ITV grants Anderson Entertainment rights for Gerry Anderson Collectables

Posted on 9th September 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

Anderson Entertainment has announced the signing of a licensing agreement with ITV to produce a range of special Limited Edition collectibles over the next three years.

The first releases will include a Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Stingray lapel badge and a pair of digitally painted Space: 1999 posters by Eric Chu (Battlestar Gallactica, Beetlejuice) featuring the full main cast of Seasons 1 & 2 of the iconic 1970s science fiction series.

Future items will include a range of special Limited Edition Thunderbirds collectibles that will be released for the classic show’s 50th anniversary next year, with more details to be announced in the coming months.

For further information about the upcoming collectables, visit www.gerryanderson.co.uk

New Terrahawks audioplays announced

Posted on 22nd April 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

A series of 8 new Terrahawks audio episodes have been announced by Anderson Entertainment and Big Finish, featuring members of the original voice – Jeremy Hitchen (Ninestein, Hiro, It-Star), Robbie Stevens (101, Hawkeye, Yung-Star) and Denise Bryer (Zelda and Mary Falconer).

Jamie Anderson, Gerry’s son and Managing Director of Anderson Entertainment said: “We’ll be using stories planned for the unmade third TV season as well as developing new material, and hope to release the box set in spring 2015.”

Nicholas Briggs, executive producer of Big Finish Productions, added, “I’m a huge fan of Gerry Anderson’s great TV shows and, for quite some time, it’s been my personal ambition for Big Finish to produce a series based on the great man’s work.”

Terrahawks – Volume One is available for pre-order now at £25 on CD and £20 on download. The price will increase on release.

42 guests at Andercon and counting…

Posted on 15th March 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

Andercon tickets Things are hotting up as we approach April – the month of Andercon!

A flurry of exciting new guests have been announced for the event, and the guest list now stands at 42 members of the cast and crew of every single Anderson show from Twizzle to New Captain Scarlet, including members of new project Gemini Force One!

Anderson Entertainment and Network have joined forces to screen some exclusive and never-before-seen transfers and restorations over the weekend – which they’ll be announcing in the coming weeks.

New additions to the line-up also include Andy Rolfe’s beautiful SPV interior recreation and the Model T Ford “Gabriel” as driven by Stanley Unwin in The Secret Service.

Andercon takes place over the weekend of 19th-20th April at the Park Inn Hotel, London Heathrow.

Find out more about the event and book your tickets online at www.andercon.co.uk

Space Police screenplay released

Posted on 11th March 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

The cover of the Space Police scriptbook Anderson Entertainment has released the original screenplay from Space Police – the pilot film starring Shane Rimmer that eventually became Space Precinct in 1994/5. Released in both paperback and ebook formats, it features a foreword from Shane Rimmer, as well as a brief introduction from Gerry’s son Jamie. It’s a direct transcription of the original screenplay – including dialogue insertions, scene changes, and hand-written alterations.

It’s available to buy on Amazon now!

A review will appear in FAB 77.

Book your tickets for Britscifi 2014!

Posted on 1st February 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

BritScifiLogo-300x99 National_Space_Centre Thunderbirds voice artists David Graham, Matt Zimmerman and Shane Rimmer will be attending Britscifi at the Leicester Space Centre from 1st – 2nd March. The voice artists behind three of the Tracy brother (Alan, Gordon, and Scott), as well as Brains and Parker will be rubbing shoulders with stars from ‘old’ and ‘new’ Doctor Who, The Tomorrow People and Red Dwarf.

A few other very special guests to look out are:

Phil Ford – New Captain Scarlet chief script writer!
M G Harris – the author of Gerry Anderson’s Gemini Force One!
Jamie Anderson – Head of Production at Anderson Entertainment!

An event day pass allows you entry to the National Space Centre, including all six galleries, the Rocket Tower and SIM ride. The pass also gives you access to the whole event (some activities will incur an additional charge – autographs, professional photo shoot, some talks and A Dog’s Life).

Book your tickets for Briscifi

Gollancz agrees Gemini Force 1 Book Deal

Posted on 28th January 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

Following great success to raise funding with a Kickstarter campaign in 2013, Anderson Entertainment has announced a three-book deal for Gemini Force One with publisher Gollancz. Book one will be available to Kickstarter backers in 2014 before going on general release, with books two and three following over the next two years.

The original concept for the books was devised and developed by Gerry Anderson before his death and completed by bestselling author M G Harris with the approval of the Gerry Anderson estate, led by his son Jamie.

Fans who backed the campaign will receive a special and strictly limited edition of GF1, which will first be published by Gollancz in August 2014 and also sold in collaboration with specialist bookseller Goldsboro Books.

An Orion Children’s Books main paperback edition will then be published in spring 2015 with books 2 and 3 to follow in 2015 and 2016.

Jamie said:”In continuing to develop GF1 we’ve been lucky enough to team up with best-selling author MG Harris who really understood the premise of the project and its “Gerry Anderson spirit” from the get-go. Now I’m delighted that we’re able to team up with Orion, who share our passion for GF1, to bring this fantastic book series to a global audience.”

Thunderbirds Cars are Go at Andercon!

Posted on 20th January 2014 by 1266 Nick Williams

Straker's car from UFO

FAB1 and a host of other cars from the series of Gerry Anderson will be on show at the launch of Andercon – the first official convention for fans of the legendary TV and film producer.

The convention will take place between 19th-20th April 2014 at the Park Inn Heathrow hotel, and will feature over 40 guests from the cast and crew of every single Gerry Anderson production.

In addition to FAB1 there should be a number of famous vehicles from other Anderson productions, including the Model T Ford ‘Gabriel’ from the Secret Service, a replica of Straker’s car from UFO (subject to completion on time), a surviving moon buggy from Space: 1999 and Rolls Royce’s specially built ‘FAB1Million’ Ghost (awaiting confirmation).

Andercon looks set to attract Gerry Anderson fans from all over the world. Jamie Anderson, Managing Director of Anderson Entertainment said: “It’s a great chance to meet the cast and crew in person and to see the original props up close. We’ll have exclusive screenings, panels and workshops, Q&A sessions and quizzes and costume competitions with super prizes. We’ll also be showing never-before-seen set reconstructions showing how the Anderson magic happened. Unfortunately, the venue has had to limit the number of people allowed, so I advise anyone who’s interested to secure tickets now while they’re still available.”

Tickets cost £45 per day and are available from www.andercon.co.uk

Gerry Anderson – His Alzheimer’s Story

Posted on 19th December 2013 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

Fans Celebrate at Terrahawks 30th Birthday Event

Posted on 15th October 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fans and guests came together to celebrate 30 years of Terrahawks on Saturday 12th October, at the Holiday Inn, Maidenhead.

Although smaller in scale than previous conventions, Expect the Unexpected nevertheless contained all the much-loved elements of a Fanderson convention – fascinating interviews, unique screenings, great merchandise, top models and props on display and a wonderful chance for fans to socialise and talk to guests.

Expect the Unexpected definitely lived up to its title thanks to the last-minute appearance of three guests who kindly volunteered to attend the event. Floor puppeteer Judy Preece and Art Director Gary Tomkins were joined by Driver Julian Bell and Director Tony Bell. Later in the day, Visual Effects Director Steven Begg, Visual Effects Technician Terry Adlam and Director Mark Woollard were joined by Props Buyer Kaye Moss. There was also an interview and slideshow with modelmakers John Lee and Steven Woodcock, with a second slideshow from Terry Adlam. Handled by FAB magazine co-editor Ian Fryer, the interviews evoked fond memories of the making of the series and conveyed a real sense of a family atmosphere within the production team.

During the packed schedule, fans also managed to fit in time to check out an amazing collection of replica and original models, including an original Kate Kestrel puppet head and Zelda’s ‘Rhino’ ship! Fanderson Sales was also present with not one but two sales items for fans to purchase for the first time. Those who didn’t attend will have to wait a little longer!

There were screenings of Fanderson’s specially-commissioned episodes in HD, remastered by BBC Resources and Kindred Productions. The first of these was the compilation episode Ma’s Monsters, followed by Two for the Price of One, which marks the introduction of Cy-Star’s schizophrenic child, It-Star.

Zelda's cubes at Expect the Unexpected

The day’s interviews were rounded off with Jamie Anderson updating everyone on the progress of various Anderson legacy projects and the latest on the hugely successful Gemini Force One Kickstarter campaign.

The evening’s entertainment focused on a TV Dinners quiz that stretched fans’ knowledge of classic TV all the way. The quiz was deftly compered by Fanderson chairman Nick Williams, and accompanied by a hot ‘take-away-style’ buffet. The winners were rewarded by Zelda’s Cubes, full of 80s treats to bring Earth to its knees!

The winning team from the TV Dinners quiz collect their prizes!

All in all, it was a relaxed and friendly event that gave fans the chance to celebrate a series anniversary in a unique way. Happy Birthday, Terrahawks!

Photos courtesy of Mark Simpson Wedge

Gerry Anderson’s Gemini Force One launched on Kickstarter

Posted on 7th September 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fans of Gerry Anderson have been given a exciting rallying call to support a fundraising campaign for one of his unfinished creative projects.

Launched on 5th September, Gemini Force One (or GF1 for short) is a series of books that follows the story of a secret organisation involved in rescues and averting disasters and terrorist events. While the initial aim is for GF1 is to publish the book series, the ultimate goal is to adapt the concept into a film or television.

Jamie Anderson has enlisted best-selling author MG Harris, who penned The Joshua Files to complete the first book in the way that his father would have wanted. She is a huge sci-fi buff and a lifelong Gerry Anderson fan. Of all the authors that Jamie spoke to about this project, she is the one who most understood what Gerry Anderson concepts were all about, and how to keep it as close to possible to the original idea.

The money needed to self-publish the book is being raised through the crowd funding platform Kickstarter. The money raised will be used to:

Have a first run
Fulfill backer rewards
Pay MG Harris (The Anderson Estate’s author of choice) to complete the book
Pay a cover designer
Record an audio version
Pay for marketing and advertising to make people aware of the book’s existence

Gerry began writing GF1 in 2008, but was unable to complete the first book due to rapidly worsening Alzheimer’s Disease, which stopped him working before his untimely death in 2012. MG Harris will be using his notes and audio recordings to complete the book in the way Gerry wanted.

The first GF1 book will be released to Kickstarter backers in April 2014, with a full launch in August 2014 – to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Anderson’s iconic Thunderbirds TV series, which entered production in August 1964.

Jamie also has a number of longer-term goals in mind, which will allow for things like translation of the book into other languages; vehicles to be designed by Andrew Probert (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica) and Dominic Lavery (New Captain Scarlet, James Bond, Event Horizon); and the beginning of serious development towards a film or TV series.

Why is this project important?

Jamie believes strongly that there are many thousands of fans who will enjoy this fantastic new Anderson creation, and that a successful Kickstarter funding campaign will enable them to make GF1 a brilliant and fitting tribute to his father’s memory.

Already, amazing progress has been made!

At the time of writing there are:

202 backers
£8,198 pledged of £24,350 goal
28 days to go!

You can make any kind of donation from as little as £1. Go on – play your part in realising one of Gerry’s unfinished projects!

You can find out more about the story and the characters and how to make a donation here: www.kickstarter.com /GF1