Andersons’ Supersonic Centuries: The Retrofuture Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson

From The Adventures of Twizzle (1957) to Thunderbirds Are Go (2015), the many worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson have given great pleasure to television audiences the world over. Even though they are no longer with us, their shows and ideas live on in new versions of classic favourites and development of other ideas and concepts. In Andersons’ Supersonic Centuries, critic and essayist Fred McNamara looks at various strands of the Andersons’ entertainment output, and assesses their merits, while comparing and contrasting with other shows and concepts. From the early days of Fireball XL-5 (1962) and Stingray (1964), through Thunderbirds (1965) and Captain Scarlet (1967), the live-action Space: 1999 (1975) and UFO (1970), to the modern reimaginings of the classic shows and more, McNamara studies of the worlds, the cities, the equipment, the characters, the hardware, the vehicles and the themes.

With a Foreword by UFO actress Ayshea Brough, this is a superb unauthorised and unofficial collection of essays looking at various aspects of the worlds that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson created. Essential reading for anyone interested in the genre!