{"id":13882,"date":"2022-04-14T16:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1627112"},"modified":"2022-04-14T16:24:11","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T14:24:11","slug":"gerry-andersons-ufo-to-be-revived-by-big-finish","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/gerry-andersons-ufo-to-be-revived-by-big-finish\/","title":{"rendered":"Gerry Anderson\u2019s UFO to be revived by Big Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Morgan Jeffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 14 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Big Finish is adding another audio remaining of a classic TV series to its stable, with a new series of audio plays based on Gerry Anderson\u2019s UFO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first of two box sets will be released in August, taking inspiration from the science-fiction drama which aired 26 episodes on ITV between September 1970 and August 1971.<\/p>\n

The original television series starred Ed Bishop as Ed Straker, head of SHADO \u2013 a top-secret military agency formed to combat an extraterrestrial threat that is abducting humans and harvesting their organs.<\/p>\n

The new reimagining from Big Finish has cast Barnaby Kay (The Five, Wallander) as Straker, alongside Samuel Clemens as Colonel Alec Freeman, Lynsey Murrell as Lieutenant Gay Ellis, Harry Myers as General James Henderson, and Jeany Spark as Lieutenant-Colonel Virginia Lake.<\/p>\n

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UFO: Destruct Positive \u2013 from Big Finish<\/span><\/figcaption> Big Finish<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The two upcoming boxsets \u2013 UFO: Destruct: Positive! and UFO: Volume 2 (Title TBC) \u2013 will be written by Andy Lane and script edited by Jamie Anderson \u2013 Gerry Anderson\u2019s son and Managing Director of Anderson Entertainment \u2013 and Nicholas Briggs \u2013 Big Finish\u2019s Creative Director.<\/p>\n

Jamie Anderson said: \u201cI worked closely with Andy to create a new beginning for the show. But this audio series has all the essential DNA of Dad\u2019s original creation. What we have here now is an irresistible fusion of a 1970s view of a 1980s world and our own \u2018future\u2019 perspective on that. A kind of retro-futurism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Script Editor\/Director Nicholas Briggs added: \u201cThe inspiration behind adapting this rather famous TV series for audio is that I love it. It\u2019s very difficult to categorise but I think UFO is a fascinating and innovative series. Every time I watch it again, and I\u2019ve watched it many times, I adore it more.<\/p>\n

\u201cDestruct: Positive! is our reboot of the UFO story \u2013 it\u2019s slightly different from the TV series. It\u2019s a story of secrecy, paranoia, personal struggle, and threats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Producer Emma Haigh added: \u201cIt\u2019s so exciting to be bringing UFO to audio. It is another iconic TV series from the Anderson world and it\u2019s wonderful to hear Ed Straker, Virginia Lake, Alec Freeman and the SHADO team and stories in this reimagining.\u201d<\/p>

The first boxset will contain three stories: \u2018Destruct: Positive!\u2019, \u2018Things We Lost In The Darkness\u2019, and \u2018Full Fathom Five\u2019.<\/p>\n

UFO marks Big Finish\u2019s latest foray into the worlds of Gerry Anderson, with the company already producing audio dramas based on Space: 1999<\/a>, Stingray<\/a> and Thunderbirds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This latest announcement arrives on 2022\u2019s International Gerry Anderson Day, which marks the legendary TV and film producer\u2019s birthday and is also being marked by a special concert at Birmingham\u2019s Symphony Hall<\/a> that will play host to orchestral performances of iconic themes from Anderson\u2019s back catalogue.<\/p>\n

UFO: Destruct: Positive! and UFO: Volume 2 (Title TBC) are each available to pre-order as a collector\u2019s edition 3-disc CD box set (+ download for \u00a319.99 each) or digital download (for \u00a316.99 each), exclusively from bigfinish.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n