Fireball XL5

Presented In Supercolorisation

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Network has announced a new two-disc Blu-ray Disc set of colourised Gerry and Sylvia Anderson productions, coming on 12th December 2022.

The first disc of the Presented In Supercolorisation set includes Four Feather Falls First Train Through, Supercar Pirate Plunder and Supercar “Take One”, Fireball XL5 The Sun Temple, The Granatoid Tanks and A Day In The Life Of A Space General in colourised high-definition!

Most of these episodes are available again on disc two, along with other programmes, as part of two compilation features previously seen on watch.networkonair.com:

  • You’ve Never Seen These! – Professor Matthew Matic and Dr Horatio Beaker co-host 2021’s online compilation showcasing the colourisations of Pirate Plunder and The Granatoid Tanks, alongside restorations of Stingray Treasure Down Below and an edition of Anderson super-rarity You’ve Never Seen This.
  • Space City Specials – featuring another edition of You’ve Never Seen This, 2022’s special online compilation also showcases colourisations of First Train Through and The Sun Temple, all linked together by Robert the Robot!

The set is completed by a 16-page booklet featuring frames from the colourised episodes next to outline versions to colour.

Priced at £35, the set is available to pre-order now.

Celebrate Fireball’s 60th with Network

Posted on by Parker

Network have a special free evening planned to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Fireball XL5!

Join Network On Air from 18:50 BST on Friday 28th October for an evening hosted by everyone’s favourite automaton – Robert the robot.

The evening will include the restored version of Planet 46 (first shown on this day six decades ago in (ATV London, Ulster, Scottish, Westward and Channel ITV regions) alongside brand-new colourisations of Fireball‘s The Sun Temple and Four Feather Fall‘s First Train Through, and another edition of Gerry Anderson’s ‘lost’ factual series from 1955: You’ve Never Seen This!… and… much more!

UK: Anderson series now free-to-view on ITV Hub

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Having long been available to view in the UK on Britbox, many of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s classic productions are now available on the ITV Hub.

Fans can now watch Supercar, Fireball XL5 (selected episodes), Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Joe 90 (selected episodes), The Secret Service, UFO, The Protectors and Space:1999. ITV’s own Thunderbirds Are Go reimagining is available too, along with the crowdsourced Thunderbirds anniversary episodes.

All are available free to view and ad-free, once the programme itself starts. Watching fully ad-free costs £3.99/month or £39.99/year, but there’s a free 7-day trial available (surely long enough for any die-hard fan to binge-watch the whole lot!).

Click on the link to go to the ITV Hub.

Network’s August BOGOF now on!

Posted on by Parker

The UK’s top cult TV and film home video label, Network, has another ‘buy one, get one free’ offer this weekend!

Until 16:00 on Wednesday 31st August if you buy one of the 100 selected titles on DVD, you get another free (cheapest item will be free).

Fanderson members will be mostly interested in Fireball XL5, Space:1999, Space Precinct, Supercar and Terrahawks. However, those looking for something a little left-field might enjoy Space:1999 co-stars Barry Morse and Catherine Schell supporting Gene Barry in The Adventurer!

You can see all titles in the promotion here.

35% off Network Blu-ray Discs

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Network are offering 35% off a selection of their high definition titles on Blu-ray Disc in their HD35 promotion.

The selection includes loads of classic British TV and film, and for Anderson fans the titles of most interest are likely to be Fireball XL5 A Day In The Life Of A Space General, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Joe 90, Space:1999 Year One, Terrahawks, New Captain Scarlet and (yes, we know it’s not an Anderson producion!) Space Patrol.

The promotion ends at 16:00 on Monday 6th June, so go shopping now by clicking this link to see all titles in Network’s HD35 promotion.

AUS: Fireball XL5 on DVD

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Closely following their DVD releases of Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Australia’s cult and classic film and television label Via Vision is releasing the 1962 black and white series Fireball XL5.

For AU$59.95 (but currently on an introductory offer at AU$49.95) this Complete Series set includes all 39 episodes across five discs.

This is also the third of Via Vision’s releases to proudly acknowledge the series co-creator on the front cover, as “Gerry And Sylvia Anderson’s Fireball XL5″.

Will Network follow Via Vision’s lead and do the right thing when Stingray is released on Blu-ray Disc next month?

Help your Anderson favourite become a Lego set!

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

There are seven Anderson-inspired projects on Lego Ideas right now that need your support to become reality!

Lego Ideas was set up so that budding Lego set designers could see their design made into sets that we could all buy. Fans can click to support the designs they like and, if a project gets over 10,000 supporters, it goes on to be assessed by the Lego team as a potential set.

Since Lego Ideas was set up in 2010 (as Lego Cuusoo), 49 sets have been produced on a wide range of topics.

Andrew Clark has been luckier than most budding designers, as his Doctor Who and The Flintstones sets were both chosen to become reality. He currently has three projects on the Ideas platform:

You’ll also find:

See all these designs and thousands more at the Lego Ideas website.

Bob Bell studio drawings for auction

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

On 12th February 2022, specialist collectables and memorabilia auctioneers Excalibur will be offering the second part of late author Simon Archer’s collection, including six drawings by series art director Bob Bell.

Bob worked on many of the Anderson TV productions and was art director and supervising art director on Thunderbirds Season 1 and 2 respectively, as well as on the Thunderbirds films.

The series of six pencil and watercolour sketches (lots 547 to 552) represents the evolution of the Supermarionation technique and featured in Gerry Anderson’s lecture tour in the 90s. Estimate is £200 to £400 for each lot.

The auction includes much, much more, and the full catalogue can be seen here.

Christmas TV – not EastEnders again!

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

At a loss for some quality seasonal television from the broadcasters this Christmas? Why not dig out the TVTimes special that we mailed with FAB last year (and again recently for new members)?

Surround yourself with some treats and a little something to wash it all down, then feast out all day on the very best seasonal Gerry and Sylvia Anderson entertainment (and remember, Stingray A Christmas To Remember is just one of the many programmes now available in high definition).

PS – Obviously, but just in case anyone thought otherwise, in the supplement the 40th Anniversary Quiz closed on 31st January 2021, and Six-Five Special offers were valid until 14th February 2021!

You’ve Never Seen These, 25th November

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

 

Network has announced another Anderson-themed night of programmes on their streaming service.

The trailer for the free You’ve Never Seen These event on 25th November gives little away of the content other than promising “four complete early Gerry Anderson programmes”. The trailer is full of clips from Supercar and Fireball XL5 (both released by Network on Blu-ray Disc) and You’ve Never Seen This – a light-hearted 1955 documentary series for Associated-Rediffusion and previously screened at Fanderson conventions.

UPDATE: The line-up consisted of the sole known surviving episode of You’ve Never Seen This, Supercar Pirate Plunder and Fireball XL5 The Granatoid Tanks in ‘Supercolourisation‘. Finally, after playing Stingray Treasure Down Below in HD, Network confirmed that it’s working on a full HD release of the series with the cryptic “Anything can happen in the next half-year”…