Here are the answers to some of the more frequently asked questions by Gerry Anderson fans in print and on internet. I have attempted to compile a reasonably complete first primer for the new Anderson fan as well as a list of interesting trivia points for long-time Anderson devotees. Comments, corrections, additions, etc., are welcome.

Please address all correspondence to Kimberly Murphy:

e-mail:		kimberly.murphy@acenet.com
snail mail:	9740-E Covered Wagon Drive
		Laurel, Maryland 20723-1512 USA

1. Who is Gerry Anderson?
2. What shows has he produced?
3. Have any of them been on networks in the U.S.?
4. Which of the Anderson shows is the most popular?
5. Why was THUNDERBIRDS cut to a half-hour for its 1994 run on FOX?
6. I remember lots of video movies based on Anderson shows. Were these new films?
7. What is Supermarionation?
8. The puppets look different between THUNDERBIRDS and CAPTAIN
9. SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS. What happened?
10. What does "F.A.B." stand for?
11. What other commonly-used acronyms are there in Anderson productions?
12. Is it true that STINGRAY's Marina the Mermaid was modeled after Sylvia Anderson?
13. Sylvia Anderson suddenly stopped appearing in the credits of SPACE:1999. What happened?
14. Captain Scarlet's voice sounds just like Cary Grant. Intentional?
15. I thought I heard the voice of FIREBALL XL5's Steve Zodiac coming out of the World President's mouth in CAPTAIN SCARLET. Did I?
16. Wasn't Patrick McGoohan supposed to be in CAPTAIN SCARLET?
17. Wasn't CAPTAIN SCARLET recently called a "racist" show?
18. Commander Straker in UFO looks and sounds an awful lot like Captain Blue in CAPTAIN SCARLET. Coincidence?
19. What's the deal with the purple wigs in UFO?
20. Wasn't the puppet for JOE 90's Sam Loover in another Anderson production?
21. Has Gerry Anderson ever done a voice for a character in his own shows?
22. Which Anderson show had the most episodes?
23. Which Anderson regular has done the most with him?
24. Didn't Gene Roddenberry produce the second season of SPACE:1999?
25. Why does the second season of SPACE:1999 look so different from the first?
26. Didn't I see THUNDERBIRDS on MTV a few years back?
27. Those writers' names in the TERRAHAWKS credits look made up. Are they?
28. I thought I saw a pilot for SPACE PRECINCT with a different cast. What happened?
29. Are there any official sources of information (books, etc.) on Anderson productions?
30. Are there any fan clubs out there?
31. What kind of Anderson fan fiction is available?
32. How do I meet other Anderson fans on internet?

Gerry Anderson is a British producer who was to British TV in the 60's what Walt Disney was to U.S. TV in the 50's -- THE purveyor of children's television. As the children of the 60's grew up, so did Gerry's programming, with more adult puppet shows and live-action dramas to appeal to his maturing audience. Though he may have appeared to go out of style in certain areas of the world, pockets of Anderson fandom have always existed worldwide (THUNDERBIRDS is one of Japanese television's most popular shows ever, for example), and, with the recent showings of most of the Anderson library on the BBC and U.S. showings of THUNDERBIRDS on FOX, runs of SPACE:1999, UFO, CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS, STINGRAY, and TERRAHAWKS on The Sci-Fi Channel, and the new syndicated live- action show SPACE PRECINCT, Anderson is enjoying a revival of sorts. Most of Anderson's 60's and 70's shows were produced with his now-ex-wife, Sylvia Anderson (nee Thann); in recent years, Anderson has teamed with Christopher Burr, John Needham, and Roger Lefkon.

The Anderson library is vast and extensive. It includes 12 puppet shows, 4 live-action shows, 5 films, and numerous pilots, commercials, and videos. The major body of work is as follows.

THE ADVENTURES OF TWIZZLE
     Children's show based on British screenwriter Roberta
     Leigh's short stories; first production for APFilms

TORCHY THE BATTERY BOY
     Bigger-budget effort, also based on Leigh's stories

FOUR FEATHER FALLS
     Children's western about a lawman with four magical
     feathers in his hat

CROSSROADS TO CRIME
     An young policeman stumbles across a gang of hijackers
     operating out of a local cafe and goes on an independent
     investigation to infiltrate their ranks and foil their
     plans to hijack œ20,000 of nickel alloy ingots; only
     feature-film production of APFilms; first Anderson live-
     action production

SUPERCAR
     Mike Mercury tests Professor Popkiss' and Dr. Beaker's
     experimental vehicle; start of the Supermarionation era;
     first production for ITV

FIREBALL XL5
     Colonel Steve Zodiac and a French doctor named Venus lead
     the forces of the World Space Patrol at Space City
     against invading aliens; first Anderson series to appear
     on a U.S. network (NBC)

STINGRAY
     Captain Troy Tempest helms the World Aquanaut Security
     Patrol's finest vessel against the undersea tyrant Titan;
     first series shot in color for ITV

THUNDERBIRDS
     The five Tracy brothers, their cook's daughter Tintin, a
     scientist named Brains, a ex-safecracker-turned-chauffeur
     named Parker, and socialite spy Lady Penelope Creighton-
     Ward make up International Rescue, an elite mercy
     organization; first hour-long Anderson series; most
     popular Anderson show worldwide; Century 21 Productions
     produced two feature films, THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO and
     THUNDERBIRD 6; reworked into half-hour format for FOX in
     1994

CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS
     "One man fate has made indestructible" leads Spectrum, a
     world security force, in their war of nerves against the
     Mysterons from Mars; first Anderson show with
     proportionately-scaled marionettes; first television
     production by Century 21 Productions

DOPPLEGANGER (a.k.a. JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN)
     Feature-length film about two astronauts who discover a
     mirror-image Earth; first live-action feature film from
     Century 21 Productions; many actors and props reappeared
     in UFO

JOE 90
     Nine-year-old Joe McClaine is the World Intelligence
     Network's top spy, thanks to the Brain Impulse
     Galvanascope Record And Transfer machine that transfers
     brain waves and knowledge patterns through a pair of
     glasses; character-based series rather than technology-
     based

THE SECRET SERVICE
     Father Stanley Unwin and his gardener Matthew are an
     unlikely spy team for British Intelligence Service
     Headquarters--Operation Priest, thanks to the Minimizer,
     a device that shrinks objects and people; only Anderson
     production set in the present day (1969); first to
     combine live action and puppetry, substituting a full-
     body double for Father Unwin in motion sequences

UFO
     Former Air Force Colonel-turned-studio executive Ed
     Straker leads the super-secret Supreme Headquarters Alien
     Defence Organisation, headquartered beneath England's
     Harlington-Straker Studios; first live-action show; last
     production for Century 21 Productions

THE PROTECTORS
     Harry Rule, Contessa diContini, and Paul Buchet are the
     movers and shakers behind an elite private security and
     investigative agency; first production by Group 3
     Productions; second live-action show; most episodes of
     any Anderson production

THE INVESTIGATOR
     An alien investigator shrinks two humans to miniature
     size to prevent the defiling of significant artifacts in
     this unsold pilot; combination of live-action and
     puppetry; puppets resurfaced in a Jif commercial, the
     last Supermarionation production

SPACE:1999
     Commander John Koenig must keep 311 colonists together as
     their base on the moon hurtles through the galaxy after
     an atomic waste explosion on the dark side of the moon;
     third live-action show; last joint production of Gerry
     and Sylvia Anderson; second season produced by STAR
     TREK's Fred Freiberger

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (a.k.a. INTO INFINITY)
     NBC SPECIAL TREAT episode, about two spacefaring families
     who are en route to Alpha Centauri; intended as a pilot
     but not picked up; shot between seasons of SPACE:1999 and
     costarred three SPACE:1999 players; narrated by Ed Bishop
     (UFO's Ed Straker)

TERRAHAWKS
     Dr. Tiger Ninestein leads an elite planetary defense
     force headquarted in a secret base in South America;
     first Anderson series without Sylvia Anderson's
     involvement; first puppet show using the Supermacromation
     technique; all but three episodes solely written by
     Anderson regular Tony Barwick

DICK SPANNER P.I.
     Mild-mannered robot private detective Dick Spanner
     wisecracks his way through impossible-to-follow sight-
     gag-filled plots; series of shorts for Channel 4's
     NETWORK SEVEN series, later condensed into two hour-long
     shows for Channel 4; characters animated by stop-action
     animation puppetry rather than Supermarionation or
     Supermacromation

SPACE PRECINCT
     New York Police Department Lt. Patrick Brogan is assigned
     to the "space precinct" of Demeter City in the year 2040;
     fourth live-action series; most recent Anderson
     production, now running in U.S. syndication

In addition, Anderson has done many more items than can be listed here: Produced numerous television commercials for such concerns as Jif Peanut Butter, Airfix Model Kits, Lyons Maid, Royal Bank Of Scotland, Tennent Lager, and Domestos Household Cleaner; developed treatments for proposed feature film FIVE STAR FIVE and TV series RESCUE 4; co-produced the music video "Calling Elvis"; and assisted with stage productions THUNDERBIRDS F.A.B. and RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET.

Most of Anderson's 60's and 70's work has been syndicated extensively in the U.S., but only two have appeared on major commercial networks in regularly-scheduled slots: FIREBALL XL5 on NBC in 1963 and a revamped and shortened version of THUNDERBIRDS on FOX in 1994. In recent years, however, the cable network The Sci- Fi Channel has provided a home for SPACE:1999, UFO, CAPTAIN SCARLET, STINGRAY, and TERRAHAWKS.

By any measure--original ratings, syndication runs, merchandising, fan appeal--the most popular of all the Gerry Anderson series remains 1965's THUNDERBIRDS, the 39-episode series that became the defining series for a generation of Brits just as STAR TREK was for a generation of Americans. A close second is 1967's CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS; though it never developed the audience THUNDERBIRDS did, SCARLET has done extremely well in worldwide syndication, in merchandising, and in its recent BBC revival, and has a strong core of devotees. The live-action shows UFO and SPACE:1999 also have strong fan bases and are enjoying new lives thanks largely to renewed syndication in recent years for both shows.

The editing of THUNDERBIRDS from its one-hour original format to half-hour shows with new music, credits, and dialog track for its 1994 run on the U.S.-based FOX network has been the subject of much debate. In a letter widely circulated on USENET and the fab-l mailing list, ITV claimed a number of reasons why THUNDERBIRDS had to be cut down: Pressure from FOX's Standards and Practices to remove unsavory or inappropriate elements (drinking, smoking, subservient minorities, excessive violence); the short attention span of U.S. children made the hour-long format impractical; the sale in the mid-1980s of the ITV music libraries to U.S. pop star Michael Jackson meant the music and vocal tracks had to be edited out and redubbed with new voices and music; the credits after all the edits were made were simply inappropriate to the new show.

There is much evidence to the contrary to counter ITV's assertions that these were the reasons THUNDERBIRDS was cut: Recent runs on The Sci-Fi Channel of SCARLET (one of Anderson's most violent shows) and STINGRAY (where all the characters smoke and drink in several scenes) and the THUNDERBIRDS films on TNT, all of which also used the ITV music and vocal tracks, were left reasonably unmarked (cut only for time constraints and commercial breaks); much of the Anderson library, including THUNDERBIRDS, had run in their original format on the BBC only a year earlier and had been released on laserdisk in Japan, also in their original format; computer technology has made scene-editing to remove undesired elements almost embarrassingly easy, meaning cigarettes and wine glasses could have been looped out without much effort. More than likely, the decision was a business one, done to maximize profits, and we shall never know the true reasons behind the dramatic editing done to THUNDERBIRDS.

Most likely not. There have been numerous compilation films released that have combined episodes of Gerry Anderson shows. Among the shows that have had compilation films released are UFO, SPACE:1999, CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS, THUNDERBIRDS, and FIREBALL XL5. The DICK SPANNER P.I. videos that are available are also compilations of the shorts done for NETWORK SEVEN. Ironically, in the U.S., the compilation movies have seen wider TV screenings than the series they are based on in many cases, particularly in the case of INVASION:UFO, the compilation film based on the seldom-screened series UFO.

However, there are two films based on THUNDERBIRDS that are not merely compilations of series episodes, 1966's THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO and 1968's THUNDERBIRD 6. Each were unique productions done for the cinema by the newly-formed Century 21 Productions, though neither had the success of their TV series counterpart. Both movies occasionally turn up in Sunday afternoon and late-late-show slots.

Supermarionation is a puppetry technique involving marionettes with extremely fine wires, electronics controlling certain aspects of the puppets' movements, and voice boxes inside their heads (and later, in their chests) that synchronized the mouth movements with the vocal tracks. It is completely different from the puppetry technique used in TERRAHAWKS called Supermacromation, a Muppet- style puppetry technique, and the stop-action animation of plastic puppets in DICK SPANNER, P.I.

Supermarionation was first developed for SUPERCAR and used for every Anderson puppet production through THE INVESTIGATOR. It was revamped between THUNDERBIRDS and CAPTAIN SCARLET; see the next question.

Anderson puppet artists Mary Turner and Plugg Shutt had developed stringless puppets during the period between the end of THUNDERBIRDS and startup for SCARLET; stringless puppets meant that the puppets could be controlled from underneath and thus look more natural in sitting positions, flying planes, driving cars, etc. Also, engineers John Read and Reg Hill had experienced a breakthrough in technology for the voice mechanism that enabled it to be reduced in size so it would fit inside the chest cavity rather than the head (which had always been overlarge and out of proportion to the rest of the puppet). The combination allowed a complete redesign of the puppets to 1/3 human scale, which made them look much more realistic; at first glance, it is often difficult to tell that some of the shots in SCARLET are not of humans. The drawback was that they did not move as realistic as they looked, so many shots done of the puppets going from place to place were done on moving walkways, and other motion was often implied by changing camera angles and sounds of movement (the famous "walk down the alley" during the opening credits of SCARLET, for example, is done strictly from Scarlet's point of view; all one hears is the click of bootheels on pavement).

Perhaps the most frequently asked question by new THUNDERBIRDS fans, the definitive answer came from Sylvia Anderson herself during her promotional tour for her book YES, M'LADY. According to Sylvia, F.A.B. stands for...

...absolutely nothing.

It was something they made up on the spur of the moment during a writing session, Sylvia says, and it was never intended to stand for anything other than to spell out the letters of a popular British slang word--"fab"--during that era. Many people have attempted to find other meanings ("Filed, Actioned, Briefed", "Fine--Acknowledge Broadcast"), but it never meant anything other than "fabulous".

A by-no-means-complete list appears below:

10-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Negative (TERRAHAWKS)
10-10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roger (TERRAHAWKS)
10-50. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Immediate Launch (TERRAHAWKS)
BIGRAT
 . . . . . . . . . .Brain Impulse Galvanascope Record And Transfer (JOE 90)
BISHOP
 . . . . . . . .British Intelligence Service Headquarters--Operation Priest
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (THE SECRET SERVICE)
FBV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Full Boost Vertical (SUPERCAR)
IR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .International Rescue (THUNDERBIRDS)
MEV
 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Martian Exploration Vehicle (THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO)
MSB
 . . . . . . .Maximum Security Building (CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS)
MSV
 . . . . . . . Maximum Security Vehicle (CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS)
PWOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proceeding With Orders Received (STINGRAY)
SHADO
 . . . . . . . . . . .Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation (UFO)
SIG. . . . . . . . . .Spectrum Is Green (CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS)
SIR. . . . . . . . . . .Spectrum Is Red (CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS)
SPV
 . . . . . . . Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS)
WASP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .World Aquanaut Security Patrol (STINGRAY)
WIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .World Intelligence Network (JOE 90)
WSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .World Space Patrol (FIREBALL XL5)

Yes, as was THUNDERBIRDS' Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, who was also voiced by Sylvia. Though Sylvia had been providing vocal, script, and production support since SUPERCAR, STINGRAY was the first Anderson series to feature her face on a puppet.

Problems between the Andersons and ITV, coupled with problems in the Andersons' marriage, resulted in Sylvia's sudden departure from SPACE:1999. It was the last time she and Gerry would work together; they were divorced in 1975.

Absolutely. The voice belongs to British actor Francis Matthews, also known as Paul Temple in the BBC spy series TEMPLE. Matthews had been previously approached to work on STINGRAY and THUNDERBIRDS due to his well-known mastery of dialects and versatile voice, but always either was not interested or had not been available. As SCARLET was being planned, Anderson decided he wanted a British voice for Captain Scarlet, a Roger Moore/Cary Grant type of voice; remembering Matthews was said to do a passable Grant impersonation, Matthews was once again approached to participate in an Anderson production. When Matthews read for SCARLET and Anderson realized the impersonation was even better than he'd heard, he was determined to get Matthews to sign on this time. As Matthews remembers it, "Although Gerry didn't move heaven and earth to get me, he certainly came close. At the time of the first two recording sessions I had to be flown up and down to Manchester, where I was appearing in Coward's PRIVATE LIVES." Over the six weeks of recording sessions for the 32 episodes of SCARLET, many sessions were arranged around Matthews' schedule so he could participate and still fulfill other commitments.

Ironically, though CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS was the only Anderson production Matthews ever appeared in, and though Matthews took great pains after the series ended to avoid action-adventure roles in an attempt to prevent typecasting, Captain Scarlet remains his best-known role outside the U.K., something which Matthews says completely baffles and often bothers him. In recent years, however, Matthews has somewhat reluctantly grown accustomed to the measure of fame SCARLET brought him and even reprised his vocal role for the Scarlet puppet's appearance on the ITV children's show WHAT'S UP DOC when SCARLET returned to British television in a 1993 revival.

Yes. Anderson had a core of vocal actors he used repeatedly; only rarely (SCARLET, for example) did Anderson look outside his vocal troupe to find a suitable voice. The voice of both Steve Zodiac and the World President belongs to the late Paul Maxwell, who also voiced Paul Travers in THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO and provided many other voices in SCARLET, including Captain Grey and the Supreme Commander of Earth Forces ("Point 783"). Maxwell also appeared in the UFO episode "Subsmash".

Yes. McGoohan was to have voiced World President James Younger in the opening episode of the series. The idea was to have a guest star puppet every week, sculpted to look like its voice artist. However, McGoohan was unavailable when recording sessions began, and the concept was scrapped due to expense; Anderson regular Paul Maxwell took over the vocal duties after McGoohan had to cancel. The puppet of World President Younger, though, still bears more than a passing resemblence to McGoohan.

Believe it or not, yes. SCARLET, the first Anderson show to feature colored characters in regular roles, was called both "politically incorrect" and "racist" by a handful of critics as the series prepared for its 1993 revival on BBC-2. The focus of the charges seemed to be the fact that the leader of the heroes was named "White" while the chief villain was named "Black", which was said to be yet another example of perpetuating ethnic stereotypes of black being bad and white being good.

The only problem with this argument being directed at SCARLET was that it simply didn't apply. The villainous Captain Black is caucasian, while the colored characters, African-American pilot Melody Angel and West Indian communications specialist Lieutenant Green, are heroic figures and play prominent roles in several episodes. The inclusion of black characters in significant roles was no accident, according to Gerry Anderson, who in a 1992 interview said that he had tried as far back as 1961's SUPERCAR to incorporate black characters into his shows but was rejected by ITV due to possible problems getting the shows syndicated; SCARLET was the first show in which he was actually able to get them accepted by ITV.

Interestingly, except for its recent U.S. run, this argument has seldom been raised about THUNDERBIRDS, which consistently perpetuates negative Asian and female stereotypes in chief villain The Hood, Jeff Tracy's manservant Kyrano, and Kyrano's underutilized (except as weepy damsel-in-distress) daughter Tintin, and outside of the three Asians and Lady Penelope features no minorities in significant roles. Contrast this to SCARLET, with five female regulars, women in significant heroic and villainous guest roles, and the prominent presence of Lieutenant Green, and the charges of political incorrectness and racism become even more ludicrous.

Absolutely not. Captain Blue was voiced by American actor Ed Bishop in his first role for Gerry Anderson, and the puppet bore a strong resemblence to Bishop with one exception: Blue was blond, while Bishop had dark hair. When Bishop was later cast as the lead in UFO, his hair was bleached blond, which made the resemblence between Straker and his previous series incarnation even stronger.

Although numerous attempts to explain a scientific purpose for the purple wigs on the female staffers at SHADO Moonbase have been proposed through the years (the most common being that they are anti-static wigs to prevent migraines), the fact remains that they were merely part of Sylvia Anderson's design for the SHADO Moonbase women's costumes and serve no functional purpose.

By the way, not just women wore wigs in UFO. After the first few episodes were shot, Ed Bishop wore a blond wig to prevent damage to his dark hair from repeated bleachings. George Sewell (Col. Alec Freeman) and Michael Billington (Col. Paul Foster) also wore wigs to keep consistency in hair stylings and lengths since the episodes were shown out of order from their original shooting.

The answers to this and many other UFO-specific questions can be found in the UFO FAQ list, located at the anonymous FTP site ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk in the /public/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/sci- fi/UFO directory.

Most of the puppets in the post-SCARLET puppet shows were recycled from SCARLET's large marionette cast. JOE 90's Sam Loover is best known as the Supreme Commander of Earth Forces in SCARLET; the puppet also appeared as the Lunar Controller in the SCARLET episode "Lunarville 7". Other SCARLET puppets turn up in various roles in later shows--among the more memorable are Colonel White in a dark wig in JOE 90, Captain Ochre in THE SECRET SERVICE, and Captain Scarlet himself in wire-rimmed glasses in JOE 90.

Only once. Gerry's voice, run through a synthesizer, became Robert the Robot in FIREBALL XL5. Sylvia Anderson, however, did most of the female voice work in the puppet productions up through THE INVESTIGATOR.

It may come as a surprise to most Anderson fans, but the live- action spy series THE PROTECTORS, with 52, has the most episodes of any series in the Anderson canon. The 1972-74 half-hour series lasted two seasons and production was set to begin on a third when co-financiers Faberge withdrew their support. The series is considered the "black sheep" of the Anderson family due to its lack of success in the U.S. and its complete lack of connectivity with any of the other Anderson series, though series co-star Tony Anholt went on to play Tony Verdeschi in the second season of SPACE:1999.

The Anderson series with the most episode time is SPACE:1999, whose 48 episodes in uncut and uncommercialed form total 40 hours.

Leaving Sylvia Anderson off the list due to an unfair advantage, among Anderson's core of regulars the one who has appeared in the widest variety of roles is Shane Rimmer, who began his Anderson career as the voice of Scott Tracy in THUNDERBIRDS and later went on to provide voices for THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO, THUNDERBIRD 6, SCARLET, JOE 90, SECRET SERVICE, THE INVESTIGATOR, and DICK SPANNER. Rimmer also wrote or co-wrote episodes for SCARLET, JOE 90, SECRET SERVICE, THE PROTECTORS, and THE INVESTIGATOR, and appeared live in episodes of UFO, THE PROTECTORS, SPACE:1999, and the original pilot of SPACE PRECINCT (then called SPACE POLICE).

No, but another famous STAR TREK producer did--Fred Freiberger, who produced the third season of STAR TREK for NBC and who was hired to replace the outgoing Sylvia Anderson in an attempt to make 1999 more palatable for the U.S. audience, which was the only country where 1999 was even close to the success originally desired.

The series was completely revamped to appeal more strongly to the U.S. market after a disastrous first season in the U.K. on ITV. STAR TREK third season producer Fred Freiberger was brought in and made sweeping changes: Most of the cast was let go (by mid-season, only Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Nick Tate remained of the original cast), new cast members added (Tony Anholt and Catherine Schell being the most notable), and sets and costumes completely redone. Despite the changes, the show declined steadily in the all-important U.S. ratings and was not renewed for a third season.

For a more complete answer to this and many more SPACE:1999- specific questions, see the SPACE:1999 FAQ list, located at anonymous FTP site quack.kfu.com in the /pub/space-1999 directory.

No, but if you saw the 1991 Dire Straits video "Calling Elvis", you saw the puppets and vehicles. Gerry Anderson co-produced the video, using the THUNDERBIRDS puppets in non-speaking roles throughout the video--which, like most videos, has very little to do with the actual lyrics of the song.

Yes. The late Tony Barwick, who had been a writer for THUNDERBIRDS, JOE 90, THE SECRET SERVICE, and SPACE:1999 and script editor for SCARLET and UFO, solely wrote all but three episodes of TERRAHAWKS (he co-wrote one additional one), always under pseudonyms such as I.C. Fingers and Sheik Spearstein.

Barwick's pun-filled pseudonyms were one example of the many in- jokes in TERRAHAWKS, a show with a deliberately lighter touch than any Anderson show since THUNDERBIRDS. Among some of the other more memorable ones: The French-speaking zeroid robot was named Dix Huit (French for 18, his numeric designator), Terrahawks team member Kate Kestrel's civilian cover was as a pop singer for AnderBurr Records (an abbreviation of Anderson-Burr Productions, Gerry's new production company); her recording engineer was named Stew Dapples; an executive who shows up to hear Kate perform is named Dan Druff; evil android Zelda's son is named Yung Star and her sister is named Cy Star.

The original pilot for SPACE PRECINCT was shot in 1986 and was the last Anderson-Burr production. It was then called SPACE POLICE and starred Shane Rimmer as Lt. Chuck Brogan and Catherine Chevalier as Officer Cathy Costello. Like THE INVESTIGATOR, it was a live- action/puppet combination and was well-received upon screening but was never financed. An edited financing film, put together from the pilot by Anderson and narrated by Ed Bishop, was shopped around to various networks and production houses, again with no luck. Finally, in 1993, Anderson sold Grove Television Enterprises on the idea of producing a series based on this idea. A new pilot was shot, much of the concept revamped (most of the puppets were abandoned in favor of humans in alien costumes ala STAR TREK:DEEP SPACE NINE), and finally SPACE PRECINCT was sold into U.S. syndication in 1994.

Several. Boxtree Publications has produced a series of behind-the- scenes books for STINGRAY, THUNDERBIRDS, SCARLET, and UFO/SPACE:1999 that are very good resources for the Anderson fan, though many have pointed out serious inaccuracies in the UFO/SPACE:1999 book. Derek Meddings, designer of the F/X for almost all the 60's Anderson series as well as the first BATMAN movie, the SUPERMAN movies, and LIVE AND LET DIE, has written a book entitled 21ST CENTURY VISIONS, which details much of the magic of the model work in such series as THUNDERBIRDS, SCARLET, and UFO. The late Simon Archer's FAB FACTS is considered the bible of Supermarionation and Gerry Anderson trivia. Sylvia Anderson's autobiography YES, M'LADY is also considered a definitive source of information on Anderson productions. There are also tie-in books ("annuals") for most of the Anderson puppet shows available, mostly through rare book stores and specialty merchandisers.

Several. The official Anderson fan club, Fanderson, is sanctioned by Gerry Anderson himself and has members worldwide. The group puts on regular conventions, has a strong merchandising arm, and publishes sanctioned fanzines. For more information, send a SASE or SAE and two IRCs to Fanderson/P.O. Box 93/Wakefield, West Yorkshire/WF1-1XJ/UNITED KINGDOM.

Helen Weber's UFO fan club, SHADO-USECC, has been going strong since the late 1970s. A well-run club with several UFO cast and crew as honorary members, the club turns out newsletters quarterly, a fanzine yearly, and has a videotape lending library. For more information, send a SASE or SAE and two IRCs to Helen Weber/514 Delaware Avenue/Lansdale, Pennsylvania/19446/USA.

Terry Bowers has run Martin Landau and Barbara Bain fan clubs since the days of SPACE:1999. For more information, send a SASE or SAE and 2 IRCs to Terry Bowers/603 North Clark Street/River Falls, Wisconsin/54022/USA.

Mary J. Rudy's APA/CENTURY 21 is a long-running Amateur Press Association that has developed into a loose-knit club of sorts. Published quarterly, APA/CENTURY 21 brings together Anderson fans of varying likes and dislikes; SHADO-USECC President Helen Weber is a member, as is POWER STAR publisher Kimberly Murphy, S&M Video Productions owner Walter M. Scott III, and SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY MODELER correspondent Marc Frattasio. For more information, e-mail maryjrudy@aol.com or send a SASE or SAE and two IRCs to Mary J. Rudy/4057 Comly Street/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/19135-4015/USA.

Katie Bleathman's SPECTRUM APA is the British counterpart to APA/CENTURY 21, with an emphasis on CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS; several members of C21 assisted in the creation of SPECTRUM APA. After a brief hiatus, SPECTRUM APA is publishing quarterly again and has begun accepting new members. For more information, e-mail k2-bleathman@wpg.uwe.ac.uk or send a SASE or SAE and two IRCs to Katie Bleathman/26 Milner Road/Horfield, Bristol/BS7-9PQ/UNITED KINGDOM.

Fanderson produces fanzines on a regular basis, as does SHADO- USECC, while both APA/CENTURY 21 and SPECTRUM APA run occasional fan fiction. See the question above for addresses.

A UFO-based fanzine was published in Australia recently, REFLECTIONS OF A UFO ZINE. For more information, send a SASE or SAE and 2 IRCs to IIBNF Press/P.O. Box N-213/Grosvenor Place/New South Wales 2000/AUSTRALIA.

POWER STAR Magazine, now in its ninth year of publication (monthly for the past four years) is a fanzine that publishes a wide-variety of media-based fan fiction and does Gerry Anderson-based fan fiction on a fairly regular basis. Issues 66 (part one of a SPACE:1999 story) and 71 and beyond (containing more of the 1999 story and other Anderson fiction) are available via the internet in ASCII format; issues 24 and onward (containing artwork, photos, etc.) are available in print. For more information, e-mail kimberly.murphy@acenet.com or send a SASE or SAE and 2 IRCs to Kimberly Murphy/9740-E Covered Wagon Dr./Laurel, Maryland/20723- 1512/USA.

The major U.S.-based online service providers (CompuServe, America Online, GEnie, Prodigy) have areas of Anderson discussion scattered throughout (several on AOL are located at keyword SCIENCE FICTION). In general, however, the best way to meet Anderson fans is through USENET, the 1999 list, and the FAB lists.

The major Anderson discussions on USENET take place in newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv. Discussions are infrequent; however, they do occur, so read the group regularly if you have access and watch for them.

For more specific discussions, there are three Anderson listservers around. The oldest is the 1999 list, located at quack.kfu.com. An unmoderated list, it provides lively discussions with other 1999 fans round the world. Send an e-mail message with human-readable text (the list is not updated automatically) to space-1999- request@quack.kfu.com.

In August 1994, two new Anderson listservers started at uel.ac.uk, one for UFO and one for general Anderson discussions. Dubbed "the FAB lists", fab-l covers Anderson productions from TWIZZLE to SPACE PRECINCT, while fab-ufo is specifically devoted to UFO. Both are unmoderated though informally monitored by Marc Martin (fab-ufo) and Kimberly Murphy (fab-l). To join either, send a mail message to the automated list processor, listproc@uel.ac.uk, in the following format:

Subject: Text: SUBSCRIBE

where is either FAB-L or FAB-UFO and is just that.

---

Grateful acknowledgement is given to Steve Beverly, Katie Bleathman, Terry Bowers, Lorrie Marchini, Marc Martin, and Helen Weber for their invaluable assistance in researching and producing this FAQ. Special thanks to Mary J. Rudy for first introducing me to CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS and reawakening my interest in Anderson fandom through generous gifts of books, magazines, and stories, many of which were also used in preparing this FAQ.

Copyright 1995 by Kimberly Murphy (kimberly.murphy@acenet.com). This archive may be freely copied and distributed as long as it is not altered or used for profit without express written consent of the author.