Bring The Magic Home!: The Story Of ITC's Carlton Video Home Entertainment

8 - Sitting On The Biggest Bomb Man's Ever Made

After the success of the Thunderbirds and Stingray releases, and also the two Thunderbirds feature films, being released on video and DVD, Carlton's next release would be another famous Gerry Anderson series - Space: 1999. Not one of my favourite of Anderson's productions, the series was added in 2000, along with the compilations films, to the Carlton International Programme Catalogue. Having already produced the Message From Moonbase Alpha fan film from 1999, several pieces of merchandise were released from Carlton other than the videos and DVDs; including very rare and sought after Eagle Transporters, and Hawks from War Games. The order of the episodes followed the original production order, and the news of Space: 1999's DVD release came as far back as May 2000, when it was reported that the series, along with other Anderson productions, would be released sometime in 2001.

 By July, it was suspected that after Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and UFO would be released next - and that Space: 1999 would be released first in the US, and that the entire series would be released first in the UK. In November, the release date for the UK releases was for 12th April 2001. For the US releases at this time, the videos and DVDs, as well as the Thunderbirds ones, were available to pre-order for the early 2001 A&E releases. The Carlton sales brochure at the end of 2000 would promote many live-action sci-fi ITC series, including Space: 1999. On 30th January, the first four volumes of videos (for $29.95 each) and DVDs ($39.95) (all containing three episodes each). These releases were ahead of the UK ones, which now had a release date of 30th April, and could be preorder by early March for Series 1, as Carlton launched their own website (as common practice for the Gerry Anderson shows). After the Japanese release of the series on 3rd April 2001, the first twelve episodes of series 1 were available on 30th April. 

The DVDs were priced at £15.99 each, and all 3 DVDs were available for £44.99 in a box set, and space for the three remaining volumes. 6 postcards were included. The three remaining releases were out on 11th June 2001, combined with the complete series box set. As stated earlier, no new film copies for the prints were struck and they were digital tape copies imported from the US and converted from NTSC to PAL for remastering - previously used for the BBC2 repeats. The new Carlton prints would be used in transmissions like the ITV4 showings in 2005. With the series presented in a mono soundtrack, there were many positive reviews about the DVDs from magazine articles. The entire Year One was available at first, for £84.99! The price was reduced down to £76. Each disc contained four episodes each, the series was only exclusive to DVD. Perhaps the VHS releases in America had not sold well enough and therefore meant in the UK live-action Anderson series (not just Space: 1999) would be DVD exclusive. The covers featured the sloping logo in silver with an Eagle hit by lightning and a character or two on the front cover.

The covers would change colour per volume, as the DVD complete series saw Commander Koenig and Dr Russel on the front (as would Volume 1). The back contained the usual episode details, extras list, copyright details, etc, whilst the discs inside would match the front cover of the DVDs, as would the leaflets inside at the front. Each leaflet would provide different information about the making of the series inside - the first featured details about the formation of the proposed second series of UFO to form Space: 1999, whereas the last described the end of production of the series and the last episodes that were shown. There were also details about Fanderson, chapter points, and videos and DVDs of Thunderbirds and Stingray. The menus opened with a CGI Eagle landing on Alpha with Barry Gray's theme, as episode clips are shown in the same manner as the opening titles on a screen "This disc". The scene access is designed like computer screens, and the frame for the extras are designed as the Main Mission screen with text in "Countdown" font. The extra features main menu has a map of Alpha and pictures of the various extras in each corner. The extras are as follows;

1 - Original publicity, production art, character bios

2 - Annuls, Charlton and Look-In Comics, This Is Your Life Photos, Moonbase Alpha Overview

3 - Paperbacks and E C Tubb Interview, Eagle Overview, Stills Gallery

4 - Merch gallery, director bios, BBC Horizon footage

5 - Crew bios, TV ad, Alien Attack trailers, 1977 Space City Exhibition footage

6 - Series' writer's guide, visual effects storyboards

The Horizon footage was shown on 23rd December 1974 in an episode about special effects, "How on earth do they do that?", and was read by BBC Newsreader Richard Baker. The Alien Attack trailers were for the compilation films - this and Destination Moonbase Alpha were released ahead of the Super Space Theatre package. The longest of the three trailers was presented on the Carlton DVD. The ad was for Lyons Maid orbit, promoting Space: 1999 picture cards. Lyons Maid ads had been made previously for Anderson's SUPERMARIONATION productions, and the ad was designed by Frank Bellamy for Trickfilms Studios Ltd in 1976. Bellamy is noted for his work in the 1950s/60s Eagle comic including strips for Dan Dare, and for the Thunderbirds strips in the TV21 comic. The Space City footage was from the Space City exhibition in Blackpool which ran from 1977-1981. The film was shown on a loop continuously, and, strangely for a Year 1 release, contained clips from the Year 2 episodes Space Warp and The Dorcons.

(The Space City footage and also ad is at the very end)

It would not be some time until the second series of Space: 1999 would become available on DVD. Carlton Video however was busy on their next ITC/Anderson series which is usually regarded as Gerry Anderson's second greatest production, and leading the fight was one man fate has made indestructible, his name - Captain Scarlet...

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