Fireball XL5: The Vault

28 - The first DVDs/1875

Finally, on 20th October 2003, Fireball XL5, the entire series, was made publically available for the first time on DVD in the UK. In digital format for the first time, the remastered prints, the first restoration to clean up picture quality, of the series must have been from around 2002 This release from Carlton Visual Entertainment followed the releases of Thunderbirds, Stingray, Space: 1999, Captain Scarlet, UFO, The Protectors, and Joe 90 (as well as Terrahawks and Space Precinct from another home media company). Surprisingly, this was not the first time the series was made on DVD. The series debuted on DVD in the US in March 2003 for $99.55! Each of the five discs contained eight episodes (bar the fifth which contained seven). A&E included exclusive features on this release with a commentary for The Doomed Planet with David Graham, and Alan Pattillo for Space City Special, a Gerry Anderson bio, as well as an exclusive featurette with Mike Noble titled The Noble Art Of Fireball XL5, produced in 2002. It is a short but enjoyable featurette about the comic-strip version of the show that was featured in the magazine TV21. Made by and for comics fans, the featurette focuses upon the work of illustrator Mike Noble, who is seen as the definitive Fireball XL5 artist. Noble discusses his beginning as an illustrator and his work on the Fireball XL5 comic, going into great detail about the process of comic illustration. Interactive menus, scene access, and still galleries were also included in the set. The menus were designed in the purple style of the DVD packaging. 

The first UK release of the series in the UK on DVD was in fact on "The Great SUPERMARIONATION Sampler" which was released on 7th April 2003, and an HMV exclusive which was deleted very quickly after the initial release. The episode menus were very basic and had no special animation to the menus, but a unique opportunity to get five pilot episodes of Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Joe 90 on one disc. Even though the episodes of Fireball XL5 had all been remastered by that point, Planet 46 did not use the remastered version but an older unremastered print. Planet 46 was also released as a separate disc all on its own the same year, and it advertised that the rest of the series will be released later in October. This release came under Predator Publishing. Perhaps Fireball XL5 was delayed for the UK release because of the rights issues at the time of Carlton, which dissolved in 2004 to become, as now they're established, as ITV Studios Global Entertainment. The Carlton Visual Entertainment, as it was known since 2002, agreed with Granada (a British conglomerate better known as the parent from 1954 to 2004 of the Manchester-based Granada Television. Essentially, it was all ITV but were like different divisions of it. All forms of releases would from now on go on as Granada, and then as ITV DVD and then ITV Studios Global Entertainment. The other reason maybe because Fireball XL5 was shown on a US Network station and would have been fondly remembered by viewers, and therefore a good idea by A&E Home Video to release the series early in order to get in good sales.

An entire series box set was released on 20th October 2003 for £39.99. Each disc contained eight episodes, bar disc 5 which contained only seven episodes. Available in mono sound only, the synopsis followed as "Set in the 2060s, Gerry Anderson's Fireball XL5 charts the interplanetary adventures of a spacecraft and its crew, handsome blonde pilot Steve Zodiac, the glamorous blonde space doctor Venus, maths genius Matthew "Matt" Mattic, and Robert the Robot. Their mission is to patrol sector 25 of the universe, beyond the solar system". Rated a U, the DVDs, naturally, contained subtitles but no extra features whatsoever! The menus were designed by Robin and Pauline Day, and feature CGI of the Earth (as the one seen on the DVD cover), Fireball Junior, and you could select other episodes on the scene access menu. The front cover of the DVD features the still of Fireball blasting out from a planet and with pictures of the characters. "All original 39 episodes in black and white. Over 16 hours". The back featured a cover of Fireball XL5 at Space City, and the five discs carried the catalogue numbers 3711504243, 3711504253, 3711504263, 3711504273, and 3711504283. Fireball XL5 comics were in fact planned by Carlton and by Gold Key Comics, but only one issue was published in the series before it was abandoned as June 2005 Steve Zodiac and the Fireball XL5.

1875;

Written by Anthony Marriott

Directed by Bill Harris

Original UK Airdate: 14th April 1963 (ATV London and Ulster)

Additional Voice Cast:

Deputy Sheriff Dodgem John Bluthal Doc David Graham Mahoney David Graham

Are the AP Films team getting deja vu? Aside from the western Four Feather Falls setting being reused, much music from the series is reused here in this thrilling episode. More music is also rescored from Crossroads To Crime and other episodes of Supercar such as Jail Break. The Deputy Sherriff is also the same Sherriff who appeared in the Supercar episode Atomic Witch Hunt. More variety is spiced up in this episode when instead of another journey into space, we end up on a journey into time! Professor Matic has created a time machine, which is a lovely design from the effects team! In this episode, as a result of Zoonie's meddling and the Professor's eccentricity (who has a hilarious sign outside his doors so he isn't disturbed), Steve, Venus, and Zero get lost in time. They arrive in 1875 in an old western town where Steve is the sheriff and Venus and Zero are the crooks in this episode! It's a beautifully fun episode with lots of laughs in this episode. Even if the original premise of the series is abandoned, this episode is once again, one of my favourite episodes from the series by far!