THE FUTURE WAS FANTASTIC: THE STUDIOS

I think I've covered pretty much most of what I saw and experienced at The Future is Fantastic convention, and I have to say I thought it was great, so a big well done from me to everyone involved. But I wanted to give myself one more treat while I was in the area, and  thought I'd check out the location of where most of  my favourite Gerry Anderson series were filmed.

As I prepared to leave the hotel on the Monday morning the constant drizzling rain was trying to put a dampener on things. But I did make the effort and travelled the few miles to the Slough Trading Estate to check out the building in Ipswich Road where Supercar  and Fireball XL5 were filmed.

When I arrived, the rain was becoming heavier, but driven on by my earliest memory as a child, watching  an episode of Supercar on TV, I bravely faced the weather.

So, there it was, the former A.P F. building. Hardly the stuff of Hollywood, and a far cry from the  magical place I'd imagined as a child.  I generally get a buzz out of visiting recognizable locations in the flesh;  Stonehenge, Devil's End, even Mark Saber's office from vintage TV series, Saber of London; but I didn't feel it for this. Maybe it was the rain.

A.P.F. took over this building in 1959, after they secured a deal to film a full series of Four Feather Falls.

It's worth mentioning that the Blue Cars commercials and Gerry's infamous B - movie,  Crossroads To Crime used the sound stages here too, although not an ideal place, as the Slough estate traffic and the railway next door wouldn't have helped things much. I think it was Sylvia Anderson who mentioned that  dozens of egg cartons were used to try an dampen the outside noise.

The next series, where recording sound wasn't a problem, was Supercar which commenced filming in 1960. It had been financed by Lew Grade, whom Gerry had been introduced to by a studio executive, Frank Sherwin Green, an old friend of Gerry's.  A. P. Films were about to go bust, and luckily Lew saved the day - and Supercar!

 A story that Sylvia Anderson recounted at F.I.F. was the day she and Gerry got married in a rather low key affair. They were driving passed the studios that night,  and saw the back yard of the building all lit up. The team were filming the title launch sequence for Supercar, and having quite a bit of trouble shooting it. Gerry sent Sylvia home and went to help. Hardly the most romantic wedding night!

Derek Meddings joined the company full time as the second series of Supercar began, but when that ended Lew Grade wanted a new series - Fireball XL5.

During the filming of Fireball XL5, Lew decided to buy A.P.Films. The workload and lack of space meant the studio needed bigger premises, so for the next series, Stingray, the team moved to larger premises a couple of miles away in Stirling Road.

The rain was pelting down in Stirling Road as I arrived, and to be honest it didn't look the most glamorous location on Earth.

Director, David Elliott's autograph on a rare colour photo of Stirling Road from the time.

 This double industrial unit about halfway down the cul-de-sac  was apparently the first to be purchased in 1962 by A.P.Films, presumably with ATV's money.. Once things were set up Stingray would be launched. Filming was between 1963 -1964. Looking at it now I can imagine in it's heyday it would have had it's obvious attraction, but even as a fan who lived through the years  when those iconic series were being made it just struck me that  this is just a tired looking building that's part of an industrial estate. Like before, I didn't get a spiritual feeling of  hey! this is where it all happened!  Like I  said, maybe it was the rain.

These days the building is currently occupied by a plastics company.

Towards the end of 1964, the first series of Thunderbirds, Gerry's most famous creation was filmed in this building.

Prior to the series hitting TV screens, Lew Grade was so impressed he decided there should be a feature film, So that meant more space.

A further two more double units were leased to the left of the original building, and A.P. Films  or as it was now known, Century 21, was going places! Or was it? Thunderbirds wasn't a big success in America, the feature films flopped! The next two series, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90 had limited success, and Gerry's final Supermarionation series, a mix of live action and puppets was hardly seen at the time - but at least the studio building did get a cameo in that.

The studios, or industrial units ,whatever you want to call them did feature in the opening episode of the short lived series, The Secret Service.

This opening shot from The Secret Service shows part of the first building purchased to the right. The third building, (which looks a lot like the middle unit) to the left is out of shot. Two things worth noting; each of the three buildings were joined by a covered walkway, which, unsurprisingly no longer exists, and the large field behind the units which was also used during some effects shots, is now a housing estate.

Another view of the central unit from The Secret Service.

As it is on a wet Monday.

Century 21 used these units until 1970 when special effects shots were completed for UFO, at which point ATV pulled the plug. The props were unceremoniously destroyed and dumped in skips. All that was left was for Studio Production Manager , Ken Holt, to turn out the lights and lock up!

It spite of my damp appearance I suppose I was glad I took the trouble to visit. It occurred to me that both these different buildings in their drab, wet surroundings showed the rise and subsequent fall of Century 21. So, in retrospect maybe I did get a buzz, but not in the way I expected.  The rain, it seems, just helped create a sombre mood.

 To be honest I'd rather remember the times in the mid sixties when I watched the original screenings of the shows, and read TV Century 21, the comic actually produced by the then shriving A.P. Films and the Century 21 organisation; When the Anderson brand was at it's height and an enthusastic industrial unit did create memories that would last me a lifetime.

Just as well I think that way, as the days are numbered for this monument to the past.  Rumour has it that these old buildings are due for demolition next year.