Made millions of children all over the world happy watching his programs.... that's quite an accomplishment.... I think I can speak for those children when I say thank you....
Definitely; you recognise the first bars of the theme tunes (and they still pop up in adverts with nothing to do with UFO etc - but it grabs your attention. along, of course, with the IBM Selectric "Golf-Ball" typewriter at the commencement of UFO. I recall launching more than one "golf-ball" (improperly secured) from the Student Newspaper typewriter...
The UFO theme is my mobile's ringtone. When people hear it, many say they recognise it, but can't quite place where they've heard it. I usually keep them guessing for a bit! Thunderbirds is my alternative, but everyone knows that one...
It has without a doubt one of the most funky, groovy and far out memorable themes of all time. Its up there with the Prisoner and Doctor Who as being a total stand out legend.
Every Anderson idea was gold, just a pity they were hamstrung by "executives" with no vision. Thank you 21C for making my childhood enjoyable, at times you were all I had.
What's clear is that the American 'executives' were racist, and thought most Americans were stupid. If they could have, Doctor Who would have been changed or canceled.
as i am in my seventh decade i have said before and say today as a consumer of sci-fi programing THUNDERBIRD and the long list of other shows by Gerry were and still are the apex of puppetry...the fact that i still remember how much fun it was to watch these so long after seeing them the first time is a testament of how well these shows were made.
Everything Gerry and his team produced was and still is First Class…Unbelievable Model making, Effects, just everything and added to that, the Genius of Barry Gray with his Fantastic Music…Perfection. There is not and never will be, anything to come anywhere near the quality of these productions. Thank you Gerry and your Teams for producing such Great series that I still love watching now 👌🏽
Great documentary these people were true visionaries and pioneers especially Space1999 is on of the Best and most Beloved Sci fi series EVER made.R.I.P Gerry and Silvia Anderson thank you for all the great memories.
281 / 5,000 If Elon Musk wants his "Starship" to successfully land and take off on the moon and Mars, he needs to redesign "the Spaceship" to resemble the Eagles. Then the "Spaceship" can land and take off horizontally, with four rocket engines placed on each side, front and back, as "the Eagles" have.
Many big 'kids' like me (70+ years) owe a debt of gratitude to Gerry Anderson for the entertainment he gave us, all the way from Torchy the Battery Boy, Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball XL5 and many other series mentioned in this video. To my brothers and me, they were far ahead of their time and other childrens' television shows paled by comparison. Sadly, Gerry's final words can't come true. I just hope he knew the truth of how much fascination and joy he brought to so many people of all ages.
the editors and lighting camera people were very good Stafford (Ufo and Space 1999) and Frank Watts (Space 1999) and Barry Gray's greatly effective music Great documentary.
I loved UFO and Space 1999 as a kid...I still watch them today...I loved when they introduced Maya in the second season, she did lots for the series. Thank you Mr. Anderson.
The second season was crap, debased by the need to dumb down and meet the assumed US market needs. The monsters were truly awful and the episodes had a comic book feel to them. Gerry certainly preferred the first series although he doesn't say so here.
I'm a huge Anderson fan. Space: 1999 basically sparked my love for scifi. I still haven't watched all of his shows start to finish. Those I did I always enjoyed and they gave me hours and hours of fun and entertainment.
I was never really into Terrahawks. But everything else he did was fantastic from Thunderbirds to Captain Scarlet; and Space 1999 was a firm favourite when I was a kid. Thank you Jerry for making my childhood special.
'Hero' is an often overused word these days but I have always regarded Gerry as a true hero. He earned the respect of TV execs and made the most amazing programmes that changed many a child's life - with nothing but an idea and some passion. Yes, he had a wonderful and unique team of creators to help realise that dream, but he was the driving force. This showed a side of his life that had its fair share of adversity but he overcame this and if you didn't know the details of the cancellations, threats and petty squabbles, you would be left with just an amazing list of triumphs - programmes children will look back on when there is nothing but AI and CGI and wonder at. I'm sure the excitement and drama will create the same tingles it did for me 50 years ago (and still does), in generations of children to come. RIP my hero.
The greatest sci-fi for younger viewers ever made over decades. Visually never been beaten by anything. Best vehicles ever. And for me, Thunderbirds and UFO have stayed with me for over 50 years. Barry Grey's music was extraordinary too. Altogether magnificent.
I learned some new things watching this documentary, thanks. The voice actors for the Terrahawks, what a range of personalities and voices/talent. The monsters in that show definitely got my attention as a kid back then as they predicted, along with the puppets and sci-fi theme too.
The Opening Theme from Space: 1999, Season 1, its the G.O.A.T. themes ever done in the world. I still have goose bumbs when i hear it, even after all this decades...❤
Thanks for all the great shows. Shouldn't have listened to anyone in America and we would have probably had more episodes of UFO and Space 1999. Fred Freiberger KILLED the series. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with series 1 of Space 1999 and it DID NOT need Americanizing !!!!!
More UFO means there never would've been that dumpster fire Space:1999. It was only made to "americanize" the show - of course, hollywood execs are idiots.
Agreed, the US is the first country where a very small group of people, who want to be offended by pretty much everything, make so much of a ruckus that they dictate what other people are allowed to watch in the US. Which is completely contrary to the idea of democracy.
This is a great documentary I have never seen before and the most honest. Gerry is piling on the sarcasm at the end. I don't blame him after the way he was treated.
Back around 2013, J. Michael Straczynski [JMS] -- creator of the science fiction TV show *BABYLON 5* -- posted a comment online saying that most television network executives {I presume he meant in the US} just did not 'get' science fiction. I think JMS was absolutely right. It was definitely true in decades past, and I think that is still true to some extent even today.
It still is. Executives are just dense. It's their nature. They view all sci fi offerings as childish stuff. They wouldn't know good writing if it popped them in the chops. All they see is "The weird stuff."
Obviously, I loved the puppets! How could anybody not? ... And, in my opinion, "UFO" was one of the most stylish Sci-Fi shows ever created! Everything about it was just superb! SID: "This is Space Intruder Detector" ... "Condition red, I repeat, condition red" ... "UFO detected" ... "Computing speed and trajectory" ... "Recommend immediate Interceptor launch" ... "Standby" ... "Computing attack coordinates" ... "Trajectory termination confirmed" ... "Establishing downlink with ALEXA" ... "Downlink established" ... ALEXA, "Hi, SID! [kissing sound] What do you want me to do about the UFO?" ... "I can give you a recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese?" ... "How about a lunar weather forecast?" 🤣 SID: "This is Space Intruder Detector" ... "Condition idiot, I repeat, condition idiot" ... "There's NOTHING SMART about ALEXA" ... "Downlink terminated!" SHADO OPERATIVE: "Commander Straker, SID and ALEXA are having another lover's tiff!" ... "What shall we do?" STRAKER: "We don't have time for this! Have Foster replace the pair of them!" ... "With Windows 11!" SHADO OPERATIVE: "At once, commander!" ... "I'll have SID's orbit decayed, so he burns up in the Earth's atmosphere." STRAKER: "Just make sure parts of SID don't crash through somebody's roof in Florida!" ... "I hear NASA are being hit with a lawsuit!" ... "SHADO aren't made of money, you know!" 🤣 Sorry, got a bit carried away! ... I love UFO! ❤️
Fantastic! The legendary man from my childhood era, Never thought I’d get to here the legend himself recounting his career and expressing the business struggles he faced. A talenred creator tossed about by the shallow decisions of others. It’s the same in all industries and walks of life. Gerry Anderson is still legendary in my mind and always will be.
I've watched most if not all Gerry Anderson's shows.. As kid i was blown away ..even as an adult i still love watching them..UFO did scare me a bit as a kid..btw who doesn't love Gabrielle Drake..😅😅 Rip to Gerry.. without him and Sylvia the world woulbe a boring place for us kids .
What amuses me is that the building that appears as Harlington-Straker Film Studios in the opening titles of UFO is Neptune House at BBC Elstree - and also was used in several black and white episodes of The Saint for various locations :)
UFO remains one of my favourite TV shows of all time. The inspiration it's had on my one of my favourite video games, X-COM: UFO Defense and one of my favourite anime series' Neon Genesis Evangelion are iconic and immediately identifyable as is everything about the show itself. It was so ahead of it's time, and so amazingly internally coherent in it's storyline elements (except with the aliens themselves, but it never got the time and additional seasons to flesh that out) and it could have been so SO much more that it makes me sad. The Andersons' works will not be forgotten anytime soon by those of us lucky enough to have found them!
I was about 7 when Thunderbirds came out, and I was blown away with the fantastic machines and futuristic technology so much so that I'm kinda disappointed with how things are now. My head was programmed for a future that did not arrive. But it was wondrous and joyous all the same ! Thunderbirds, UFO and Space 1999 expanded my imagination and gave me a happy childhood.
A man of incredible talent and vision - a shame he never did make it back in time. Space 1999 was my absolute go-to - loved the tension and effects. Barbara Bain will always have a place in my heart! What struck me though was the way they all called each other by their first names - no 'Mr this' or 'Captain that'. 'Kids' TV these days is lacking in pretty much everything - which ties in with what Gerry said about trying to pitch a show these days (over a decade ago!). Great shame and sadly missed.
For British / Americans: Ufo was very popular in Germany, therefor they kept a speed designation like SOL (Speed over Light) for the German dupped over version of Startrek. So when Cpt. Kirk orders Warp 5 they where going Sol 5 in Germany.
The first episodes of Space 1999 I remember broadcasted were in the CBC Channel 9 Windsor which covered Detroit. When I spent the weekend at my grandmother's house I couldn't wait to watch it.
These videos put on YT this year have been brilliant,. and have lead to some great remenicing in my office among the over 50s !! UFO and Space 1999 were just so brilliant - am surprised that there isn't a remake by AppleTV or similar in the pipeline. I recall that Captain Scarlet was remade as animation about 15 years ago.
Gerry, I just saw New Captain Scarlet - Proteus here in the US for the first time on RUclips. It is amazing CGI, and it should be shown in the US today!
I loved each of the Anderson shows, especially UFO and Space:1999, which became my obsessions. I still watch them often. The Eagle and Skydiver are still two of my favorite machines. Ahead of their time.
Well,SE and fantasy are all about imagination; something in short supply in the head of the average TV executive. What UFO season 2 could have been... Sigh...🤨
Watched U.F.O. in early 70s. Fascinating tv for a 5yr old. Watched it on dvd about 20yrs ago. My all time favorite! Great production,scripts,& the actresses were the best looking women to ever walk in front of a camera.
As much as I liked the two live action series, I think the original Thunderbirds was the best. Incredible models and special effects, the attention to detail, the characterisations and the storylines all stand out. The fact that it was all done with puppets on strings still amazes me. The Eagles in space 1999 were iconic, the model work was impeccable. And thanks to Mr Anderson, I had a huge crush on both Gabrielle Drake and Catherine Schell. 😍👽
What a superb piece! Previously, I'd thought that Gerry sounded rather defensive of Captain Scarlett and the subsequent lacklustre reception but now I completely understand why. He'd worked incredibly hard and created something extremely impressive only for the clueless folk at ITV to completely squander his talent and harpoon his career. It was also nice to hear him speak so fondly of Fred Freiberger - a man he could quite rightly have taken issue with. Gerry was clearly a very professional gentleman. A brilliant video and a much clearer understanding and appreciation gained. Thanks for posting.
To this day I remember coming home after seeing St Nicolas (mid November) come to town (EIndhoven, NL - so he came by boat in the Canal). My dad turned on the TV, and I saw my very first Episode of the Thunderbirds (in B&W). So much better than St. Nicolas! As soon as it was available, I managed to get the TB2 toy, with a TB4 in the Pod. I will never forget the excitement waiting for the next episode. Years later I bough the DVDs for my own kids.
UFO was regularly repeated during the 1970s in the UK. It (and Space 1999) were broadcast on one of the main TV channels and had fairly large audiences. Space 1999 was something of a hit across Europe, although this wasn’t obvious from the UK.
Such fond memories of happier times. I still have my UFO INTERCEPTOR & EAGLE toys to this day. 😁 Watching Denise and Jeremy jump from voice to voice gave me a smile from ear to ear. 😁
In my childhood, _SPACE 1999_ was one of the first science fiction series that I watched on Kuwait TV. I loved it very much. At that time I wished I had the Eagle Transporter Model Kit to play with🧑💼💔
Aaah, my childhood. TV21 & Gerry/Sylvia Anderson were at the forefront of that ... Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 & the live-actions of UFO & Season 1 of Space 1999.
I certainly hope he's right that ITV will pick up Thunderbirds again! That was my absolute favorite show when I was a kid and it'd be awesome to see it brought up-to-date!
A few houses on my paper-round never got their newspapers, because I didn't want to miss Space 1999 on Saturday mornings. :) And Dragon's Domain still give me nightmares!
We will never see the likes of Gerry Anderson ever again, nor will we see 'creativity' of that scale either. Space 1999 S2 was awful imo. Such a shame that the US market influences probably prevented Gerry from realising his ambitions in full. Today, if it's not CGI based etc, that's it. New Capt Scarlet could have been amazing but for how it was treated. A golden era of TV creations were brought to us of a certain age group now, and for me personally, I'm so pleased that happened. RIP Gerry and Thank you for everything that still lives on today.
So annoyed poor thinking in the US held back the talent Gerry was and constantly hindered and ruined what he was seeking to do! The US are too obsessed with ratings and they are ridiculous in taking a handful of people in a focus group and thinking they represent hundreds of millions. The way the Yanks ruined the 2nd Space 1999 series by failing to have a continued story from the 1st series, getting rid of the thoughtful dialogue of Barry Morse shows a total lack of vision and arrogance! We need more like Anderson in the UK and we should invest in them to produce shows that work here. then those shows can be sold, but it cannot be with the US involved in production, their record is awful because they do not listen! They put penny-pinching and profit before art and they too often ignore great scripts and great acting just because they assume they know best. As for that racist attitude when Supercar was being filmed in a jungle what an utter coward that US producer was! If Star Trek producers had, had that awful attitude then Nichelle Nichols would never been given her break and we would never have benefited globally from the work of a fine actress! Prejudice does not go away unless you challenge it, Gerry Anderson was a superb creator, It is insulting that Americans made out they had more insight than Gerry when clearly they did not.
You jump through all those hoops for the Americans and you only get 2 seasons, what a worthwhile waste of time but thanks for the prevailing memories Gerry, Sylvia and all who made it happen 🙋🏼♂️
I thought Thunderbirds was fantastic at the time and loved the show but when Captain Scarlet came out thought that was the pinnacle of the puppetry technology as the puppets look proportionally correct and the series was a lot slicker. Enjoyed UFO too, very good series. Then the Americans sabotaged everything. Can't stand the CGI stuff. We were so lucky to have lived our childhoods through those days. Thanks for the memories Gerry and co.
The yanks back then could always be relied upon to stuff up something that was working very well because of their inability or lac of desire to understand the British or even the Australian people’s culture
During the early to mid 70's i used to watch Thunderbirds, Cpt Scarlet, Stingray, Joe 90, UFO and space 1999. For me these shows were amazing and still are, I had an Eagle made by Dinky toys also a Thunderbird 2 both my fav models. The best shows of that time and still entertaining today.
Terrahawks became a cult watch for myself and a host of workmates (all in our thirties at the time) as well as my young kids; epic, clever, wickedly amusing and so imaginative!
The first Gerry Anderson series I watched was Space 1999. The first season of that show was as good a collection of science fiction stories as I've ever seen in any other TV series since. I went on to watch reruns of Thunderbirds and all the Supermarionation series and UFO. I wonder why Space Precinct isn't covered in this program?
I understand about presentations. Several years ago, I had to do a presentation, which I hated to do ,because I wasn't a proper salesman, and the computer wouldn't link to their system. As a result, instead of the computer presentation I just carried out a personal presentation with no visuals, just an honest discussion. I was being judged by a purchasing lady, who was known to have people doing presentations in tears. It was interesting because this lady was actually encouraging me during the talk. I was able to actually able to present my ideas and able to answer questions, or in some cases just admit that i did not know, but would sort out later. The problem with the new systems is that they place you in a straitjacket. I also knew that when I was employed, there was no personality profile. When they did produce a profile, I wouldn't have fitted in that profile. Yet I managed to do the job for over 30 years.
Windsor Davies could only do Windsor Davies. 🤣😅😂 True but he only needed to do Windsor Davies. I had forgotten he voiced Sergeant Major Zero but seeing/hearing it again brought the memory back. UFO was brilliant and amazing, the model scenes were brought to a new level from the 60's Thunderbirds to an almost reality. The models from UFO and Space 1999 are most likely to be real and I still want a car that looks like Straker's. Thank you Gerry and the teams around you.
Made millions of children all over the world happy watching his programs.... that's quite an accomplishment.... I think I can speak for those children when I say thank you....
Yes Indeed!
Well said
Well said, couldn't agree more
Still watching them now, and I'm a 63 yr old kid
Definitely; you recognise the first bars of the theme tunes (and they still pop up in adverts with nothing to do with UFO etc - but it grabs your attention. along, of course, with the IBM Selectric "Golf-Ball" typewriter at the commencement of UFO. I recall launching more than one "golf-ball" (improperly secured) from the Student Newspaper typewriter...
UFO was insanely ahead of its time. Incredible special effects, top-notch totty and a fantastic music score
The UFO theme is my mobile's ringtone. When people hear it, many say they recognise it, but can't quite place where they've heard it. I usually keep them guessing for a bit! Thunderbirds is my alternative, but everyone knows that one...
@@CaseyJonesNumber1 Mine is the five musical tones from Close Encounters and then the mothership answers back with the deep tuba, glass shatters.
Space: 1999 is phenomenal. I can't get over just how good the production is for its time.
@@CaseyJonesNumber1..yep, same here! Mines the UFO noise! I do get some strange looks when the phone goes of ! 😂😂
It has without a doubt one of the most funky, groovy and far out memorable themes of all time. Its up there with the Prisoner and Doctor Who as being a total stand out legend.
Every Anderson idea was gold, just a pity they were hamstrung by "executives" with no vision.
Thank you 21C for making my childhood enjoyable, at times you were all I had.
Me too.
They made my formative and early teen years enjoyable, too.
Perhaps not every idea, but an admirable proportion and his pioneering work is without parallel.
What's clear is that the American 'executives' were racist, and thought most Americans were stupid. If they could have, Doctor Who would have been changed or canceled.
as i am in my seventh decade i have said before and say today as a consumer of sci-fi programing THUNDERBIRD and the long list of other shows by Gerry were and still are the apex of puppetry...the fact that i still remember how much fun it was to watch these so long after seeing them the first time is a testament of how well these shows were made.
RIP and thank you Gerry for a life of wonderful memories..........
Anderson was a knob. And so are you.
Everything Gerry and his team produced was and still is First Class…Unbelievable Model making, Effects, just everything and added to that, the Genius of Barry Gray with his Fantastic Music…Perfection.
There is not and never will be, anything to come anywhere near the quality of these productions.
Thank you Gerry and your Teams for producing such Great series that I still love watching now 👌🏽
Thunderbirds, UFO & Space 1999 are shows that I grew up watching and loved very much. TYVM, Gerry Anderson. R.I.P..
Great documentary these people were true visionaries and pioneers especially Space1999 is on of the Best and most Beloved Sci fi series EVER made.R.I.P Gerry and Silvia Anderson thank you for all the great memories.
UFO remains my favorite TV science fiction show. It was excellent.
Same here, I still watch them over and over. if only we'd got a 2nd series ...damn yanks!
@@SteveT-0 US studio executives don't recognize quality. Have the series on DVD and do enjoy rewatching episodes. So well made.
@@BruceBanner-eg8vs So true :(
@@BruceBanner-eg8vs They couldn't recognize quality if it bit them. Bloody knuckleheads.
one day I hope you get a chance to see the original Star Trek
Space: 1999 - the Eagles are one of the most iconic space ships ever built.
I made them from Lego when I was a kid.
281 / 5,000
If Elon Musk wants his "Starship" to successfully land and take off on the moon and Mars, he needs to redesign "the Spaceship" to resemble the Eagles.
Then the "Spaceship" can land and take off horizontally, with four rocket engines placed on each side, front and back, as "the Eagles" have.
They seem to have an endless supply of them given how many blew up.
@@HowardLeVert And how long ago was that sir. Awesome
100% agree.
Many big 'kids' like me (70+ years) owe a debt of gratitude to Gerry Anderson for the entertainment he gave us, all the way from Torchy the Battery Boy, Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball XL5 and many other series mentioned in this video. To my brothers and me, they were far ahead of their time and other childrens' television shows paled by comparison.
Sadly, Gerry's final words can't come true. I just hope he knew the truth of how much fascination and joy he brought to so many people of all ages.
The UFO theme tune was sensational.
Joe 90 opening and closing themes were great too!
@@Design_no I agree! The UFO theme was a fantastic piece of music!
the only thing the UFO tune is missing is Austin Powers yelling "Yeah Baby!", it oozes sixties psychedelic sexuality.
*is
See if you can find the 2 Many DJs mashup of that tune. I only recognised it when I watched this. Great mashup
the editors and lighting camera people were very good Stafford (Ufo and Space 1999) and Frank Watts (Space 1999) and Barry Gray's greatly effective music Great documentary.
I loved UFO and Space 1999 as a kid...I still watch them today...I loved when they introduced Maya in the second season, she did lots for the series. Thank you Mr. Anderson.
The second season was crap, debased by the need to dumb down and meet the assumed US market needs. The monsters were truly awful and the episodes had a comic book feel to them. Gerry certainly preferred the first series although he doesn't say so here.
@Century 21 Films - thanks for the high quality documentaries guys - 🛸✨
I'm a huge Anderson fan. Space: 1999 basically sparked my love for scifi. I still haven't watched all of his shows start to finish. Those I did I always enjoyed and they gave me hours and hours of fun and entertainment.
I was never really into Terrahawks. But everything else he did was fantastic from Thunderbirds to Captain Scarlet; and Space 1999 was a firm favourite when I was a kid. Thank you Jerry for making my childhood special.
'Hero' is an often overused word these days but I have always regarded Gerry as a true hero. He earned the respect of TV execs and made the most amazing programmes that changed many a child's life - with nothing but an idea and some passion. Yes, he had a wonderful and unique team of creators to help realise that dream, but he was the driving force.
This showed a side of his life that had its fair share of adversity but he overcame this and if you didn't know the details of the cancellations, threats and petty squabbles, you would be left with just an amazing list of triumphs - programmes children will look back on when there is nothing but AI and CGI and wonder at.
I'm sure the excitement and drama will create the same tingles it did for me 50 years ago (and still does), in generations of children to come.
RIP my hero.
Couldn't of put it better myself.
The greatest sci-fi for younger viewers ever made over decades. Visually never been beaten by anything. Best vehicles ever. And for me, Thunderbirds and UFO have stayed with me for over 50 years. Barry Grey's music was extraordinary too. Altogether magnificent.
I'm glad I had a childhood growing up with Gerry Anderson, you'll never see his like again.
Wow - despite Gerry's shortcomings (and genius), a VERY interesting insight to the games people play at those giddy heights. Thank you for sharing.
I learned some new things watching this documentary, thanks. The voice actors for the Terrahawks, what a range of personalities and voices/talent. The monsters in that show definitely got my attention as a kid back then as they predicted, along with the puppets and sci-fi theme too.
Gerry never got the recognition he deserved.
I used to watch both Space:1999 & UFO as a kid. Loved them. I own both series on disc.
Gerry created this genre. Now it's lore. I grew up on this stuff. It's great.
The Opening Theme from Space: 1999, Season 1, its the G.O.A.T. themes ever done in the world. I still have goose bumbs when i hear it, even after all this decades...❤
Thanks for all the great shows. Shouldn't have listened to anyone in America and we would have probably had more episodes of UFO and Space 1999. Fred Freiberger KILLED the series. There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with series 1 of Space 1999 and it DID NOT need Americanizing !!!!!
He should have told that yank to go stuff it when he told them to remove the black puppets.
More UFO means there never would've been that dumpster fire Space:1999. It was only made to "americanize" the show - of course, hollywood execs are idiots.
I’m an American and couldn’t agree more.
Agreed, the US is the first country where a very small group of people, who want to be offended by pretty much everything, make so much of a ruckus that they dictate what other people are allowed to watch in the US. Which is completely contrary to the idea of democracy.
Gerry got screwed, over and over. I'm glad he was proud of his career and thought about it in a positive way. His integrity lives on.
This is a great documentary I have never seen before and the most honest.
Gerry is piling on the sarcasm at the end. I don't blame him after the way he was treated.
Back around 2013, J. Michael Straczynski [JMS] -- creator of the science fiction TV show *BABYLON 5* -- posted a comment online saying that most television network executives {I presume he meant in the US} just did not 'get' science fiction.
I think JMS was absolutely right. It was definitely true in decades past, and I think that is still true to some extent even today.
It still is. Executives are just dense. It's their nature. They view all sci fi offerings as childish stuff. They wouldn't know good writing if it popped them in the chops. All they see is "The weird stuff."
Thanks for the full UFO theme song- that tune was OFF-Da’Chain back in the day!
I loved this show! ❤👍
Obviously, I loved the puppets! How could anybody not? ... And, in my opinion, "UFO" was one of the most stylish Sci-Fi shows ever created! Everything about it was just superb!
SID: "This is Space Intruder Detector" ... "Condition red, I repeat, condition red" ... "UFO detected" ... "Computing speed and trajectory" ... "Recommend immediate Interceptor launch" ... "Standby" ... "Computing attack coordinates" ... "Trajectory termination confirmed" ... "Establishing downlink with ALEXA" ... "Downlink established" ...
ALEXA, "Hi, SID! [kissing sound] What do you want me to do about the UFO?" ... "I can give you a recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese?" ... "How about a lunar weather forecast?" 🤣
SID: "This is Space Intruder Detector" ... "Condition idiot, I repeat, condition idiot" ... "There's NOTHING SMART about ALEXA" ... "Downlink terminated!"
SHADO OPERATIVE: "Commander Straker, SID and ALEXA are having another lover's tiff!" ... "What shall we do?"
STRAKER: "We don't have time for this! Have Foster replace the pair of them!" ... "With Windows 11!"
SHADO OPERATIVE: "At once, commander!" ... "I'll have SID's orbit decayed, so he burns up in the Earth's atmosphere."
STRAKER: "Just make sure parts of SID don't crash through somebody's roof in Florida!" ... "I hear NASA are being hit with a lawsuit!" ... "SHADO aren't made of money, you know!" 🤣
Sorry, got a bit carried away! ... I love UFO! ❤️
What a genius so underrated great tv that you just don’t see anymore 👌😊
I see Century 21 hasn't lost it's fabulous editing skills, I just loved the opening montage
Fantastic! The legendary man from my childhood era, Never thought I’d get to here the legend himself recounting his career and expressing the business struggles he faced. A talenred creator tossed about by the shallow decisions of others. It’s the same in all industries and walks of life. Gerry Anderson is still legendary in my mind and always will be.
Thank you, I just relived my childhood,
i would watch anything with Barbra Bain
I've watched most if not all Gerry Anderson's shows..
As kid i was blown away ..even as an adult i still love watching them..UFO did scare me a bit as a kid..btw who doesn't love Gabrielle Drake..😅😅
Rip to Gerry.. without him and Sylvia the world woulbe a boring place for us kids .
What amuses me is that the building that appears as Harlington-Straker Film Studios in the opening titles of UFO is Neptune House at BBC Elstree - and also was used in several black and white episodes of The Saint for various locations :)
I worked on Holby City for a few years and it was the exterior of the hospital too.
Before that of course it was Grainge Hill...
UFO remains one of my favourite TV shows of all time. The inspiration it's had on my one of my favourite video games, X-COM: UFO Defense and one of my favourite anime series' Neon Genesis Evangelion are iconic and immediately identifyable as is everything about the show itself. It was so ahead of it's time, and so amazingly internally coherent in it's storyline elements (except with the aliens themselves, but it never got the time and additional seasons to flesh that out) and it could have been so SO much more that it makes me sad. The Andersons' works will not be forgotten anytime soon by those of us lucky enough to have found them!
I was about 7 when Thunderbirds came out, and I was blown away with the fantastic machines and futuristic technology so much so that I'm kinda disappointed with how things are now. My head was programmed for a future that did not arrive. But it was wondrous and joyous all the same ! Thunderbirds, UFO and Space 1999 expanded my imagination and gave me a happy childhood.
From a younger version of myself- Thanks for Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, UFO and all the others. F.A.B.👍
A man of incredible talent and vision - a shame he never did make it back in time. Space 1999 was my absolute go-to - loved the tension and effects. Barbara Bain will always have a place in my heart! What struck me though was the way they all called each other by their first names - no 'Mr this' or 'Captain that'. 'Kids' TV these days is lacking in pretty much everything - which ties in with what Gerry said about trying to pitch a show these days (over a decade ago!). Great shame and sadly missed.
For British / Americans:
Ufo was very popular in Germany, therefor they kept a speed designation like SOL (Speed over Light) for the German dupped over version of Startrek. So when Cpt. Kirk orders Warp 5 they where going Sol 5 in Germany.
It's not often I'm am excited watching a documentary. Thanks for giving us the whole story. These shows were all magical.
I absolutely loved Thunderbirds, stingray, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet, UFO as a kid into my youth,…. These were absolutely great times.
Every 70's kid , as long as they had access to a television, around the world has a memory of one of Gerry Anderson's shows.
The start of Captain Scarlet had me hiding behind the sofa
Thank you, you made this kid happy, wish I was part of you guys.
UFO and Space 1999 were far and away my most favourite shows. Thank you so much for giving me things to look forward to when I was a kid.
Gerry Anderson and all of the puppet series were superb.
The first episodes of Space 1999 I remember broadcasted were in the CBC Channel 9 Windsor which covered Detroit. When I spent the weekend at my grandmother's house I couldn't wait to watch it.
These videos put on YT this year have been brilliant,. and have lead to some great remenicing in my office among the over 50s !! UFO and Space 1999 were just so brilliant - am surprised that there isn't a remake by AppleTV or similar in the pipeline. I recall that Captain Scarlet was remade as animation about 15 years ago.
Great shows! Great actors and actresses! Great fun! Good time I shall miss! Thanks Gerry!
Gerry, I just saw New Captain Scarlet - Proteus here in the US for the first time on RUclips. It is amazing CGI, and it should be shown in the US today!
Another superb documentary. Thank you.
I loved each of the Anderson shows, especially UFO and Space:1999, which became my obsessions. I still watch them often. The Eagle and Skydiver are still two of my favorite machines. Ahead of their time.
Gerry is/was such a really nice man, full of passion for his art. Thank you for all that you did.
As an American, I loved this show and UFO.
RIP Gerry ,thank you.
What a great man and incredible artist.
3:40
Anderson hit the nail on the head. In 1980, we all had a box of....uh, sand on our desks.
Well,SE and fantasy are all about imagination; something in short supply in the head of the average TV executive.
What UFO season 2 could have been...
Sigh...🤨
Watched U.F.O. in early 70s. Fascinating tv for a 5yr old. Watched it on dvd about 20yrs ago. My all time favorite! Great production,scripts,& the actresses were the best looking women to ever walk in front of a camera.
in the early 80s the only tv show I watched was mondbasis alpha, the german title for space: 1999. Fantastic times.
As much as I liked the two live action series, I think the original Thunderbirds was the best. Incredible models and special effects, the attention to detail, the characterisations and the storylines all stand out. The fact that it was all done with puppets on strings still amazes me. The Eagles in space 1999 were iconic, the model work was impeccable. And thanks to Mr Anderson, I had a huge crush on both Gabrielle Drake and Catherine Schell. 😍👽
What a superb piece!
Previously, I'd thought that Gerry sounded rather defensive of Captain Scarlett and the subsequent lacklustre reception but now I completely understand why. He'd worked incredibly hard and created something extremely impressive only for the clueless folk at ITV to completely squander his talent and harpoon his career.
It was also nice to hear him speak so fondly of Fred Freiberger - a man he could quite rightly have taken issue with.
Gerry was clearly a very professional gentleman.
A brilliant video and a much clearer understanding and appreciation gained.
Thanks for posting.
Nothing to be 'fond' of FF about. He, with Gerry's oversite, destroyed S1999.
Gerry & Sylvia Anderson were geniuses, loved all their shows, UFO was my favourite. Trust the Americans TV execs to completely screw it up.
Loved UFO! I still wish I knew how they did the "lava lamp-ish" picture frame behind Straker's desk!
To this day I remember coming home after seeing St Nicolas (mid November) come to town (EIndhoven, NL - so he came by boat in the Canal). My dad turned on the TV, and I saw my very first Episode of the Thunderbirds (in B&W). So much better than St. Nicolas! As soon as it was available, I managed to get the TB2 toy, with a TB4 in the Pod. I will never forget the excitement waiting for the next episode. Years later I bough the DVDs for my own kids.
UFO was regularly repeated during the 1970s in the UK. It (and Space 1999) were broadcast on one of the main TV channels and had fairly large audiences. Space 1999 was something of a hit across Europe, although this wasn’t obvious from the UK.
Such fond memories of happier times.
I still have my UFO INTERCEPTOR & EAGLE toys to this day. 😁
Watching Denise and Jeremy jump from voice to voice gave me a smile from ear to ear. 😁
The Godfather of childhood memories for so many British people over multiple decades. Rest easy Gerry Anderson 🙏😇👍
I was very young when I first saw UFO, . I noticed that whenever Gabrielle Drake was on screen , strange sensations occurred in my trousers.
😂😂
Ditto
She is/was absolutely gorgeous.
Of course.... we just had to have an immature trolll sully this...
WAY too much information there 😵💫🤣
LOVE seen back behind the scenes
In my childhood, _SPACE 1999_ was one of the first science fiction series that I watched on Kuwait TV. I loved it very much.
At that time I wished I had the Eagle Transporter Model Kit to play with🧑💼💔
Thank you for all of your hard work Gerry! I hope that you will be back!
Aaah, my childhood. TV21 & Gerry/Sylvia Anderson were at the forefront of that ... Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 & the live-actions of UFO & Season 1 of Space 1999.
America. What a wonderful, tolerant nation it is.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nice sarcasm 👍
The Interceptor with a massive RPG always cracked me up.
Nice goin Gerry and crews, growing up, I spent a lot of time not missing you shows. Thanks heaps!
Loved UFO and Space 1999. Had an incredible crush on Maya!
I was a bit too old when Terrahawks came along.
I certainly hope he's right that ITV will pick up Thunderbirds again! That was my absolute favorite show when I was a kid and it'd be awesome to see it brought up-to-date!
That was brilliant.
Great stuff! Thanks especially for New Cpt Scarlet. Gonna try and hunt that down. Never saw it in Canada before.
A few houses on my paper-round never got their newspapers, because I didn't want to miss Space 1999 on Saturday mornings. :) And Dragon's Domain still give me nightmares!
I remember watching Supercar when i was a kid! There's something satisfying about watching puppets in flying cars.
Wow! I didn't know Dick Spanner was a Gerry Anderson production. I remember that from the early days of Channel four in the UK.
We will never see the likes of Gerry Anderson ever again, nor will we see 'creativity' of that scale either. Space 1999 S2 was awful imo. Such a shame that the US market influences probably prevented Gerry from realising his ambitions in full. Today, if it's not CGI based etc, that's it. New Capt Scarlet could have been amazing but for how it was treated. A golden era of TV creations were brought to us of a certain age group now, and for me personally, I'm so pleased that happened. RIP Gerry and Thank you for everything that still lives on today.
Wow some great memories there loved some of those shows think one was before my time but all the ones I had watched loved every one of them
So annoyed poor thinking in the US held back the talent Gerry was and constantly hindered and ruined what he was seeking to do! The US are too obsessed with ratings and they are ridiculous in taking a handful of people in a focus group and thinking they represent hundreds of millions. The way the Yanks ruined the 2nd Space 1999 series by failing to have a continued story from the 1st series, getting rid of the thoughtful dialogue of Barry Morse shows a total lack of vision and arrogance!
We need more like Anderson in the UK and we should invest in them to produce shows that work here. then those shows can be sold, but it cannot be with the US involved in production, their record is awful because they do not listen! They put penny-pinching and profit before art and they too often ignore great scripts and great acting just because they assume they know best.
As for that racist attitude when Supercar was being filmed in a jungle what an utter coward that US producer was! If Star Trek producers had, had that awful attitude then Nichelle Nichols would never been given her break and we would never have benefited globally from the work of a fine actress! Prejudice does not go away unless you challenge it,
Gerry Anderson was a superb creator, It is insulting that Americans made out they had more insight than Gerry when clearly they did not.
Not enough Freedom, way too Censorship in the US
Well said
Not much has changed 😢
I loved all of the shows.
You jump through all those hoops for the Americans and you only get 2 seasons, what a worthwhile waste of time but thanks for the prevailing memories Gerry, Sylvia and all who made it happen 🙋🏼♂️
It had more episodes than Joss Whedon's Firefly. But I'm more eager to watch all of Space 1999.
I thought Thunderbirds was fantastic at the time and loved the show but when Captain Scarlet came out thought that was the pinnacle of the puppetry technology as the puppets look proportionally correct and the series was a lot slicker. Enjoyed UFO too, very good series.
Then the Americans sabotaged everything.
Can't stand the CGI stuff. We were so lucky to have lived our childhoods through those days. Thanks for the memories Gerry and co.
UFO was great fun, but my memories of Space 1999….
@@Scottlp2 I’m equally fond of the 2, for different reasons. Season 2 S1999 was ruined by Fred Friebergers interference unfortunately.
It's a miracle Star Trek ever got three seasons. They had even more of them working against the show.
The yanks back then could always be relied upon to stuff up something that was working very well because of their inability or lac of desire to understand the British or even the Australian people’s culture
So nothing's changed then, they still don't get sci fi.
@startrekker5888 They have created quite a bit of sci-fi, though.
During the early to mid 70's i used to watch Thunderbirds, Cpt Scarlet, Stingray, Joe 90, UFO and space 1999. For me these shows were amazing and still are, I had an Eagle made by Dinky toys also a Thunderbird 2 both my fav models. The best shows of that time and still entertaining today.
Barbara Bain and Gabriel Drake.
Two of the most gorgeous actresses of the 1970s. 🤤
Terrahawks became a cult watch for myself and a host of workmates (all in our thirties at the time) as well as my young kids; epic, clever, wickedly amusing and so imaginative!
once you get past the puppets, it was a compelling story
I loved watching these as a kid on ATV (today's ITV Midlands).
Terrahawks was the absolute nadir of Anderson's work!
The first Gerry Anderson series I watched was Space 1999.
The first season of that show was as good a collection of science fiction stories as I've ever seen in any other TV series since.
I went on to watch reruns of Thunderbirds and all the Supermarionation series and UFO.
I wonder why Space Precinct isn't covered in this program?
What brilliant memories. All creations fantastic. 👏🏻👍👍
I understand about presentations. Several years ago, I had to do a presentation, which I hated to do ,because I wasn't a proper salesman, and the computer wouldn't link to their system. As a result, instead of the computer presentation I just carried out a personal presentation with no visuals, just an honest discussion. I was being judged by a purchasing lady, who was known to have people doing presentations in tears. It was interesting because this lady was actually encouraging me during the talk. I was able to actually able to present my ideas and able to answer questions, or in some cases just admit that i did not know, but would sort out later. The problem with the new systems is that they place you in a straitjacket. I also knew that when I was employed, there was no personality profile. When they did produce a profile, I wouldn't have fitted in that profile. Yet I managed to do the job for over 30 years.
Windsor Davies could only do Windsor Davies. 🤣😅😂 True but he only needed to do Windsor Davies. I had forgotten he voiced Sergeant Major Zero but seeing/hearing it again brought the memory back. UFO was brilliant and amazing, the model scenes were brought to a new level from the 60's Thunderbirds to an almost reality. The models from UFO and Space 1999 are most likely to be real and I still want a car that looks like Straker's. Thank you Gerry and the teams around you.
The first generation Honda Insight looked remarkably like Straker's car from some angles...