Author Archives: Jack Knoll

Stingray – 2. Plant of Doom

Bizarrely, this second episode which follows on directly from the plot of the pilot episode, was broadcast incredibly late in Stingray’s first run on television. It was common practice back in the day to push early episodes to later in the broadcast order, with the supposed reasoning that initial episodes weren’t as good as later ones. So to keep viewers tuning in during those crucial first few weeks of broadcast, heavy hitters from later in the production order of episodes would be brought forward. In the case of Stingray, it was decided that the episode Emergency Marineville be broadcast second, and Plant of Doom was moved all the way to slot number 34. While fairly nonsensical in terms of the plot and it’s bearing on other episodes of the series, is this indicative of the quality of the finished episode itself? Let’s dive in…

Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The work of Gerry Anderson has been, and continues to be, thoroughly documented across books, films, events and more. Historians and researchers work hard to unearth fascinating information surrounding the Anderson productions. The story of Gerry’s career and his works will be told and updated with new knowledge and insight so long as there is a fascination with the magic of film. The legacy of his work will continue to live on with each new generation that discovers it. But the story of Gerry himself – the man, the son, the husband, the father – sadly came to an end on December 26th, 2012.

‘Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted’ launches on the big screen and Britbox in April!

The story of Gerry Anderson’s life has always been a great inspiration to me. It’s a tale of hard work, determination, building and trusting a good team, and bouncing back against insurmountable odds. Much like anyone else, Gerry had his fair share of successes and struggles which shaped his career and often left an impression on his work as a producer. A new documentary from The Format Factory and Anderson Entertainment entitled Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted, is set to tell the story of Gerry’s life and work in a remarkable new way.

Thunderbirds: Terror From The Stars REVIEW

Released in May 2021, Thunderbirds: Terror From The Stars is a full cast audio book based on John Theydon’s 1966 novel ‘Thunderbirds’. Is it a remake? Is it a reimagining? Is it an attempt to throw out the original series and start again? Nope. Of course not. That would be silly. In short, Terror From The Stars is a new 1960s Thunderbirds episode, expertly produced to transport your ears back to the original series.

‘Five Star Five’ – The Lost Anderson Feature Film – NEW Novelisation and Audiobook

Five Star Five was an epic science fiction feature film planned by Gerry Anderson to enter production in 1979. The funding fell through and since then it has only been discussed as a footnote, maybe a paragraph or two in any story about the legendary producer’s work. But now, in 2021, Anderson Entertainment are finally bringing the thrilling Five Star Five adventure to the page and to your ears in the form of a new novelisation and audiobook, adapted by actor and writer, Richard James (aka Officer Orrin in Space Precinct).

LEGO Mac’s Jet Air Car (Joe 90)

Recently looking at my collection of Anderson LEGO vehicles, I realised that I now had a model of something from every Supermarionation series except Four Feather Falls and Joe 90. The options for both series were rather limited, and whilst I do have ambitions to build a LEGO Western town one day, Joe 90 seemed to be the more sensible route to go down right now for my next project. I basically had two starring vehicles to choose from, Professor McClaine’s car, or Sam Loover’s car. On the basis that Sam’s car is, to all intents and purposes, just a car, I had no alternative but to attempt to design and build one of the most bizarre vehicles the Andersons and Derek Meddings ever conceived: the unnamed Jet Air Car which Joe and his father use to travel the globe on dangerous missions for W.I.N.