UFO: The Vault

25. 1980s and beyond

10 years passed on but past on from the golden days of merchandise in the early 1970s with Arrow Games in the UK released 3 UFO jigsaw puzzles with several episodes of UFO were turned into theatrical compilation movies in Italy. A vast array of books were released in Japan including the UFO Super Visual Book (1980), the Jaguar Pocket UFO Super Encyclopedia (1981), ITC SF Mecha Graffiti (1985), ITC SF Mecha Graffiti; Town Mook SuperVisual 4 (1985) UFO Super Guide (1993). UK books include UFO and Space: 1999 (1994), a short episode guide of the series in Starlog TV Episode Guides, Volume II, and the 1996 hardback and 1998 paperback - Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography.

An Interceptor cutaway was released from 1973 (should be in the comics section, but...) UK "Countdown for TV Action" Annual whilst During the 1980's a UK magazine named "SIG" was devoted to all of the Gerry Anderson productions printed in issue #13. With the official Gerry Anderson appreciation society created in April 1981 suggested by Lew Grade, a dozen other F.A.B. conventions and stuff, a Japanese "UFO Super Guide" book have the following fan drawn blueprints inside. From 1986-88, 48 postcards were created by Engale Marketing (UK) devoted to the various Anderson TV series, including 4 UFO. In the mid-90s, BT advertised phone cards of sci-fi shows including many Anderson and other sci-fi shows. A UFO card was published featuring a picture of Straker.

Further articles and interviews are included; Ed Bishop in STARLOG (1982), George Sewell in US magazine Fantasy Empire (1982), Micheal Billington in STARLOG (1983). Straker's car on 20th May 1983 featured in an article of the UK newspaper "Motoring Weekend Extra". The series also featured in numerous articles, of course, for "S.I.G" Magazines, Century 21 Magazines and Fanderson F.A.B. Magazines. Ed Bishop also had an interview in 1992 in UK Magazine TV Zone, as well as in 1996 in UK'S SFX Magazine. The same year, in the UK Magazine DREAMWATCH, the magazine release an issue regarding the BBC2 repeats. Also in 1996, Micheal Billington was interviewed in UK magazine TV ZONE. Ed Bishop also did another interview in 1997 in Canadian magazine JIGSAW. Finally, in April 1999, UK magazine SFX issue #50 (April 99), UFO placing at #11 in their list of the top 50 SF TV shows of all time! (To me its #4).

UFO on home media in Italy from the original 1970s compilation movies being released on PAL VHS tapes by AVO FILM. These were released in 1982 (using the original theatrical posters), 1986 and 1994. The compilations of 1 (The Cat With Ten Lives/The Psycobombs/Timelash), 2, (The Cat With Ten Lives, Confetti Check A-Ok, Flight Path, The Psycobombs, A Question Of Priorities and Kill Straker!), 3, (Computer Affair, Ordeal, The Sound Of Silence, Destruction and Reflections In The Water), 4, (Exposed, Survival, Court Martial and Sub-Smash) and 5, (Identified, Computer Affair and Reflections In The Water). Earlier in Italy however, some Super 8mm Films ALLARME ROSSO ATTACCO ALLA TERRA, released in 1973 by Technofilm on three 120 meter reels - DISTRUGGETE BASE LUNA, released in 1975 by Cifop Film on four 120 meter reels. The Italian compilation movies were released into Germany dubbed with "Allarme Rosso Attacco Alla Terra", released in 1981 by Video UFA Kino, "Annientate Shado: Uccidete Straker ...Stop!", released in 1985 by International Home Video and later, the same being released by M.T.C Video. 

In Japan, Emotion Video released 8 VHS and Beta tapes from 1984-87 with a few dubbed whilst the others were subtitled. Meanwhile, Pack-In-Video produced 3 VHS and Beta Tapes in 1987-88 of the Italian compilation movies. Invasion: UFO was also released in the 1980s on a laserdisc. Japan released in 1991-92 Tohokushinsha Home Video of all 26 episodes of UFO on 2 limited edition boxed sets of laserdiscs, featuring booklets and a "SHADO Secret File" bonus disc featuring an overview of the series. These laserdiscs were re-released along with the other Anderson shows; Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999. All 26 episodes were released in 4 boxed sets. In America; in 1986, the Mirish Video Company released the compilation movie Invasion UFO on NTSC VHS tape. Later in 1988, Today Home Entertainment released 8 UFO episodes on VHS tape. In the late 1980's, Image Entertainment also released 6 UFO episodes on NTSC laserdisc.

In the UK however, repeats continued on several ITV stations in the late 1980s such as Granada. In 1993 however, Fanderson and Kindred Productions produced a special one-hour documentary featuring many clips and behind the scenes information and interviews from a vast majority of the cast; including Anderson, Bishop and Meddings. The Channel 5 VHS tapes were all re-released in 1993 as well as the remaining unreleased episodes in 1993. The series was also shown on TV channel Bravo in 1995 with Space: 1999.  Following from the hugely popular BBC2 repeats of cult TV slots such as Doctor Who, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, The Simpsons and the extremely popular Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet (and Joe 90 on BBC1), UFO was screened on BBC2 for the first time in its production order (with the exception of Exposed and Survival as episodes two and three) starting on Monday 16th September 1996 (26 years after it's first broadcast).

The episodes were screened from 6-7 PM, with Monday 18th November seeing the end of Monday showing with The Responsibility Seat, resuming on Friday 6th December with The Square Triangle. The run came to an abrupt halt with Kill Straker! on Friday 17th January 1997. The series returned on BBC2 with a double bill on Saturday 3rd July at 3:25 PM with Sub-Smash and The Sound Of Silence. The remaining Saturdays continued with one episode with The Cat With Ten Lives being replaced with Kill Straker, and shown after Destruction. A double bill of Reflections In The Water and Timelash was on 21st August at 11:45 AM and the final showing on 28th August at 11:30 AM with Mindbender and The Long Sleep. 

A final VHS set of UFO was released from Digital Entertainment involving Fanderson as well as the final unreleased episodes used from Invasion: UFO. Volume 0 (featuring an article in SFX magazine) with the first three episodes from February 1999, and Volume 11 (the last also featuring the last three episodes). The run ended by March 2000 but was out of print by October. Perhaps due to (following Lew Grade's death in December 1998), purchase of the ITC films catalogue to Universal with TV catalogue being purchased by the Carlton International Media from PolyGram/Seagram for £91 million. Here would see the beginning of UFO into the new millennium...