Anderson Entertainment has announced the first International Gerry Anderson Day will take place on 14th April 2021 – marking the birthday of the man behind Thunderbirds and other hits, including Space: 1999 and Captain Scarlet.
Celebrating the life and works of the producer, Gerry Anderson Day will feature special events, live streams, unique new content from Anderson Entertainment, limited edition products, and a special YouTube programme.
There will also be special guest appearances from a number of celebrity fans.
Supporting these plans is the redesigned corporate website anderson-entertainment.co.uk, which launched in mid-January, while the event wouldn’t be an event without its own hashtag – #GerryAndersonDay
The launch of the event coincides with what, as we previously reported, is shaping up to be “one of the biggest years ever” , expanding its direct-to-consumer and retail merchandising offering, supported by more broadcast and streaming partners for existing television shows and more new content development.
The Gerry Anderson Store will see a large number of major launches during the first half of the year and the site is already on course to more than double its year-on-year sales in 2021.
New series are on the way too, overseen by Gerry’s son Jamie Anderson, himself a celebrated writer and producer and Managing Director of Anderson Entertainment, including Firestorm and a reboot of 1980s hit Terrahawks. The second series of the popular audio drama hit First Action Bureau – developed and produced during the spring lockdown and enjoying huge popularity – will also arrive this year. Series one has just been released on CD.
“With interest high – and growing – across multiple generations of consumers and viewers, we expect strong engagement from both fans and media in the first-ever Gerry Anderson Day,” says Jamie.
“The timing is perfect in what is looking like one of the biggest years ever for the company that Gerry founded,” he continues. “More and more of Gerry’s classic shows are appearing on TV and streaming services. Thunderbirds, Fireball XL5, Stingray, UFO and Anderson Entertainment’s 2005 reinvention of Captain Scarlet, as well as many other favourites, continue to enjoy strong sales on DVD and Blu-Ray.
“All in all, there’s a lot to celebrate on Gerry Anderson Day – and a lot of celebrating going on!
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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