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c.1978 - Operation Shockwave
Planned
feature film - scripted by Gerry Anderson
A
spy thriller originally planned as a film then a television series,
but which was never completed due to withdrawal of financial backing
as shooting started.
c.1979 - Five Star Five
 
Feature film scripted by Gerry Anderson and Tony Barwick
Producers: Gerry
Anderson / Sidney Rose Director: John Guillermin
A
science fiction film which went into pre-production and was due
to start filming in November at Pinewood, but was never started
due to lack of finance.
Described as 'The Magnificent Seven in space'.
1979 to 1982 - Super Space Theater
ITC
compilation programmes
8 x edited
series episode combination films
ITC
produced a number of features for America under this general heading
made up from different TV episodes with similar storylines. They were
transmitted by U.S. syndicated
stations and cable TV companies, eventually being released on video
in the mid-eighties by Channel 5 Video. Three Thunderbird features
of approximately 93 minutes were made:
Thunderbirds To The Rescue ( Trapped In The Sky / Operation
Crash Dive )
Thunderbirds In Outer Space ( Sun Probe / Ricochet )
Countdown To Disaster ( Terror In New York City / Atlantic
Inferno )
Similarly, three Space 1999 features were made under the same heading:
Alien Attack (Breakaway / War Games) 1979 - 105 minutes
Journey Through the Black Sun (Collision Course / Black Sun)
1982 - 89 minutes
Cosmic Princess (The Metamorph / Space Warp)
Previous to this 'series', two other Space 1999 compilation movies
had been produced:
Spazio: 1999 (made for Italian release from Breakaway / Ring
Around the Moon / Another Time, Another Place) 1976 - 88 minutes
Destination Moonbase Alpha (The Bringers of Wonder, parts 1
and 2) 1978 - 96 minutes
Space: 1999
- Destination Moon Base Alpha - trailer 
Thunderbirds in Outer Space
1983 - Terrahawks
Produced by Anderson
Burr pictures in association with London Weekend Television
39 x 25 min episodes
in 2 series of 26 and 13
First transmitted: Sunday 9th October 1983
Created and produced
by Gerry Anderson Scripted
by Gerry Anderson and Tony Barwick Executive Producer:
Christopher Burr
The
year is 2020 and the NASA Martian Expedition base has been destroyed
by alien craft which then head towards Earth. Earth protectors -
The Terrahawks -
led by Dr. Tiger Ninestein and Sergeant Major Zero assisted by his
zeroid robots pit their wits against Zelda, Imperial Queen of the
planet Guk, a witch-like android
who can control the nature of matter. The series also featured another
futuristic Rolls-Royce. Called H.U.D.S.O.N., it was chameleon in
character.
Produced
by the newly-formed Anderson Burr pictures at Bray studios, this
was a return to puppetry, but Terrahawks was not filmed in Supermarionation
as his other puppet shows were.
This time he used a new technique that was dubbed 'Supermacromation.'
Always trying to improve his puppets' look, Anderson decided that
this time
they would do away with the strings all together and used hand puppets
with rubber faces.
c.1984 T-Force
A larger, re-vamped version of Thunderbirds
which was being planned by Gerry Anderson in association with Steven
Begg. It included a change of base, the underwater craft
'Oceana', with larger, more versatile rescue vehicles and Lady Penelope
was to be given a pink Porsche instead of the Rolls Royce. In the
spring of 1984 issue 10 of the
Gerry Anderson fanzine 'Supermarionation is Go' opened with the 'breaking
news' introduction that Anderson Burr Pictures were actively pursuing
a remake of
Thunderbirds, but finance for the project proved to be unobtainable.
1986 - Space Police (Star Laws)
Anderson Burr Pictures
   
1 x 52 minute pilot
episode scripted by Tony Barwick
Produced by Gerry
Anderson Associate Producer: Bob Bell
After
15 years as a New York policeman, Lieutenant Chuck Brogan is appointed
to command Space Police precinct 44 East, based aboard a space station
orbiting the planet ZarXL5. The crew comprised himself, policewoman
Cathy Costello (Catherine Chevalier) and a trio of cat-like aliens
known as Tom, Dick and Harry,
working for an intergalactic police corps fighting organised crime.
Part
live action, part puppetry, this was clearly a forerunner of Space
Precinct. In order to be able to travel to the surface of the planet,
Cathy had to transform
her face into 'Siliconide' - which made her easier to 'puppetise'.
The series was never made due to the untimely death of Jim Henson,
who had shown an interest in it, and the subsequent lack of backing
as the company changed ownership.
1987 - Dick Spanner
An Anderson Burr production
in association with Channel 4
 
22 x 6 minute episodes First
transmitted: 3rd May 1987
Directed by Steven
Begg and Terry Adlam Creative Supervision
by Gerry Anderson
Starring Shane Rimmer
as the voice of Dick Spanner
A
robot-like wisecracking private detective conducts his investigations
in a surreal parallel universe where anything, literally, can and
does
frequently happen in the most bizarre ways. Two
stories were presented in 11 segments each: The Case Of The Human
Cannon Ball and The Case Of The Maltese Parrot
This was Gerry Anderson's first completely stop-motion animation
production which was later re-edited into four 25 minute shows.
The Anderson-Burr partnership had, in fact, been
dissolved before the production of this show. It was screened on
Sunday lunchtimes as part of a programme called Network 7, aimed
at teenage viewers and was eventually sold to BSkyB.
1987 - Royal Bank of Scotland
Moving Picture Company
Producing
for The Moving Picture Company on behalf of the Royal Bank of Scotland,
Gerry Anderson made this strange advert featuring
matchstick-like people. This won the advertising industry's Silver
Arrow award.
1989 - Space Police (Star Laws)
An
edited, 25 minute version of the 1986 52 minute pilot episode.
1990 - Parker's Day Off (Swinton Insurance)
  
Produced and Directed by Gerry Anderson
This
was made as an advert for Swinton Insurance. It starred the original
puppet model of Parker ( piloting Thunderbird 2! ) and featured some
innovative driving by Lady Penelope in FAB1, both of which were rebuilt
specially for the story.
1991 - 'Calling Elvis' - Dire Straits
 
Directed by Steve
Barron / Gerry Anderson
A
four minute music video starring Dire Straits both live and in puppet
form a la Thunderbirds, promoting their single 'Calling Elvis'.
Gerry Anderson directed the 'Thunderbirds'
segment which took twelve weeks to make. Original Thunderbirds sequences
were accompanied by the new footage and live action shots of the
band,
and featured the M.C. Parker single 'Thunderbirds Are Go' on MTV
in a remix of the original series theme tune.
1991 - F.A.B. Featuring M.C. Parker - Thunderbirds Are Go!
Euro House
  
Originally
a single-sided 7" 33rpm flexi-disc released on Telstar – K01
by Euro House. The theme reached number 5 in the British music charts.
To accompany this,
a music video compilation similarly titled Power Themes 90 was released,
and "Thunderbirds Are Go! (The Pressure Mix)" was listed, featuring
footage from episodes of
various Gerry Anderson series episodes interspersed with newly-filmed
shots of the original Parker puppet dressed in "era" clothing and
acting as a DJ.
1993 - Thunderbirds Kit Kat Advert for Nestlé
A Thunderbirds-themed advertisement
for the Kit Kat chocolate bar features the original 5–4–3–2–1 countdown
(re-recorded by a new voice actor) and all the ships
taking off, except Thunderbird 1. Scott, who pilots the ship, is seen
relaxing and "having a break". Meanwhile, a frantic Jeff Tracy tries
to order Scott to launch the ship.
1993 - G.F.I. (Warming Warning)
Gosh! / Inimitable
  
1 pilot episode x 25
minutes Executive Producers: Gerry Anderson and
Adam J.Shaw Produced
by Bob McKie Directed by Phil Littler
Another
look at the T-Force idea resulted in its redevelopment as a cell-animated
series originally called G-Force but ending up as G.F.I. ( Gee Force
Intergalactic ).
As a rapid response unit for the United Planets, G Force Intergalactic
combats major crime and large scale disasters, operating from Star
City, a secret base hidden
beneath the surface of an asteroid orbiting the Myson system.
13
episodes were drafted, some into full scripts, but only one episode
was made ( Warming Warning ), partly in Moscow.
The GFI pilot proved disappointing due to the Russian animation
being of comparatively poor quality and Anderson ultimately abandoned
the entire project as reshoot costs proved to be prohibitive.The
remaining twelve episodes remained unanimated.
1994 - Space Precinct
Gerry Anderson productions
/ Mentorn Films / Grove Television (GTV)
  
24 x 45 minute episodes First
transmitted: 27th May 1995
Produced by Gerry
Anderson Executive Producer: Tom Gutteridge
Line Producer: Tom Sachs
Digital effects
by The Magic Camera Company
The
year is 2040. Human, Creon and Tarn police officers form the staff
of precinct 88, keeping law and order in Demeter City on the planet
Altor. Lt.Patrick Brogan
(Ted Shackleford) and Officer Jackson Haldane (Rob Youngblood) always
seem to find the most trouble.
This
was the most expensive sci-fi series ever produced in the U.K. Although
an obvious evolution of Space Police, the name had to be changed
due to a copyright
conflict with a Lego toy. Now an all-live action show, all the scenes
had to be re-shot, the live scenes being done at Pinewood and digital
effects at Shepperton using special
machines called Lightworks which allowed much wider editing/cutting
possibilities. The financer, Grove Television, only just managed
to fulfil its commitment
before going into liquidation. Originally aimed at adults, it was
eventually screened on BBC2 at 6 p.m.
1994 - Thunderbirds U.S.A. (Thunderbirds Fox Kids)
13 x 23 minute edited episodes
ITC
announced a live action Thunderbirds movie to be in development, planned
for release around Christmas 1995. To pave the way for this, 13 of
the original
TV episodes were cut down to 23 minutes running time ( 30 minutes
including adverts ) and broadcast on the American Fox Kids network
as 'Thunderbirds U.S.A.'
with new voice-overs and 'up to date' dialogue. The edited version
was not successful - only seven* episodes are known to have been shown
and it was ultimately
pulled from the Fox Kids lineup. The movie failed to materialise as
ITC were sold to Polygram in 1995.
*
Trapped in the Sky, Pit of Peril, The Uninvited: Alien Attack, Attack
of the Alligators!, Terror in New York City, Edge of Impact, Brink
of Disaster
1996 - Lavender Castle
CPI / Gerry Anderson
Productions / Cosgrove Hall
26 x 10 minute episodes First
transmitted: 7th January 1999
Produced by Gerry
Anderson Line
Producer: Chris Bowden Executive
producers: Craig Hemmings and Brian Cosgrove
The
adventures of Captain Thrice and the crew of the starship Paradox
while on their quest to find the legendary Lavender Castle - a floating
city deep in
space, supposed to be the greatest source of power in the universe.
They must find it before the evil Doctor Agon who intends to destroy
it!
Made
at Cosgrove Hall using computer digital animation. Stories written
by Pauline Fisk and music by rock legend Rick Wakeman.
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1.
In the Beginning
2. Flower Power
3. The Twilight Tower
4. High Moon
5. The Lost Starfighter
6. The Black Swat
7. Double Cross
8. A Stitch in Time
9. Bird of Prey
10. Collision Course
11. Swamp Fever
12. Raiders of the Planet Zark
13. The Galacternet
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14.
Brightonia on Sea
15. Traitor
16. The Collector
17. Lost in Space
18. Duelling Banjos
19. The Legend
20. Cloud of Chaos
21. Diamonds Aren't Forever
22. Galactic Park
23. Wearizy
24. Supernova
25. Interface
26. Birds of a Feather...
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Gerry Anderson's official biography, "Gerry Anderson: The Authorised
Biography" written by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls,
was published by Legend Books (a division of Random House) in 1996,
and a paperback edition was published the following year.
"What Made Thunderbirds Go!", a new updated and expanded
edition of the biography,
written by Marcus Hearn and Simon Archer, was published by BBC Books
in 2002.
2000 - Thunderbirds
Toys - Tracy Island
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Released by Matchbox Toys 1993
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Released
by Carlton Toys 2000
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Thunderbirds
returned to BBC2 for the first time in eight years starting 5th
September 2000. It occupied an early evening weekend slot and featured
the whole 32 episode
series which had been digitally re-mastered by Carlton International
with full stereo sound and a lot less visible strings. It was, of
course, accompanied by a huge new range
of merchandise for Christmas 2000, consisting of over 100 different
items including an upgraded version of the highly successful 'Tracy
Island' toy with new sound technology
features. There have since been other versions, notably by Vivid
Imaginations.
2001
- Recognition
In
June 2001 Gerry Anderson was awarded the MBE
(Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to animation.
2001
- Playstation
 
A
game release was planned for Playstation 2 in 2001 in which Gerry Anderson
and other 'real' people would feature as part of t
he International Rescue team alongside the regular puppet characters.
He
has recently been developing a live-action SF series, Eternity,
and an anime series, FireStorm, with a leading Japanese animation production
company
2003/05 - New Captain Scarlet
Anderson Entertainment/Gerry
Anderson Productions/The Indestructible Production Company
26 episodes of
25 minutes
Executive Producer: Toby Ricketts Producer:
Gerry Anderson Line Producer: Mark Sherwood
Associate Producer: Gary Donohoe CGI Producer:
Ron Thornton
Supervising
Director: David Lane Directors: David Lane,
Mark Woollard & Dominic Lavery Writers: Phil Ford, John
Brown & Brian Finch Music by Crispin Merrell
Editor: Andy Walter Production Designer: Mark Harris
Conceptual Artist: Dominic Lavery
Indestructible
Spectrum agent Captain Scarlet is Earth's best defence in a war of
nerves against the Mysterons from Mars and their instrument of destruction,
former Spectrum agent Captain Black. The first two episodes are a
“two-parter” where it is explained how Captain Scarlet becomes indestructible
and how
Captain Black is taken over by the Mysterons after a mission to Mars.
Women are now positioned in their rightful, equal place in society
doing jobs that men used
to do so Lieutenant Green is now a woman, working with Colonel White,
in control of all the operational activities on Spectrum 'Skybase'.
Captain Ochre is now a
woman too, although most other favourite characters remain the same.
Created in Hypermarionation - a sophisticated form of CGI animation
- currently in production at Pinewood Studios and due for completion
in 2005 - employs
the absolute latest computer graphics imaging (CGI) animation techniques.
At the conclusion of production on the first 26 episodes, it will
be the most expensive
family entertainment series ever created, with a budget of over $30
million.
Gerry Anderson Productions (GAP) Plc is the production company set
up in the UK by Margetts Fund Management in 2003 to raise funds for
and to produce
'New Captain Scarlet'. It is, in itself, the single most successful
fund-raising of its type for film or television production in UK history.
2003 - Regor The Rescue Dog
Childrens Book series, published
by Reynolds & Hearn
 
Published in December 2003 ( possibly
originally created c.1996) Stories
about a dog with sophisticated rescue equipment.
'Regor To The Rescue' 'Buried Alive'
'Regor the Rescue Dog' never made it onto the screen, but it was part
of Gerry Anderson's efforts to create and develop new content after
his earlier successes.
Anderson
Entertainment had two shows in pre-production: ' Regor the Rescue Dog'
and 'A Christmas Miracle' and was exploring the possibility of exploiting
the back catalogue. Granada Ventures are the licensees for all of Gerry
Anderson's original shows. Other
projects mentioned were 'Eternity' and 'Thunderbolt' as
potential new shows in Anderson Entertainment's list of new productions,
but none came to fruition.
2005
- CGI Thunderbirds
This is a trailer for a proposed CGI Thunderbirds series that was meant
to have aired in 2005 but never saw the light of day.
2008
- The Making of the Thunderbirds 'Specsavers' Advert
Machine Shop worked on the Specsavers 'Free reactions' commercial
with Tandem Films based upon the Thunderbirds TV series in early 2008.
In preparation for the shoot,
Machine Shop drew on already extensive knowledge of building and operating
Thunderbirds puppets to create new marionettes as well as their clothes
and accessories.
Thunderbirds
2009
The Trailer for the 10 minute fan film Thunderbirds 2009 based on the
TV series Thunderbirds by Gerry Anderson. The film continues the adventures
of the International
Rescue team with little or no budget. Directed by Chris Thompson featuring
Guy Taylor, Philippa Ramsay Baggs, Rachele Crawford, Andrew Smith and
Andrew Clements.
Costumes by Rachel Smith Created by the Belfast-based scifi film company
SKPB the film is designed to give an idea of what a live action series
of Thunderbirds would be like.
2011
- Royal Mail Stamps : FAB: The Genius of Gerry Anderson
The stamp series comprised of images from six of his iconic children’s
TV series dating back to Supercar, ‘the marvel of the age’, which
first appeared on ATV
in January 1961. Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90 are all
first class while Supercar, Fireball XL5 and Stingray feature on the
97p stamps. In addition, a
miniature sheet of motion stamps has also been issued, created through
a micro-lenticular printing process, which recreates the famous 5,4,3,2,1,
countdown from the opening scenes of the Thunderbirds series.
 26th
December 2012 - Gerry Anderson - R.I.P.
Gerry
Anderson spoke movingly about his battle with dementia. He first suspected
he had a problem as he drove home to Henley from Pinewood Studios
in early 2010.
“I got lost and the journey took me at least six hours rather than
one,” he said. “I think my son Jamie and wife Mary had already noticed
I was acting differently.
It was a few months before I was diagnosed and even longer before
I was prescribed any treatment. I was sad when I was diagnosed but
I think it was a relief for my family,
who were just pleased to know what was happening to me. The treatment
helps, but I still rely on Jamie and Mary for a lot of things. I just
wish I’d been given earlier diagnosis so I
could have started this treatment sooner. I try to stay positive and
enjoy every day. My dementia hasn’t just affected me — it’s affected
my friends and family, too.”
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society has said
that Gerry Anderson has been an outstanding supporter of the Alzheimer's
Society and campaigner on behalf of people
with dementia. He was determined, despite his own recent diagnosis,
to spend the last year of his life speaking out for others living
with dementia to ensure their voices were heard and their
lives improved. With the support of his family, Gerry tirelessly attended
events around the country to raise awareness of the condition and
to raise funds for a cure.
Gerry Anderson -
b. 14th April 1929 d. 26th December 2012
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