New Gerry Anderson convention announced for 2014

Posted on 21st August 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Andercon logo Gerry Anderson Convention alert! Anderson Entertainment has announced it will hold its first ever Gerry Anderson convention in April 2014.

Hosted by Anderson Entertainment and produced by Basestar Limited, AnderCon will celebrate the life and legacy of British television’s most celebrated Science Fiction producer, and creator of telefantasy classics including Thunderbirds, Space 1999, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Stingray.

There will be guest appearances from many of the actors and voice artists from across the series, including Zienia Merton, Prentis Hancock and Pam Rose (Space 1999); David Quilter and Richard James (Space Precinct); David Graham, Matt Zimmerman and Shane Rimmer (Thunderbirds).

Production personnel attending currently include Mike Trim, Steve Begg, Kevin Davies, Crispin Merrell, Terry Adlam and Phil Ford.

In what promises to be a first for a Gerry Anderson convention, the event also aims to bring to life the creativity and ingenuity of those early studio days through displays of production drawings, together with recreations of actual sets used in the filming of classic shows such as Thunderbirds and Stingray!

Andercon will be held across the weekend of Saturday 19th – 20th 2014, at the Park Inn Hotel, Heathrow Airport, London.

Watch out for:

Brains’s Laboratory
an explosive Refinery
the Rolling Road beloved of many an action sequence
Stingray’s “underwater” tank, complete with fish alongside some of the surviving full-sized vehicles that appeared in Anderson’s productions.

There will be an impressive display of reproduction props and models courtesy of fan collectors and prop builders, providing some great photo opportunities for fans.

More information on the event can be found on the event website: www.andercon.co.uk with additional guests and event attractions to be announced in the coming months!

Jamie Anderson made Vice-President of International Rescue Corps

Posted on 29th May 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

International Rescue Corps has announced the appointment of Jamie Anderson as their Vice-President.

Commenting on the announcement, Jamie said: “I’m immensely proud to be carrying on the good work, and helping promote an organisation that stands for all the good things that were constant elements in Gerry Anderson shows, and look forward to doing what I can to help IRC in my new role.”

IRC’s Corps Director, Willie McMartin said “The corps has been in existence since 1981 and we will forever be indebted to Gerry Anderson all those years ago. Gerry was instrumental in getting IRC off the ground and without this help we wouldn’t have been able to continue to save lives. It is great news that Jamie is happy to support the corps and we look forward to working with him in the forthcoming years.”

International Rescue Corps (IRC) is an independent disaster rescue service registered with the United Nations. IRC is supported entirely by donations from the public and sponsorship. IRC members are unpaid volunteers and all the IRC’s services are provided free of charge – the Corps’ sole aim is to save life.

Visit IRC’s website to find out more about their work

Chris Evans to drive FAB1 for Breast Cancer Care

Posted on 14th April 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

TV and radio presenter Chris Evans has launched a year-long fundraising campaign that aims to raise one million pounds for Breast Cancer Care with the help of FAB 1!

Lady Penelope’s famous car (a bespoke pink Rolls-Royce Ghost) will be driven by Evans and other celebrities in a point-to-point journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Evans will share the driving duties with Gary Barlow, Professor Brian Cox and James May, with pitstops in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow en-route.

The FAB1 Million project aims to raise funds by making FAB1 available for hire on a daily basis to fans, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Care. Standard charges are £5,000 inc VAT for a standard day and £7,500 inc VAT for a premium day, supplied with a full tank of fuel and professional chauffeur. FAB1 is ready to hit the road anywhere its passengers desire to go in the UK!

Additional premium packages will also be auctioned via the website, www.FAB1million.co.uk. in which the purchaser will secure tickets to an exclusive event as well as their FAB1 chauffeur-driven experience. These incredible packages include high -profile entertainment and sporting events such as Glorious Goodwood, The Silverstone Grand Prix, The Festival Of Speed, Britain’s Got Talent The Final, The Brit Awards and Royal Ascot.

The Rolls Royce to be used for the campaign has been meticulously prepared, explained Jolyon Nash, Director of Sales and Marketing, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

“The interior hosts hand-embroidered pink ribbons on each headrest, a rear-seat fridge and accents of Blushing Pink leather as well as sumptuous lambswool carpets and FAB1 treadplates. Door umbrellas feature pink handles and trim, while the exterior is beautifully offset by a silver satin bonnet and finished with an up-lit Spirit of Ecstasy to brighten each and every special occasion.”

FAB1 can be booked by calling the FAB1 Million booking line on 020 7960 3482, or you can find out more information by visiting www.FAB1million.co.uk

Additional fundraising activities will allow supporters to enter a competition and have a chance of winning FAB1 for a day by donating £5 to Breast Cancer Care. All you need to do is text FAB to 83222. Text entry to the draw costs 50p, plus the standard network rate. For full prize draw terms & conditions visit the website.

After the 833.3 mile drive across the UK, FAB1 will return to London where it will become the centrepiece of a window display in Harrods for one week, where FAB1 Million representatives will be on hand to answer any questions and take booking enquiries for the car.

Also in the Harrods FAB1 window display will be a very special contribution from Jamie Anderson – the son of the legendary Gerry Anderson. To sit alongside a replica Parker puppet owned by Gerry Anderson, Jamie is unveiling a Chris Evans-inspired Parker puppet (sculpted and built by Duncan Willis) created specially to celebrate the campaign.

Chris Evans said: “You can hire the most famous Rolls-Royce in the world as the icing on the cake to whatever special event you are attending or celebrating knowing that you are donating to a very worthy cause in the process. It’s a win win situation. So, if you can, do. FAB1 awaits your mission wherever you are and whatever you’re up to. 5-4-3-2-1! FAB1 Million is go!!!”

For more information please visit www.FAB1Million.co.uk or email FAB1@thescarletlife.com

New Gerry Anderson productions are go!

Posted on 25th March 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

In news that will be hugely exciting to all fans, the new official Gerry Anderson website has been launched to promote the revival of the producer’s unfinished projects.

www.gerryanderson.co.uk is run by Gerry’s son Jamie Anderson and has been heralded by an tantalising series of teaser trailers, one of which was screened at a the recent BritSciFi convention in Leicester. You can see the ‘Stingray version’ above!

Jamie said: “As evidenced by the sheer volume of entertainment that Dad managed to put out over his lengthy career – he was a pretty prolific creative. Over the last 20 years he put together a number of fantastic projects, with several of those being developed since 2005. Sadly he wasn’t well enough to see them through, but it’s important to me that we get them out there. They’ve all got the Anderson magic. There are four of those projects that we’re working on and developing right now.”

“None are what I would call reimaginings. There’s one book and TV project that he was working on for 2 years that, for me, takes all the best elements of an Anderson show and elegantly puts them into a brand new setting. I’m really excited about that one. The others are new but all true to the Anderson spirit.”

Fans can sign up for notifications from the website at www.gerryanderson.co.uk or check out the Facebook Fan Page

Documentary premiere lifts the lid on Space Precinct amid reboot rumours

Posted on 17th March 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

A new 90-minute documentary about the making of Space Precinct premiered at the Prince Charles Cinema in central London on Wednesday 13th March. The screening of Space Precinct Legacy was followed by a question and answer session hosted by the director Paul Cotrulia and series composer Crispin Merrell, who also scored an original soundtrack for the documentary.
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Featuring in-depth interviews with key members of the production team, Space Precinct Legacy provided a fascinating and at times controversial insight into the political, financial and creative tensions at play behind the scenes of the series.

“I think some people were shocked about how brutally honest the documentary is” said Cotrulia. “It doesn’t pretend that Space Precinct was Gerry Anderson’s best series and we reveal some shocking secrets about the making of it. I think when people see the documentary they’ll be more forgiving of some of the series flaws.”

Nevertheless, after watching the documentary it is easy to see why Cotrulia describes himself as a “hardcore Space Precinct fan”.

“It was an incredible honour to meet with and interview some of the makers of Gerry Anderson’s unique, yet under-appreciated series. I think his vision or concept for the series was brilliant even if it didn’t reach its full potential on screen.”

“I can’t tell you how exciting it was to sit in a cinema with some of those very filmmakers and Jamie Anderson and watch the documentary.”

According to Cotrulia, a decision is going to be made very shortly about the future of Space Precinct. “There is a very strong possibility of a Space Precinct reboot movie and Jamie Anderson could be involved,” he explained. “However that can only happen if the documentary is successful.”

Wow – this all sounds pretty exciting! So if you want to know the real, warts-and-all story of the making of one of Gerry Anderson’s most ambitious series and keep alive the possibility of a remake, you know what to do!

Order your copy of the Space Precinct Legacy on Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk today!

Teaser trailer screened at Gerry Anderson Q&A

Posted on 12th March 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Fans of Gerry Anderson attended a Q&A session about the producer’s life and work at the National Space Centre in Leicester on Saturday 10th March.

Hosted by Gerry’s son Jamie, the panel included Terrahawks puppeteer Judy Preece, New Captain Scarlet director Mark Woollard, writer Phil Ford and visual and special effects artist Richard Gregory.

The talk proved to be both highly entertaining and insightful, with the best question – concerning Gerry Anderson’s ‘darker side’ – meriting a prize of a signed first day cover of the Genius of Gerry Anderson stamps, signed by the man himself.

The talk ended with Jamie revealing an exciting teaser trailer for a new Gerry Anderson ‘legacy’ production. Watch this space for more details in the coming weeks!

The talk formed part of BritSciFi, a now annual event at the National Space Centre in Leicester. This year’s event was held in honour of Gerry, and fundraising activities were devoted to his chosen charity, the Alzheimer’s Society.

Other highlights of the weekend for fans included talks with Prentis Hancock and Pam Rose about their time on Space:1999, plus Anderson Alley, a separate section of the event devoted to a wide range of props and models. Fanderson also had a table and we had a great time meeting some old faces as well as some new members!

Youtube video courtesy of IMA-GEN Creations.

Gerry Anderson award for VFX announced

Posted on 11th February 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

BKSTS logo The British Kinematograph, Sound & Television Society (BKSTS) has announced a new award in memory of Gerry Anderson.

The Gerry Anderson Award for VFX will be given to an individual or organisation making a highly significant artistic or technical contribution to the advancement of film or television visual effects.

Gerry was a great supporter of the BKSTS, recognising the wealth of knowledge and experience that the Society holds in all areas of technology and craft in both Film and Television. He was an Honorary Fellow of the Society, and was the first ever recipient in 2006 of the Matthew Allwork Award which is given to a British citizen for innovation and quality in film and television production.

Jamie Anderson, Gerry’s son, said, “Dad was always so proud of his association with BKSTS; this award bearing his name would have meant a huge amount to him.” Jamie has agreed to present this Award in its inaugural year at the BFI Southbank on Thursday 7th March 2013, as part of the annual Bernard Happe Lecture and Awards Event. Full details of the event can be found on the BKSTS website Gerry Anderson - VFX Award announced .

This year’s winner of the award is Richard Bain, for his outstanding work over many years. He currently works as a freelance Visual Effects Supervisor in the film industry and has worked on titles such as Tomb Raider 2, The Brothers Grimm, King Kong, Casino Royale, Harry Potter, Inception and Les Miserables.

About the BKSTS

The British Kinematograph, Sound & Television Society was formed as a Learned Society in 1931, and has been supporting the technology and craft skills of the Film & Television industries ever since. With a variety of grades of membership from around the world, it numbers many outstanding people from the industry among its members – the Fellows Group in particular reads like a “who’s who” of industry leaders. The Society organises conferences and events, provides accreditation of training courses, and publishes information for the industry in various forms.

BritSciFi3 to pay tribute to Gerry Anderson

Posted on 7th February 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Britscifi3 will pay tribute to Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson This year’s BritSciFi event will celebrate the life and work of Gerry Anderson.

The event will take place at the National Space Centre in Leicester over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of March, and a central feature will be ‘Anderson Alley’ – an area dedicated to the genius behind Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space:1999.

Malika Andress of the National Space Centre said: “With the sad news in January that our hero and friend, Gerry Anderson, passed away, this event will be dedicated to him and his amazing legacy.”

Thanks to the help of private collectors, prop builders and fans, BritSciFi3 will allow visitors to:

Meet Parker, Penelope and the Angels close up
Blast off with their favourite Thunderbird
See Stingray, Fireball XL5 and FAB1
Explore a full-sized recreation of the Moonbase Control Centre from Space:1999

In memory of Gerry, funds will be raised for the Alzheimer’s Society during the event. Gerry’s son Jamie Anderson will be attending throughout the weekend and will host a panel discussion featuring a number of colleagues of Gerry’s on Saturday 9th.

Find out more about BritSciFi3 and book your ticket

Hundreds pay tribute to Gerry Anderson

Posted on 12th January 2013 by 1266 Nick Williams

Hundreds of well-wishers, including family, friends, colleagues and fans attended Gerry Anderson’s funeral on Friday 11th January at Reading Crematorium.

During the Humanist Order of Service, five speakers from very different backgrounds paid tribute to Gerry, painting a multi-faceted picture of his life. Nick Williams, Chairman of Fanderson, spoke of the enduring appeal of Gerry’s shows for his fans, his unstinting passion for innovation in his film-making and the happy working environments he created that enabled his teams to achieve the best results.

From The Daily Mail

Actor and voice artist Shane Rimmer and Broadway Producer John Gore offered professional perspectives of working with Gerry. Shane described the world of wonder and imagination that he created through his shows in the 1960s and ’70s while John spoke about the drive and energy that he still maintained in the later phases of his career which helped to ensure the Thunderbirds stage play was a box office smash hit.

Jamie Anderson, Gerry’s younger son, offered some personal memories of him as a family man that were by turns both moving and funny. Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, praised him for the work he performed in the last year of his life alongside Jamie to raise the profile of Alzheimer’s in the national press and generate funds for the charity.

The service ended with “The Thunderbirds March”, performed by the Band of the Royal Marines. It was a fitting and poetic end to the service, with the working replica of FAB 1 that had been parked in front of the crematorium driving off into the distance as the music came to a end.

BBC Newsnight

(courtesy of James Fielding)

The funeral was followed by a reception at the Phyllis Court Club in Henley. A small selection of models and puppets were on display and guests were encouraged to leave their memories of Gerry on a series of specially produced postcards. Two spine-tingling audio-visual acts were provided courtesy of Kindred Productions and Crispin Merrell, composer on Gerry’s final shows (Space Precinct, Lavender Castle and New Captain Scarlet). Crispin, who also recorded a moving piano recital of Stingray’s ‘Aqua Marina’ for the service, played themes from across the Anderson catalogue, including Thunderbirds, Joe 90, UFO, Space:1999 and his own theme from Space Precinct. A teaser for the eagerly awaited Supermarionation documentary was also screened, plus a fond parody of Space:1999.

It was an emotionally-charged day that not only mourned his passing but celebrated his amazing life and legacy. Rest in peace Gerry – your work lives on!

If you have not yet left a tribute to Gerry and wish to do so: