Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson to attend Supercelebration

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Brian Johnson at Fanderson's Special Assignment conventionWe are very happy to announce that special effects wizard Brian Johnson will be coming to Supercelebration in September!

All fans will be familiar with Brian’s work on Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds, as well as his most iconic Anderson creation, the Eagle Transporter from Space:1999. However, he has also contributed to many famous film productions, including 2001: A Space Odyssey,  Alien, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The latter two earned him much-deserved Oscar wins. Brian becomes our tenth confirmed guest, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to talk about his work in Maidenhead – and answer all your questions!

See our full list of confirmed guests.

Join us for a Supercelebration

Early bird tickets to Supercelebration start at just £55 per person for one day, or £90 for the whole weekend. In this challenging financial climate, we’ve managed to keep the ticket price the same as our Special Assignment convention in 2017. That’s because we’re a fan club and no one is taking a salary.

Find out more and register now

Brian Johnson signs up for Special Assignment

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Space :999 Eagle Transporter

We are very happy to announce that Brian Johnson will be attending Special Assignment.

As well as working on Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds, Brian contributed to many famous film productions, including 2001: A Space Odyssey,  Alien, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, he was also responsible for creating special effects on Space 1999, and designing the now iconic Eagle Transporter.

SIGN UP TODAY!

Tickets to Special Assignment start at just £55 per person for one day, or £90 for the whole weekend. We’ve managed to keep the ticket price the same as The Future Is Fantastic! convention in 2015 because we’re a fan club and no one is taking a salary. Note that Saturday-only or Sunday-only tickets do not include the Saturday evening meal or any other refreshments that are included in the weekend ticket. Ticket prices will, however, rise in spring 2017.

 Find out more and register now

Breaking guest news: Brian Johnson is coming to The Future is Fantastic!

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

The Future is Fantastic!Fanderson are excited to announce visual effects designer Brian Johnson as the latest guest to sign up for The Future is Fantastic!

As well as working on Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds, Brian contributed to many famous film productions, including 2001: A Space Odyssey,  Alien, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. From that trio alone, it’s no surprise that he was also responsible for the special effects on Space 1999, and designing the now iconic Eagle Transporter.

Now fans will have the chance to meet and listen to him, alongside a wide range of  special guests over the weekend from across the Anderson canon:

  • 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
  • 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)

If you haven’t yet registered for The Future is Fantastic! – don’t worry! There’s still time to register online for the whole or part of the weekend. Find out more here.

3,000 attend Cosford Flights of Fantasy

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

RAF Cosford Flights of Fantasy

Photo credit: Dalek Sram

Nearly 3,000 people descended on Cosford Flights of Fantasy over the weekend of 24th – 25th November to see an incredible exhibition of Gerry Anderson puppets and memorabilia at the .

Among the many highlights of an amazing model and props display at RAF Museum Cosford were vehicles and sets from Space:1999 and the original Captain Black and Steve Zodiac puppets.

Matt Zimmerman, David Graham and Shane Rimmer were also in attendance, and were interviewed in the Museum’s atmospheric underground theatre by Chris Bentley about their time on Thunderbirds and other aspects of their careers. The trio – fans’ favourites from many past conventions – provided great comic entertainment, showing they have lost none of their ability to perform before an audience.

Effects guru Brian Johnson also appeared as a surprise guest. Brian, who became famous for his work on Thunderbirds and as Head of Special Effects on Space 1999, also spoke about his involvement in two very different cult science fiction films, The Day the Earth Caught Fire and 2001 – A Space Odyssey.

Fanderson ran a sales table over both days of the event, selling new memberships and exclusive merchandise to existing members. Thank you to everyone who came to say hello!

Share your memories, comments and photos of the event on the Fanderson Forum