Down the Tubes Links: Gerry Anderson Shows

• The Official Fanderson Site
Link: www.fanderson.org.uk
The authorised appreciation society for the film and television productions of Gerry Anderson. Includes details of the club itself, their publications and how to join, the latest news from the worlds of Gerry Anderson, and comprehensive episode guides.

• Century 21
This is a great site for the work of this terrific British SF producer. Regularly updated, it includes interviews, detailed reviews, in depth articles and much much more!

• The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History
Link: www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
This incredibly detailed site charts the entire history of Gerry Anderson's shows in comic strip, show by show, from his earliest ventures right through to the present day. It's a beautifully constructed site with plenty of well-researched features, interviews and plenty more.
This is simply one of the best themed comic strip sites on the web and if you're a Gerry Anderson fan, it should not be missed. Congratulations to all involved -- this is a true labour of love.

• Sixties City - Gerry Anderson Productions
Excellent overview site for all Anderson productions, from You've Never Seen That in 1955 through to the present day.

• Gerry Anderson craft and other Computer Models
Brilliant 3D renditions of the Anderson vehicles, including images from the SCI computer game. Page takes a while to load on 56K but it's well worth the wait

• Austin Tate's Gerry Anderson Links

• MysterJ!Ms Supermarionation Video Emporium
A collection of clips from the worlds of Supermarionationand other Gerry Anderson related productions. Everything comes from the site owner's own private collection of what he has recorded/obtained over the years. A collection of clips from the worlds of Supermarionation & other Gerry Anderson related productions. Everything comes from my own private collection of what I have recorded/obtained over the years.

Episodes: 52 x b/w 15min episodes
First tx: 13 November 1957
• The Adventures of Twizzle is part of the Gerry Anderson - The Monochrome Years DVD available from amazon.co.uk

The adventures of a doll who runs away from a toy shop who, together with his feline friend Footso, a black cat with large paws, build Stray Town, a haven for toys safe from owners who mistreat them.

• Wikipedia: Twizzle Page

Episodes: 26 x b/w 15 min
First tx: 23 February 1960
• Torchy The Battery Boy - The Complete First Series is available from amazon.co.uk
• Torchy The Battery Boy - The Complete Second Series is available from amazon.co.uk

Created in association with Roberta Leigh, this was AP Films first series made in 1957. A small clockwork toy called Torchy, because of his battery-powered flashlight (torch) on his helmet, is sent be rocket to Topsy Turvy Land, a land where mistreated toys come to life. Only one episode apparently remains in existence.

• Wikipedia: Torchy the Battery Boy

Episodes: 39 x b/w 15 min
First tx: 26 February 1960
• Four Feather Falls - The Complete Series is available from amazon.co.uk

Cowboy Tex Tucker is kind to an Indian boy, Makooya. In return, the boy's father Chief Kalamayooka gives Tex Tucker four magical feathers: two gave his horse, Dusty, and his dog, Rocky, the powers of speech and two automatically controlled his guns whenever in danger. Tex begins adventures as a sheriff in a town named for his four feathers.

• Wikipedia: Four Feather Falls
• Whirligig: Four Feather Falls Feature

Episodes; 39 x b/w 30 mins
First tx: 28 January 1961
• Supercar - The Complete Series is available from amazon.co.uk

Based in a secret laboratory, Black Rock, in Nevada, Supercar is a prototype vehicle invented by Doctor Beaker and Professor Popkiss which can travel underwater, through the air and even into space, piloted by Mike Mercury. Assisted by 10-year old Jimmy Gibson and Mitch the Monkey, much of their time is spent thwarting the villains Masterspy and Zarin who are trying to steal Supercar.

• Wikipedia: Supercar

• Gerry Anderson's Supercar
Created by Austin Tate. Detailed site featuring show information and a 3D model of the 'star' of the early series. Some superb 3D modelling.

• Supercar Collectables
A detailed guide to the merchandise of the show, part of Austin's site.

• Misc. Mayhem's Supercar Site
Producers of a new Supercar comic in the early 2000s.

Fireball XL5
Episodes: 39 x b/w 30 min
First tx: 28 October 1962
• Fireball XL5 - The Complete Series is available from amazon.co.uk

The adventures of the World Space Patrol's vessel Fireball XL5 and her crew, Astronaut Colonel Steve Zodiac, Space Medicine doctor, Venus, Professor Matthew Matic, and Robert the Robot.

Comic strip in TV Century 21 was largely by Mike Noble, although Don Lawrence also drew some episodes.

Fans include comics artist Mike Nicoll and news presenter Dermot Murnaghan who told SkyMag in its January 2008 issue that it was his favourite childhood programme.

In 2002 a new officially licensed Fireball XL5 comic was in the works from Misc.Mayhem Productions with stories by Michael Wolff and Robin Day. "The stories are faithful to the original show and continue the adventures of our heroes," says Robin Day on his Space City site, which is crammed with 3D images and other info on the show. "Alongside the adventures we'll also be taking a look at how events led up to the formation of the XL5 crew and also the formation of the World Space Patrol itself - and how Mankind made (will make?) the huge leap forward to interstellar travel in the first few decades of this century."

• Wikipedia: Fireball XL5

• Fireball XL5 Home Page
More from the talented Austin Tate. Detailed site featuring show information and a 3D model of the 'star' of the early series.

• Fireball XL5 3D Models

• Fireball XL5 Fan Site

Stingray
Official web site: Go (Requires Flash)
Episodes: 39 x colour 30 min episodes
First tx: 4 October 1964
• Buy the complete series on DVD via Amazon.co.uk

Set in the year 2064, Stingray, an advanced submarine belonging to W.A.S.P. - the World Aquanaut Security Patrol. Crewed by pilot Troy Tempest and hydrophones operator Lt. George 'Phones' Sheridan the submarine leads the fight against many undersea races. One of the first television series to be made in colour in the UK.

• Wikipedia: Stingray

• Paul Jasper's Stingray Pages
Short introduction with some images to the show. Great if you want a quick insight into the series.

• Stingray 3D models page
Models from the world of Stingray by Mick Imrie.

• Robin and Pauline Day's Stingray Site
More 3d models beased on the show and other information.

Thunderbirds
Official Site: www.thunderbirdsonline.com
Episodes: Series 1 - 26 x 50 min /Series 2 26 x 50 minute
First tx: 30 September 1965/ Series Two 2 October 1966
• Buy the complete series on DVD via Amazon.co.uk

Rescue series Thunderbirds, telling the exploits of the Tracy family, originally ran on British television from 30 September 1965 to 25 December 1966. It was followed by two feature films, Thunderbirds Are Go, released 12 December 1966, and Thunderbird 6, released 29 July 1968. The show is widely regarded as the most popular of Gerry Anderson's puppet shows and has been successfully revived twice in the UK, with Gerry Anderson announcing his own reimagination of the series in January 2011 (see Fanderson news site).

• Working Title produced a Thunderbirds live action movie, directed by Jonathan Frakes, script is by Will Osborne.

• In 2005, plans were afoot to revive Thunderbirds - again as a puppet show.

Showrunner and director David Freedman (whose credits include the highly successful Legend of the Dragon and animated comedy series King Arthur's Disasters starring Rik Mayall and Matt Lucas) was one of the people involved.

Freedman previously posted several images and a trailer from the test work done on the proposed series on his blog (since removed with migration to Blogger). The series, which used puppets, was to have coincided with the release of the live action film, but Freedman says the merger between Granada and Carlton (in which Carlton was sort of swallowed whole) "put the kibosh on the whole thing".

• Pictured above is the design for Thunderbird 2 by David Warren

• Thunderbirds are Go - Again - downthetubes news story, 12/1/2011

• Wikipedia: Thunderbirds

• Thunderbirds Online

• Paul Jasper's Thunderbirds Pages
Short introduction with some images to the show. Great if you want a quick insight into the series.

• Robin Day's Thunderbirds pages
3D images and other info.

Captain Scarlet
Episodes: 32 made in two blocks - 12 in 1967 and 20 in 1968
First tx: 1 October 1967
• Buy the complete series on DVD via Amazon.co.uk

Captain Scarlet first aired on British television on 29 September 1967 and follows the exploits of an indestructible man fighting against a Mars-based enemy, the Mysterons.

• Wikipedia: Captain Scarlet

• Paul Jasper's Captain Scarlet Pages
Short introduction with some images to the show. Great if you want a quick insight into the series.

• Spectrum Headquarters
Chris Bishop's Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons unofficial website

• Captain Scarlet Bubble Gum Cards
Crumbs, I had all these. No longer.

The New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet received its world television premiere on Saturday, February 12th, 2005 with the screening of the opening episode, Instrument Of Destruction - Part 1, in a 10.30am slot on ITV as part of the network's Ministry Of Mayhem children's programme. The series is expected to be released in October 2005 on DVD.

• Official site for the new Captain Scarlet: www.captainscarlet.com
• Fanderson Episdoe Guide: www.fanderson.org.uk/epguides/ncseg1.html

Joe 90 Joe 90
Episodes: 30
First tx: 5 October 1968
• Buy the complete series on DVD via Amazon.co.uk

Nine-year old Joe Maclaine is imbued with the brain patterns of an expert every episode to battle a variety of villains.

• Wikipedia: Joe 90

• Big Rat Joe 90 Fan Site

Secret Service
Episodes: 13
First tx: 21st Sept 1969
• Buy the Complete Secret Service series from amazon.co.uk

A mixture of live action and puppets, Father Stanley Unwin and his gardener Matthew Harding are contemporary secret agents for B.I.S.H.O.P., a department of British intelligence. They use a device called a minimiser which can reduce any object in size - even people.

• Wikipedia: Secret Service

• Technodelic Secret Service Comic Feature
The Secret Service still remains Gerry Anderson's least known series. Although now available on DVD, it has still only been shown in three of the local television regions in the UK (Southern, ATV Midlands and Granada), and then reputedly only once. It is therefore something of a minor miracle that a strip relating to it appeared at all.

UFO
Official DVD Site: www.ufo-dvd.com
Episodes: 26
First tx: 18 September 1970
• The complete UFO is available in a DVD box set: Buy it from Amazon.co.uk

Aliens are attacking the earth kidnapping people -- and using their organs for spare parts. But do they have a far wider agenda? Whatever it is, SHADO is out to stop them. Gerry Anderson's first live action series and a doozy.

• Wikipedia: UFO

• Marc Martin's UFO Page
Exhaustive online resource to the ground-breaking series

• ISOSHADO
Italian UFO fan club site -- hugely enthusiastic about the show and very intensive. Includes images of a UFO prop collection. The link is to the English translation of the site.

• Robin Day's UFO Site
3D images, UFO schematics and schematics of the SHADO mobile

• The Countdown UFO Strips have been published online at: http://shadolibrary.org/library/comics/

• UF0 1988
Link: http://users.rcn.com/detroyes/ufo1988
A page about the UFO manga comic, compiled by Douglas B. Killings

• Pages from an unpublished UFO Comic
Pencilled by Christopher Jones and inked by the legendary Joe Rubenstein the art is from UFO #0, the preview issue which is still unreleased.

The Protectors
Episodes: 52 x 25 mins
First tx: 29 September 1972
• The complete The Protectors Series One is available in a DVD box set: Buy it from Amazon.co.uk
• The complete The Protectors Series Two is available in a DVD box set: Buy it from Amazon.co.uk

Harry Rule (Robert Vaughn), Paul Buchet (Tony Anholt) and the Contessa Caroline Ogilvie Di Contini (Nyree Dawn Porter) are the Protectors, workingoutside the law to bring criminals to justice.

• Wikipedia: The Protectors

Space: 1999
• Official DVD Site: Go (Requires Flash)
Episodes: 48 x 50 min in two seasons of 24
First tx 4 September 1975

Atomic waste on the far side of the moon explodes, shooting the satellite into deep space. Yeah, right.

• Wikipedia: Space:1999

• Space: 1999.net
a collection of Space: 1999 themed websites. Each site below was created by a different Space: 1999 fan.

• Look-In Comic Strips:
www.space1999.net/catacombs/comics/lookin/w2lookin.html

Terrahawks
Episodes: 39 x 25 min in two series of 26 and 13
First tx: Sunday 9th October 1983
• Buy the complete series on DVD via Amazon.co.uk (if you must)

2020. 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 Terrahawks Cyber Pages
Includes character profiles and unique press photographs

• The X-Bomber Site
Principally about the Star Fleet show, but includes Terrahawks, too. Nice site, regularly updated with a forum and a ton of other 1980s TV stuff lurking including Airwolf and Ulysees 31. Navigation is a bit odd: try using the site map (something all sites should have, so I ought to add one to this site!) to find your way around.

Space Precinct
Episodes: 24 x 45 min
First tx: 27 May 1995

Dick Spanner
Information welcome!

Lavender Castle
Episodes: 26 x 10 min
First tx: 7 January 1999

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!