MENACE FROM SPACE! 'UFO' RETURNS ON JAPANESE BLU-RAY

Alien fighters! The SHADO team live on in high definition, in the UFO Blu-ray Collector's Box. Image: GENEON UNIVERSAL/ITV

Gerry Anderson's indelible artistic and commercial legacy lives on, as one of his (and our) favourite series, the live-action sci-fi hit UFO, which he co-devised with Sylvia Anderson and Reg Hill, starring the late, great Ed Bishop as the formidable Commander Ed Straker, recently arrived on superb Blu-ray release for the Japanese market, accompanied by some exhaustive extras. Considering the worldwide popularity of the series, sales of this so far unique set, though very pricey, are surely set to soar as fast as an interceptor missile!

Details of the complete package, and picture quality comparisons for the colourful, exciting and thoroughly late-sixties series, can be found here: UFO Series Home Page - UFO Blu-ray discs from Japan

And check out Derek Wadsworth and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra's groovy adaptation of the series main title music (composed by Barry Gray): Re-mastered extended titles For UFO. - YouTube

So far on the horizon, there's no such planned set for the cult favourite in the UK, which previously had a very good DVD release from CARLTON in the early 2000's, but let's hope that someone out there at ITV land, or whoever now has the rights to release the show in Blighty, does the decent thing and bring out something soon that's just as worthy, if not superior, to the Japanese releases.

For all things UFO, check out this great FACEBOOK page: UFO (TV-Series)

GOODBYE, GERRY ANDERSON...

Imagination had no limits with the late, great Gerry Anderson.

He was a talented writer and director, always on the lookout for the next big thing, he revolutionised children's television, entertained millions and millions of delighted audiences around the world, was an innovative pioneer of puppet and live action filming, and an all-round charming, intelligent, honourable and loving family man. The world lost Gerry Anderson today to the cruel ravages of Alzheimer's, but his distinguished legacy of high-quality episodic film series stay in our hearts: he gave us the fun and excitement of FIREBALL XL5, the perils and adventure of International Rescue in THUNDERBIRDS, the daring and bravery of the indestructible CAPTAIN SCARLET, the colourful sub-aquatic action of STINGRAY, haunted us with man versus alien in the spine-tingling live-action UFO and blasted the moon out of the Earth's orbit in the genuinely iconic and spectacular SPACE: 1999. He launched the careers of so many people, including the special effects genius of the late Derek Meddings and his successor into live action film work, Brian Johnson. Gerry was also a wonderful visualist, an encourager of people and a brilliant ideas man, way ahead of his time who always deserved far more industry recognition from the entertainment industry than he ultimately got, beyond those brilliant and forever enduring puppet series which he so vigorously brought to the screen with his ex-wife, Sylvia. Gerry's CGI series resurrection of CAPTAIN SCARLET in the early 2000's was a great rebirth for his talent and tenacity in the face of a modern entertainment industry largely in the wane and needing his type of chutzpah and enterprise to get it going. And whilst many other TV series come and go in history, THUNDERBIRDS, old or possibly new (returning in CGI at some point), remains his deservedly greatest achievement, part of an outstanding career that will be loved and cherished by children and adults forever...

Gerry Anderson is survived by his son, Jamie, and wife, Mary.

A part of all our childhood has been lost on this very sad day...

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