with the best question – concerning Gerry Anderson’s ‘darker side’ – meriting a prize of a signed first day cover of the Genius of Gerry Anderson stamps, signed by the man himself.

The talk ended with Jamie revealing an exciting teaser trailer for a new Gerry Anderson ‘legacy’ production. Watch this space for more details in the coming weeks!

The talk formed part of BritSciFi, a now annual event at the National Space Centre in Leicester. This year’s event was held in honour of Gerry, and fundraising activities were devoted to his chosen charity, the Alzheimer’s Society.

Other highlights of the weekend for fans included talks with Prentis Hancock and Pam Rose about their time on Space:1999, plus Anderson Alley, a separate section of the event devoted to a wide range of props and models. Fanderson also had a table and we had a great time meeting some old faces as well as some new members!

Youtube video courtesy of IMA-GEN Creations.

Space Precinct Legacy – watch the trailer

Posted on 10th March 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

With just a couple of days to go before the premiere of the Space Precinct Legacy documentary, we thought we’d share this fascinating trailer to whet your appetite!

The premiere takes place at the Prince Charles Cinema in London on March 13th and will be followed by a Q&A session involving composer Crispin Merrell and other members of the cast and crew.

Tickets for the premiere can be booked online here.

The 90-minute documentary includes interviews and never-before-seen behind the scenes material and goes on sale on Blu-Ray DVD from April 1st.

Gerry Anderson Q&A guests for BritSciFi announced

Posted on 26th February 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Britscifi3 will pay tribute to Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson

The guests who will be attending Jamie Anderson’s Q&A at BritSciFi in Leicester on March 9th have been revealed. The line-up is:

Judy Price, puppeteer on Terrahawks
Mark Woollard – Director of New Captain Scarlet and FX artist
Richard Gregory – visual and special effects wizard who provided the aliens in Space Precinct, as well as various props and models in Terrahawks

Fans of Doctor Who will be interested to know that Richard was also responsible for designing the 1980s-style Cybermen and a host of other aliens from the series. So there should be plenty of questions to put to him!

Say hello to Fanderson at BritSciFi!

Fanderson will have a presence in the Anderson Alley section of BritsciFi throughout Saturday March 9th. Please feel free to come along and say hello and bring your membership details with you!

In memory of Gerry, funds will be raised for the Alzheimer’s Society during the event.

Find out more about BritSciFi3 and book your ticket