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Fanderson enters The Nice Rooms

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Gerry AndersonAn in-depth article about Fanderson and the work of Gerry Anderson has been published today on The Nice Rooms, a non-profit, completely  independent website that celebrates all things, art, music, film and more.

FAB Editor Ian Fryer is interviewed in detail about the role of the club, his favourite series, the greatness of Space:1999’s 1st season, ill-fated puppets and props and his experiences of meeting Gerry Anderson.

“Despite the dementia that was eating away at him, Gerry was a natural showman,” recalls Ian.  “(He) could still turn it on in front of an audience. I did one of Gerry’s last on-stage interviews and saw the transformation in him when it was time to go on stage. At quite a late stage of his illness Gerry did a brilliantly funny speech at the SFX awards ceremony, which should be still available on You Tube.”

Read the full article here

 

 

 

Newly purchased Doppelganger car to be restored

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Anderson Entertainment and private collector Jim Winch have purchased one the three one-off cars produced by Century 21 for Gerry Anderson’s live-action feature film, Doppelganger. This vehicle is in far better condition than its counterparts (which were used as Straker’s car and Foster’s car in UFO). The Doppelganger car will be restored to movie-condition over the coming months! We can’t wait for it to make its first appearance before the fans!

Fanderson supporter Tony Barnes has died

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson was saddened to hear of the loss of our friend and colleague Tony Barnes, who passed away in hospital on 10th February.

Tony has been a friend and supporter of Fanderson for many years. Seven years ago he volunteered to become our Sales Assistant and ever since then has been a truly invaluable member of the team, posting and packaging virtually all our merchandise items to members across the globe.

Tony belonged to a number of clubs, societies and forums and offered help and advice to many people with his model making skills, and all-round knowledge covering a variety of subjects.

Many tributes appeared on Faceboook in the wake of the news, underlining the affection and respect in which Tony was held. If you would like read some of these tributes or add your own, you can do so on this Facebook thread or the Fanderson Forum.

Our heart goes out to his family and many friends.

Donations

Tony’s family has asked that anyone wishing to make a charitable donation in memory of his life is welcome to give money to The Retired Greyhound Trust, an organisation close to Tony’s heart. Donations can be made online to http://www.justgiving.com/anthonybarnes

Funeral arrangements

Tony’s funeral will be held at 10am on Tuesday 25th February at St Thomas church, Chatsworth Road,Brampton, Chesterfield S40 3AW. It will be followed by a private cremation at the Crematorium, Chesterfield Rd Brimington S43 1AU.

Jerome Willis from Space Precinct dies

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson was saddened to hear of the death of Jerome Willis this week at the age of 85. Willis played a leading role in Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct as the alien Police Captain, Podley, although his real face was never seen in the series. He also known to fans of Doctor Who for his role as the villainous Stevens in The Green Death, and for his prominent role in ITV’s cold war spy  drama, The Sandbaggers.

An obituary will be appear in the next issue of FAB magazine.

Gerry Anderson – His Alzheimer’s Story

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

It’s been a year since the club lost our President, Gerry Anderson. Gerry’s final years were as remarkable as his creative career. In this, his final interview, he tells us about his struggle with Alzheimer’s and his work to create awareness about the disease. Gerry’s son, Jamie, also talks frankly about the effect of the illness on the family and their work with the Alzheimer’s Society.
www.alzheimers.org.uk

Shane and Sheila Rimmer Celebrate Golden Anniversary

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Sheila and Shane Rimmer

www.times-series.co.uk  has published an article about how Shane Rimmer first met his wife, Sheila. The piece marks the couple’s  golden wedding anniversary and reveals that the voice of Thunderbird 1 pilot Scott Tracy met his wife of 50 years in 1962 when they were entertaining armed forces in Turkey.

According to Sheila the secret of a happy marriage is a mixture of meditation, philosophy and a sense of humour!

Read the article here

Many congratulations to the happy couple from Fanderson.

David Graham returns as Parker in Thunderbirds Are Go!

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

David Graham will play Aloysius Parker in Thunderbirds are Go!

Credit: ITV News

  • Thunderbirds Are Go! Voice Cast Revealed
  • David Graham reprises the role Parker
  • Rosamund Pike to play Lady Penelope

Fans of Gerry Anderson’s original Thunderbirds series got their dearest  wish today, as ITV Global announced that David Graham would reprise the role for which he is most fondly remembered. Almost 50 years have passed since his last appearance, but the voice artist will once again be playing the much-loved chauffeur and reformed crook, Aloysius Parker in ITV Global’s Thunderbirds are Go! Rosamund Pike (The World’s End, Gone Girl, Die Another Day) will play his aristocratic employer and International Rescue Agent, Lady Penelope.

Other cast members to be announced include:

  • Brains – Kayvan Novak (Fonejacker, Facejacker)
  • Alan and Scott Tracy – Rasmus Hardiker (Saxondale, Lead Balloon)
  • Virgil Tracy – David Menkin
  • Gordon and John Tracy – Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love Actually,Game of Thrones)
  • Grandma Tracy – Sandra Dickinson (Amazing World of Gumball, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
  • The Hood – Andres Williams (M.I. High, Foyle’s War).

It appears that no announcement has yet been made as to the role of Jeff Tracy, the head of the Tracy family. However it has been confirmed that Thunderbirds Are Go! will also feature a range of brand new characters. Kayo – the Tracy brothers’ friend and fellow island resident – will be played by Angel Coulby (Merlin, Dancing on the Edge) and Colonel Casey voiced by Adjoa Andoh (Invictus, Doctor Who).

Giles Ridge, Executive Producer of Thunderbirds Are Go! said: “Each member of the cast has brought a brilliantly fresh and unique approach to these wonderful characters. I can’t think of anyone better than Rosamund to bring back to life the fabulous Lady Penelope and we are honoured that David Graham has joined the cast to revisit his role as Parker.”

Rosamund Pike commented: “I’m very excited to bring Lady Penelope’s wry wit and taste for adventure to a new generation. Exploring the scenes with David Graham has been an absolute delight. The scripts are very modern, very fresh and very funny. We’re all eagerly anticipating our next stint in the recording studio!”

David Graham, playing Parker, added: “I am triple chuffed to be on board the new series of Thunderbirds Are Go! and reprising my role of dear old Parker with such a distinguished cast. My driving skills are in good nick and I am delighted to be behind the wheel again with M’Lady. Cheerio!”

The series features an innovative mix of CGI animation and live-action miniature sets and is due to debut in 2015. Thunderbirds Are Go! is produced by ITV Studios and New Zealand-based Pukeko Pictures, with world-famous Weta Workshop (Avatar, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings) designing the series and producing the miniatures. The 26 x 30’ major new children’s series will debut on ITV and UK’s CITV Channel in 2015.

So, who would believe it? David Graham returns as Parker in Thunderbirds Are Go! What do you think about the casting decisions? Let us know on the Fanderson Facebook Group and Fanderson Forum.

Want to celebrate the exciting news with an episode of the original, ‘classic’ Thunderbirds? Check out our Thunderbirds episode guide and choose your viewing pleasure!

Countdown to Gemini Force One under way

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Gemini Force OneNews of an exciting new project from Anderson Entertainment has been revealed on gerryanderson.co.uk.

Gemini Force One is coming…

The countdown was launched on social media on 27th July and will run for 39 days, after which more details will be announced! Very little is known about Gemini Force One as yet, except that this is a project that Gerry Anderson was working on shortly before he died.

Keep watching the gerryanderson.co.uk for the latest developments!

Welcome to our Gerry Anderson blog

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

The Gerry Anderson blog
We thought it was about time Fanderson launched it’s own blog! Of course, we already have FAB, the Forum, the Facebook group and these very news pages to communicate with fans, so you might be asking yourself why we need another digital presence.

We see the Gerry Anderson Blog as a place to publish shorter articles or opinion pieces about the worlds of Gerry Anderson, and to spark debate and comment from readers. Maybe there was a point in the past where you wanted to respond directly to something you read in the pages of FAB? Well, now you can do that with the blog.

We will report on unfolding events in the Anderverse, post articles, do funny sketches, debate, review and much more! Feel free to say hi and leave a comment!

Our first post is unapologetically focused on Terrahawks, the subject of our upcoming 30th anniversary event. We have put together a little audio-visual surprise to get you in the mood…!

View the Fanderson blog