Fanderson

FAB Book Of Free Gifts… with a free gift!

Posted on by Parker

Lucky for some – our 13th FAB Book Of… comes with its own free gift – a reproduction Captain Scarlet file from TV21!

The FAB Book Of… series has been incredibly popular since the book of Dinky toys started it way back in 2010.

Now, we’re delighted that the 13th book is being added to the series – the FAB Book Of… Free Gifts And Promotions. This new 60-page book takes a look at all the wonderful gifts that were given away in comics such as TV21, Lady Penelope and Countdown. For many of us, this will be our only chance to see some of these items – as giveaways, many weren’t designed to last for long, or were simply thrown away after a short while. This book features not just the gifts themselves but also the comics they were offered in, as well as advertising in other publications.

Our new book comes with a free gift of its own – a reproduction of the Captain Scarlet file originally given away with TV21 issue 155.

Click here to order your copy now!

Don’t forget, although Sweet Cigarette Cards Volume 2 has sold out, we still have 11 other titles in the series available. Buy any three or more in the same transaction (excluding Free Gift And Promotions) and you’ll get 20% off! And we still have stock of FAB Books binders to keep your books safely in.

Join the team as FAB Express editor

Posted on by Parker

The Fanderson Committee is looking for a club member to join them and manage the production of our club magazine – FAB Express. Could it be you?

We currently mail a magazine three times a year, containing the latest news, correspondence and other features for club members. The magazine format changed to FAB Express in 2023 as part of our overhaul of the membership package. Two years on, with the magazine settled in but also with a wealth of suggestions from our recent membership survey, we need someone new to take the magazine on and bring their own ideas in order to make their mark.

You don’t need to be a graphic designer, as the successful applicant will work with our designer to produce the final magazine. What you do need is the ability to gather information and/or encourage input from club members in order to provide the designer with text files and (where possible) suitable accompanying photos/illustrations. You do need a good command of the written English language as composition, spelling and grammar are obviously important.

What do you get in return? Like all committee positions this role is voluntary, so unpaid but you will become part of the successful team and bring your experience and advice to everything the club does (including beyond this role’s responsibilities). You’ll gain experience of working in a team, and share our pride in running one of the longest established TV/film fan clubs in the world.

The successful applicant will have plenty of time to settle in, as the first issue required will be for our winter mailing, accompanying FAB Annual 2026 in November.

If you think you might fit the bill please write to us by Sunday 8th June 2025 at fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com with details of your experience and aspirations. Be confident in explaining why you’re the right person for the job, and all the great things you’ll bring to the role.

Save big on soundtracks this spring

Posted on by Parker

Get a great deal on some of our exclusive members-only soundtracks!

To celebrate the arrival of spring, we’ve got some great offers on our soundtracks – just for Fanderson members:

  • Put either Supercar or Fireball XL5 in your basket and you’ll get the other title free, plus a free Fireball XL5 sticker
  • Put Stingray 3CD boxset in your basket and you’ll get it a special price (UK £36.50 £27.35, E £40 £30, RW £43 £32.25), plus a free WASP sticker
  • Buy Joe 90 4CD boxset in your basket and you’ll get it a special price (UK £30 £22.50, E £33.50 £25, RW £36.50 £27.35), plus a free WIN sticker

You don’t need to do anything special to get these offers (other than add anything else you want, checkout and pay!). The special prices are already in the Shop and we’ll put any free items in your package when we mail it to you.

These offers are until FAB Express 110 is published this summer, or whilst stocks last (whichever is sooner).

Spring has sprung… here comes FAB Express 109!

Posted on by Parker

Spring has sprung, and with it comes our spring mailing of FAB Express issue 109 – in the post today!

As well as all the Anderson news and your views, FAB Express 109 takes a FlashBack to Space:1999 Mission Of The Darians and a very special day at Pinewood Studios. The magazine’s been sent to all current club members, and new members will also get it in their welcome package along with issue 108 and FAB Annual 2025.

Whilst we’re at it, don’t forget that we’re running monthly offers on various issues of the old club magazine – FAB. Packed full of articles (much like those in FAB Annual nowadays), you can get a whopping 50% off by buying five or more issues in each offer. Click here for this month’s offer.

Fancy a new adventure?

Posted on by Parker

Tired of watching the same episodes over and over? Fancy a new adventure? Our growing fan fiction page now features ten works by amateur authors, keen to expand the screen adventures!

All stories have been formatted to A5 page size PDF, making them ideal to read on a tablet (even on a phone!), or can be printed at home. Ranging in length from just seven to a mammoth 364 pages, and covering a range of series, you’re bound to find something to whet your appetite.

If you have a piece of fan fiction that’s based on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s productions, which you’d like to share with other fans, send it to us (in Word or other text format) at fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com.

New Captain Scarlet 20th anniversary exclusive lucky dip

Posted on by Parker

New Captain Scarlet is 20 today!

Gerry Anderson’s final production premiered on ITV 20 years ago today, and we’re giving you the chance to celebrate with a very rare piece of series’ ephemera.

Gerry was extremely proud of New Captain Scarlet but was disappointed that the £22m series, which employed (at that time) cutting edge motion capture computer generated imagery (CGI), didn’t get the high-profile launch it deserved. ITV chose to split the episode Instrument Of Destruction part one in two and screen it as part of the live children’s Saturday morning entertainment show Ministry Of Mayhem. Gradually, the series went on to get better timeslots, and through repeat screenings and DVD releases has gained a more appreciative, mature audience over the intervening 20 years. Although the CGI now looks quite dated, fans now consider the stories to be superior in many cases to the 1968 original.

To celebrate New Captain Scarlet‘s anniversary we’ve got 20 genuine NCS business cards to give away (gifted to the club by Gerry when production ended and he shut the office at Pinewood Studios). Just buy something from our Shop today* and add this item, and you’ll be entered into the lucky dip.

*Lucky Dip closes at midnight (GMT) on 12th February 2025. Purchase required in order to cover postage of the business card. Spend does not include Fanderson memberships or Silva Screen products.

Virtual AGM – 1st March 2025

Posted on by Parker

Fanderson’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held online at 12:00 (midday, Greenwich Mean Time) on Saturday 1st March 2025.

The AGM is a chance for the committee to report on the club’s status, share results of the recent membership survey and respond to members’ questions, thoughts and suggestions.

All current Fanderson members are eligible to attend, and can register to do so by completing this short form. Incomplete or incorrectly completed forms will be ignored. Registration closes at midnight on Sunday 23rd February.

We will send registered members a link to join the meeting shortly before the meeting itself.

Get ready Canada – your FAB Annuals will soon be on their way!

Posted on by Parker

We’re getting FAB Annual 2025 ready to mail to club members in Canada

Fanderson members in Canada will be aware that we chose not to mail their FAB Annuals in December along with everyone else, due to the effects of the postal strike there. Although the strike was resolved a while ago, we were advised to wait until the huge backlog of post had been cleared and services were back to normal. Canada Post suggested that we should steer clear of January, so we’ll start mailing again to Canada in the next few days, and catch up with FAB Annuals to those who are owed them as part of their club membership.

Have your say in the 2025 membership survey

Posted on by Parker

Tell us what you think about your club!

As we welcome in 2025 we’d like to hear what you think about your club. Our 2021 membership survey really helped shape the membership package that we have today. Your merchandise suggestions and ideas help us understand what we already do that you like, and what you would like us to produce. Your feedback also helps us know what events you’d like in the future, website features you’d like to see etc. Your responses also help us understand how best to run the club. With inflation affecting us all, your input helps us understand how the cost of living might impact you and the club, and how you think we might meet the challenges ahead of us.

So, please take a few minutes to participate in our membership survey, which is open to all current members of Fanderson until the end of January.

It’s also time for you to elect your chairman for the next five years, although no club members were nominated by the Christmas Eve deadline. Nick Williams (the incumbent) is standing again, and it’s important that we understand whether you support him or not.

Nick says “I was surprised last summer to discover that I am the club’s longest serving chairman. Having contributed to Fanderson’s success for 35 years, I’m standing once again to be your club chairman.

When I became Secretary in 1990, I immediately set about ways to make database maintenance and preparing for mailings easier. I also worked closely with the then chairman to bring a more formal, productive structure to committee meetings and records of those meetings. I was asked to take on the additional responsibility of Treasury in 1994, when the club’s finances were in a perilous state. I had a plan to turn the situation around and by 1995 all debts had been paid and we were consistently back in the black. I introduced the card payment facility, and brought in elementary management information to help the committee make informed decisions.

When I became Chairman in 2007, membership numbers were in serious decline. Members told us that sporadic magazine mailings and website updates were giving the impression that the club was closing. The plan was to get the magazine back on a regular schedule and have a website that would be an immediate port of call for anyone who wanted information, news, to buy merchandise or to contact the club. By giving a new, inclusive, direction for FAB we had more members contributing to our club magazine. Membership numbers (and, crucially, membership renewals) immediately stabilised and then started to increase again. 

I don’t have an encyclopaedic recall of every Anderson fact and figure, but I don’t think that’s the role of a Chairman. I have guided and supported your committee, the club and its members well for 17 years. I’ve had to make some tough decisions but, where possible, aim to include members’ comments and ideas in a creative solution that will work. That’s why the results of the last survey were so important in re-shaping the membership package in the face of rapidly increasing costs. I’ve never underestimated or taken for granted the responsibility that this position demands. I’ve never been afraid to stand up and do the right thing for the club and its members – even on occasion that it’s made me unpopular with a minority. That said, I believe I’ve been a positive ambassador for the club, maintaining great relationships with existing partners and building relationships with new ones.

Fanderson has been one of the very best fan clubs for the last 44 years. I intend that we keep everything that’s made it great, though I’ve always got my eye on the future and what’s coming around the corner. I’m incredibly proud of all we’ve achieved in my time, and relish the opportunity to continue. I hope you’ll show your support by voting for me.”

What happened On This Day?

Posted on by Parker

Check out our new feature to see what happened On This Day in Anderson history!

We’ve just launched a new website feature which will tell you all kinds of things, Anderson-related, that happened on this day in history. Births, deaths, marriages, premiere broadcasts, regional broadcasts, guest appearances on other series and films and much more are available – day by day.

This feature will always be a work on progress, so if you’ve got information to share with us and add to coming pages, please drop us a line at fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com now!

Click on the link underneath the blue carousel on the homepage to see today’s page.