NEWS

‘NEW PRISONER NUMBER 2 FIGURE’

Wandering Planet Toys are releasing a second wave of their official ‘The Prisoner’ figures, which will include this one of Peter as Number 2 in ‘Checkmate’. The figures launched this month (April 2024) via a kickstarter backer campaign!

Wandering Planet Toys is a group of friends working in the arts and entertainment industries in Los Angeles who came together out of a love for movies, cult TV, pop culture, and, of course. The Prisoner figures have been produced with the support of The Unmutural Prisoner website: http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/

In the memorable episode “Checkmate” featuring the iconic human-chess match, Peter Wyngarde brought a suave and particularly crafty take to his Number 2.  Pair this figure with your Wave 1 “Checkmate” version of Number 6 for more village escape attempt action!

Please click here for more information.

UPDATE:

Wandering Planet Toys announce that second wave of ‘The Prisoner’ figures is to go ahead as Kickstarter target reached.

“Greetings dear Villagers!

We are thrilled that we get to make these wave No2 Prisoner Retro Action Figures. This is because of you. Thank you for joining us and pledging to make these figures… as its been said… It takes a village…

We’re cruising toward the unlock of some fun Stretch Goal items… we will of course keep you posted about this.

In the meantime we also wanted to announce that for those of you who may have missed our first Kickstarter Campaign, or for those who would like additional, we have made certain items from our first wave available as ADD ON’s for this campaign. Pledge at any level and you can add the below items to your pledge/order and they will be shipped along with your wave No2 items when everything is complete and ready to be sent to you. So, that means any of these items in wave one or wave No2 items can be added as ADD ON’s to your pledge.

More news soon! THANK YOU!

BE SEEING YOU.”

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‘CROWN COURT’ DROPPED BY TALKING PICTURES

Those Peter Wyngarde fans who have been waiting for his appearance in the ‘Crown Court’ re-runs on Talking Pictures are going to be disappointed, as the broadcaster has decided to discontinue showing the series.

Above: Peter as Sir Charles Marchington QC in the three-part Crown Court episode, ‘The Son Of His Father)

While there have been much speculation from fans as to why, according to Noel Cronin – the man behind Talking Pictures TV, it’s a matter of expense rather than low viewing figures. “Talking Pictures TV isn’t a charity,” he said – adding that they just couldn’t afford to show it any more. It’s hoped that another broadcaster will pick up the baton in the near future.

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NEW FLASH GORDON PODCAST

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‘PLANET OF FIRE’ ADDED TO BBC iPLAYER

Peter’s three-part Doctor Who episode, ‘Planet of Fire‘ has been added to the BBC’s iPlayer as of 3rd November, 2023. You can watch it by clinking here.

The episode(s) have have Audio Description and Sign Language for the hard of hearing.

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THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE STAGE ITC RETROSPECTIVE

A look at the art and design of that most stylish of 60s TV companies, ITC, with intro by Lord Michael Grade.

Sunday 03 December 2023 15:00. NFT1

Lew Grade’s ITC (Incorporated Television Company) lit up small screens in the 1960s with a number of exciting action-adventure series (The Saint, The Prisoner, The Persuaders, Department S) that rivalled the American model of production, often topping them in exuberance, style and panache. Expect rare marketing art and sales designs, as well as some well known and alternative-version credit sequences.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday 09 November 2023 11:30am

Joint ticket available with Missing Believed Wiped 2023 £14, concs £11 (non-Members pay £2 more). Book in person at the box office or by phone on 020 7928 3232.

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THE INNOCENTS SCREENING

The Prince Charles Cinema, London, will be screening ‘The Innocents’ on Saturday, 14th October 2023, at 12.10pm. Relevant details are as follows:

Location: Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BY

Nearest Underground station: Leicester Place

Phone: 020 7494 3654

Email: boxofficemanager@princecharlescinema.com

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NIGHT OF THE EAGLE TO BE RELEASED ON BLURAY IN OZ

Peter’s legendary portrayal of sceptical college professor, Norman Taylor, is to be released on Blu-ray by Imprint in Australia on 25th October 2023. Details of content are as follows:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Certificate: PG
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Catalogue Number: IMP3701

Special Features & Technical Specs:

• 1080P High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K scan
• New Audio Commentary by Flipside founders Vic Pratt and William Fowler
• New Audio Commentary by film historian Scott Harrison
• Audio Commentary by screenwriter Richard Matheson
• New Filmed appreciation with author David Huckvale
• New Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife – video essay by academic Rachel Knightley
• Interview with Peter Wyngarde
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles
• Limited Edition slipcase with unique artwork

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CONTENTIOUS 1975 CONVICTION QUASHED!

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LEGEND RESHOWING ‘THE PRISONER’ IN UK

The Prisoner is being repeated on Legend (UK only): Sky 148 – Virgin 149 – Freesat 137 – Freeview 41, from Monday, 17th July, 2023.

Above: Peter as the village administrator, Number 2 in ‘Checkmate’.

Look out for Peter in ‘Checkmate’ which will be shown on Thursday 27th July at 9pm, and again on Friday 28th at 9am.

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MORRISSEY TRIBUTE

Rock singer, Morrissey, paid tribute to his friend, Peter Wyngarde, during his European tour (2023) by wearing a T-shirt on stage with an image of Peter on the front.

The two men had been good friends for many years, and Morrissey mentions Peter in his 2013 autobiography. Following his passing in 2018, the singer had a giant photograph of Peter projected onto a screen at the back of the stage before every concert.

In 2012, Morrissey was presented with an original vinyl copy of Peter’s album on the Jonathan Ross Show by the host.

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PETER’S ‘NEVILLE THUMBCATCH’ FEATURED ON 4-DISC SET

British Mod Sounds of the 1960s Volume 2: The Freakbeat & Psych Years

• Limited edition including signed Eddie Piller print limited to 750 copies
• A collection of 95 classic and rare tracks across 4CDs
• Curated by Acid Jazz Records and Modcast founder, Eddie Piller
• In-depth sleeve notes from musician and author, Richard Norris

Demon Music Group : B0BL7N41FX

“Peter Wyngarde’s Neville Thumbcatch simply needs to be listened to whilst reclining on a Chaise Longue…” Gigslutz

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‘CROWN COURT’ – ENTIRE SERIES TO BE REPEATED

Crown Court, set in the fictional town of Fulchester, was filmed at Granada in Manchester. Each half hour episode was an all actor affair save for the members of the jury who were members of the public drawn from the electoral register or approached outside the studios. Cases were given three days, at the end of which the jury would deliver its verdict within 30 minutes. Any Justice Secretary today would kill for that kind of efficiency!

Showing at 2.30pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday, free to air on Virgin 445, Freesat 306, Freeview or YouView 82, Sky channel 328.

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‘THE INNOCENTS’ VOTED HAWAII’S FAVOURITE HALLOWE’EN FILM!

This week (17.10.22-23.10.22), the Wall Street Journal announced the results of a nationwide survey by Wishlisted[1] in all 52 states of the USA to find out which is the country’s favourite Hallowe’en movies. The site considered a list of 210 movies tagged “horror” on Rotten Tomatoes, filtered for those with at least a 60% audience score, then used Google Trends to compare searches for each movie by subregion between September 2017 and September 2022. Where many films were most popular in the same state, states were matched with the film with the most proportional popularity for that state. 

According to the survey, the most popular Halloween movies range greatly not only in theme but also in period. Residents of some states prefer the old classics, such as the 1925 version of “The Phantom of the Opera” or “Freaks” from 1932. Others have more modern tastes, favoring movies released in the last year or two, such as “Vengeance” (2022) or “Candyman” (2021). Hawaii, it transpires, has the best taste, choosing ‘The Innocents’

Hawaii: The Innocents (1961)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86%
> Directed by: Jack Clayton
> Main cast: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins
> Rank on Rotten Tomatoes Top Halloween Movies list: 41/210

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SPECIAL SCREENING OF ‘THE INNOCENTS’ IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

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‘CHECKMATE’ THIRD IN SCIFINOW SERIES RATING

SciFiNow has also rated ‘The Innocents’ No.3 in their ‘Top 10 Must See Film of All Time’: “Another haunted house story, The Innocents follows governess Miss Giddens and her downwards spiral into paranoia when she takes a job at Bly country estate, looking after a young pair of siblings. It starts off quite sweetly, with Miss Giddens being taken by Miles and Flora’s charismatic ways, but once she learns that their previous governess, Mary Jessel, died under mysterious circumstances, things go from idyllic to nightmarish. Like The Haunting, The Innocents doesn’t care for jump scares, but it will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.”

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PETER’S PORTRAYAL OF PETER QUINT VOTED ONE OF CINEMA’S SCARIEST ‘LIVING DEAD’

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HALLOWEEN SCREENINGS OF NIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Department S & Night of the Eagle 1962 Find out about the flamboyant actor Peter Wyngarde with an episode of the Spy-fi series ‘Department S’. After the interval be very afraid with a rare screening of ‘Night of the Eagle’ aka ‘Burn Witch Burn’.”

15:00, Sunday 23 October 2022 (Doors open 14:30.)

Tickets are just £5.00 per person and include a cup of tea or coffee with biscuits during the interval. Book here

St. George’s Theatre, King Street, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. NR30 2PG.

FORBIDDEN WORLDS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ‘BIG SCREAM’ HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

Following its hugely successful inaugural event in May, Bristol’s Forbidden Worlds film festival returns to the former Bristol IMAX this Halloween to (metaphorically) splatter blood and giblets across the city’s largest cinema screen. Amongst the films to be screened is Night of the Eagle.

The technically minded may wish to note that films will will be projected from DCPs on a professionally installed Christie digital cinema projector. The screenings will not fill the full size of the former Bristol IMAX screen, but the projected image size will still be very big indeed.

Once again, you’ll be able to purchase branded Forbidden Worlds beer, courtesy of New Bristol Brewery. And this time, some films will be presented with descriptive subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Weekend and Day Passes for the festival are now on sale with individual screening tickets becoming available in a few weeks. Visit the Forbidden Worlds website for further information.

365 Bristol, c/o Raw Space111, Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8AT

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FLASH GORDON: THE OFFICIAL STORY REVISITED

Filmmaker and author John Walsh give a sneak preview of the 2nd edition of his best-selling book on the making of Flash Gordon, the movie from 1980. Find out how to win a signed copy. Available from Amazon and all other good bookshops.

See clip below for more information:

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ITC QUIZ BOOK

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THE PRISONER RE-RUNS

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DEPARTMENT S BACK ON BRITISH TV

The local London television channel, London Live began showing Department S at midnight on 18th February, 2022. The series can only be seen in the London area on the following channels: Freeview 8 – SKY 117 – Virgin159 and YouView 8.

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THE NATIONAL FILM THEATRE TO SHOW ‘THE INNOCENTS’ THROUGHOUT DECEMBER 2021

The NFT will be screening The Innocents on the following dates and times in December of this year:

• Saturday 04 December 2021 20:40 NFT3
• Thursday 09 December 2021 20:45 NFT1
• Monday 13 December 2021 18:10 NFT1
• Thursday 23 December 2021 14:20 NFT3
• Monday 27 December 2021 15:20 NFT1
• Thursday 30 December 2021 14:30 NFT1

Tickets go on sale in November

For further details, you can contact the NFT via the following link: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/

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‘THE INNOCENTS’ BACK ON THE BIG SCREEN

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DEPARTMENT S: ULTIMATE EDITION RELEASED IN AUSTRALIA

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FLASH GORDON IS AMONG CLASSIC MOVIES TO HAVE HAD THEIR RATINGS TIGHTENED BY BRITISH BOAD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION

The move from Parental Guidance (PG) to 12A is “as a result of changing standards in society,” the body said. Flash Gordon’s “moderate violence, language, sex references and discriminatory stereotypes” were cited, along with domestic abuse in Rocky. The BBFC reviews its classifications every four to five years.

BBFC chief executive David Austin said in the body’s annual report: “We talk to over 10,000 people every four-five years… to ensure our policies remain in step with parental expectations and societal standards on an ongoing basis.

“As a result of changing standards in society, it’s not infrequent that a distributor will submit something to us that we have classified in the past, but which we need to take a fresh look at under our current guidelines.”

The PG rating says a film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older while 12A recommends children under 12 shouldn’t watch without being accompanied by an adult.

Of the 93 complaints the board received last year, 27 were about 1980 space opera film Flash Gordon.

The movie’s 40th anniversary re-release was reclassified up to 12A partly due to the inclusion of “discriminatory stereotypes”.

The BBFC did not say what the stereotypes were. However Flash Gordon’s main villain, Ming the Merciless, was of East Asian appearance but played by Swedish-French actor Max von Sydow.

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‘A CELEBRATION OF ITC’

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COMING SOON TO TALKING PICTURES: THE INNOCENTS

Watch on Sky 328 | Freeview 81 | Freesat 306 | Virgin 445

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PETER GETS DANCING ON ICE STAR, RUFUS HOUND, BANNED FROM RADIO SHOW!

The following was taken from The Guardian:

Dancing on Ice star Rufus Hound urged fans to buy a record glorifying rape and joked about the killing of Jews, it emerged last night (29.01.21). The comments increased pressure on show bosses to axe him following anger at previous tweets — including one claim about the Manchester Arena bombing which triggered a falling out with pro-partner Robin Johnstone. Fed-up producers are even preparing TV and radio presenter Matt Richardson, 29, as his replacement.

Last night Hound, who missed last weekend’s show and will be absent tonight, tweeted: “I’ve had Covid. Isolated when I knew I’d come into contact with it, tested five days later, am coming to the end of having had it, luckily v mild case.” His rape blunder came in a podcast in which he talked about TV actor Peter Wyngarde’s banned[1] 1970 record, titled When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head[2].

Wyngarde, who died in 2018 aged 90, played sleuth Jason King, said to be an inspiration for Mike Myers’ Austin Powers character. The album featured a song called ‘Rape’, in which Wyngarde babbled about how sex attacks differ from country to country. The tasteless lyrics include: “Rape, rape, rape, rape, rape! It’s utterly amazing how many different kinds of rape there are!” He goes on: “There’s Italian Rape . . . Look into my eye-a-balls, you will see the fire! “Japanese Rape, of course! In France of course, where fun is greedy, The women are a little more seedy, And rape is hardly ever necessary.

Hound said: “Have you heard his album? Oh my s! “It starts with literally a seduction. “And one track, I s*** you not, is his take on how rape works in different countries, doing the different ’70s racist accents of the people committing the rape. “It sounds like I must be making it up in order to make it weirder for you to struggle to make you believe.“It absolutely genuinely exists — and I urge you all to buy it.”

Left: ‘Rape’ was also released as a single.

He also joked to comedian Richard Herring on his Leicester Square Theatre Podcast that Hitler killed millions of Jews “as a bet”. At one point he declared: “I’ve just thought of the most racist joke”– prompting host Herring to tell him: “Keep that to yourself.” The Sun on Sunday has already told how Hound, 41, had used terms such as “retard” and “gay lord” in tweets. And we told how another he posted suggested then – PM Theresa May orchestrated the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing to help win the Election.

“In Germany it isn’t always remembered, The rape is synonymous with whips, bunkers and Mauser, Which makes it all comparatively kinky.” He then makes a sick reference to the Holocaust. Critics have called it one of the most disturbingly racist recordings ever made.

Notes and Corrections: [1]: The album was not banned. [2]: The original album – released in 1970 – was not entitled, ‘When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head’. [3]: I have never read a single review of the album in which a critic has described it as, “one of the most disturbingly racist recordings ever made”.

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INFINITY MAGAZINE – ISSUE 32:

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FLASH GORDON GETS STEREOTYPE WARNING FOR “DUBIOUS, IF NOT OUTRIGHT OFFENSIVE” MING THE MERCILESS

Above: Peter as General Klytus with Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) said it now has to bear in mind discriminatory depictions that are “no longer acceptable to modern audiences” when older films come in for reclassification. Ming was “coded as an East Asian character due to his hair and make-up” in the 1980 film but was played by the late Swedish actor Max von Sydow, BBFC senior policy officer Matt Tindall spoke about the issue in a podcast looking back at the year in film.

“Flash’s arch nemesis, Ming the Merciless, is sort of coded as an East Asian character due to his hair and make-up,” he said. “But he’s played by a Swedish actor in the film, he’s played by Max von Sydow, which I don’t think is something that would happen if this were a modern production.”

Mr Tindall said the BBFC was aware this is something that viewers “may find dubious, if not outright offensive”.

He continued: “Let’s just say that attitudes towards the acceptability of discriminatory racial stereotypes have moved on considerably since then and rightly so, of course.”

The organisation has reclassified Flash Gordon as a 12A – stricter than its original A rating, which is roughly equivalent to a PG today – due to scenes of violence “that go beyond what you’d expect in the lower category”, “moderate bad language” and “some verbal sex references” that exceed PG level.

Mr Tindall said the presentation of Ming in the film is not a “category defining issue” but that the organisation had added a warning due to the “potential it has to cause offence”.

He said: “This is something that we have to bear in mind often when we see older films coming in for reclassification, films that might contain discriminatory depictions or stereotypes that are not acceptable to modern audiences, including films where discrimination wasn’t the work’s intent, just a reflection of the period in which it was made.

“And this is an issue that we’re currently planning to explore more through research next year.”

Earlier this year, the 1939 American Civil War epic, Gone With The Wind was temporarily removed by US streaming service HBO Max, later returning with a warning over its “racist depictions” that were “wrong then and are wrong today”.

In the UK, comedy show Little Britain was removed from some streaming services over the use of blackface in some of its sketches.

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‘FLASH GORDON: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM’ OUT NOW!

Product Details

• Author: John Walsh
• Hardcover : 192 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1789095069
• ISBN-13 : 978-1789095067
• Dimensions : 26.11 x 2.16 x 33.15 cm
• Publisher : Titan Books (27 Nov. 2020)
• Language: : English

If I could give this book more than 5 Stars I would.

It is a masterpiece and a must, not only for Flash fans, but for Sci-Fi purists and general film buffs alike. It’s beautifully printed; the photographs, which have been taken both from the film itself and behind-the-scenes are of a superior, HD quality and the text, penned by John Walsh (see also ‘Harryhausen: The Last Movies’), is concise and peppered with a veritable cornucopia of otherwise unknown facts about the film, its cast and crew.

Also includes interviews with Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon), Brian Blessed (Prince Vultan) and director, Mike Hodges.

Several pages are devoted to Peter’s character, General Klytus.

GORDON’S ALIVE!

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‘THE MAKING OF FLASH GORDON’ BOOK – PUBLICATION DATES REVISED

Please note that the publication dates for this book have been revised to the following: UK – 27th November and the US, 1st December, 2020. As previously mentioned on this page, Filmmaker and Author, John Walsh, is currently working on a new book which will be the official story of the 1980 Sci-Fi classic, ‘Flash Gordon’ which, it’s hoped, will be published later this year.For anyone interested, he has set up a Facebook page dedicated to the project which can be hound here: https://www.facebook.com/FlashGordonOfficialStoryOfTheFilm/

You can read more details about the book in an interview with the author, John Walsh, here.

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PETER QUINT AND MISS JESSEL (THE INNOCENTS) VOTED THE SCARIEST GHOSTS IN CINEMA

From unexplained bumps in the night to creepy children and things without faces, here are some of film’s most terrifying spectres, The Guardian votes Peter Quint and Miss Jessel the scariest ghosts in cinema – 30th October, 2020.

No.1: Are the ghosts real, or figments of the febrile imagination of the governess who sees dead servants peering through windows or lurking on the far side of the lake in a fair approximation of an early Black Sabbath album cover? It doesn’t matter, because either way they will chill your blood in the first and still the best adaptation of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw. Directed by Jack Clayton, every frame of Freddie Francis’s deep-focus black-and-white cinematography seems designed to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

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FLASH GORDON: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM

The publication date for FLASH GORDON: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM has been put back from 27th October this year to 20th November. Even prior to release, the book is already more than 50% sold out, so it would be advisable to pre-order a copy if you are planning to purchase it. R.R.P.: £35.00

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PETER WYNGARDE BIOGRAPHY REACHES TOP 55,000 IN WORLDWIDE SALES

Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers – the definitive biography of the legendary actor which was published at the end of February this year – has been ranked at No. 55,100 out of over 6,000,000 books currently on sale worldwide. That would equate to approximately 9 units sold per hour in the UK alone.

The book is available in three formats – Hardback, Paperback and Kindle, and can be purchased from the Amazon, Austin-Macaulay, Waterstones and all good book shops.

See also: Book Information – Press Reviews – Happy Readers

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DEPARTMENT S & JASON KING FEATURES

The UK’s premier Cult TV and film magazine, Infinity, are due to publish an article about ‘Department S’ in their October issue, which will be on the shelves as of 10-10-20, and will follow up with a feature on the Jason King series in the November edition.

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‘NIGHT CONSPIRATORS’ NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Peter plays the part of Werner Loder – the young editor of a Berlin-based newspaper – in Robert Muller’s controversial drama from 1963. Amongst the supporting cast are Peter Arne, Ronald Radd, Cyril Luckham, Sally Home, Patricia Haines and Ronald Leigh-Hunt.

Left: Peter as Werner Loder

Who are the five men of power who have come together late at night in a foreign embassy in Germany? What is their purpose? Who are the unexpected … Find out by following the link below:

https://watch.networkonair.com/armchair-theatre/armchair-theatre-anthology-two.html

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FLASH GORDON IS THE LATE QUEEN’S FAVOURITE FILM!

Brian Blessed has claimed that the Queen revealed to him that her favourite film is Flash Gordon, the 1980 sci-fi in which he stars as Prince Vultan.

Speaking about the film’s 40th anniversary, the actor said that whenever he goes, people demand he recite his character’s catchphrase.

“Everywhere I go, they all want me to say ‘Gordon’s alive!’,” said Blessed. “The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, horses and queens, and prime ministers, they all want me to say ‘Gordon’s alive!’, it’s their favourite film.”

He continued: “The Queen, it’s her favourite film, she watches it with her grandchildren every Christmas.”

The actor then assumed the Queen’s accent, quoting her as saying: “You know, we watch Flash Gordon all the time, me and the grandchildren. And if you don’t mind, I’ve got the grandchildren here, would you mind saying ‘Gordon’s alive’?”

It is unclear when the Queen made the reported disclosure, but she did appoint Blessed an OBE for services to arts and charity in 2016 .

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FLASH GORDON BACK IN CINEMAS

Flash Gordon is now confirmed to play at Picturehouse Central and in select cinemas from July 31st, it will then be released on 4K UHD Collector’s edition, Blu-ray, Steelbook, DVD and digital on August 10th. In addition, the film will screen as part of The Luna Drive In Cinema from August, with screening details available on their website as they are announced. 

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THE COMPLETE AVENGERS SERIES 2 COLLECTOR CARD – Peter Wyngarde as Stewart Kirby

Part of The Complete Avengers Series 2 set of trading cards, released by Unstoppable Cards on 11th May 2020. Autograph card of Peter as Stewart Kirby. Only 36 produced. 

http://www.unstoppablecards.com/shop/index.php/unstoppable-cards/the-avengers-tv.html

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FLASH GORDON 4K RE-RELEASE CONFIRMED FOR AUGUST 2021

A fabulous-looking new collection of disc releases for 1980’s Flash Gordon have been announced – full details right here.

Now here’s some cheery news. The might Flash Gordon, the 1980 cult favourite movie, is getting a full Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray release this coming August. The movie will also be available too in a restored DVD and Blu-ray version as well, and we’re promised a hugely impressive remaster of the film.

To quote the official press blurb: “For the new 40^th Anniversary 4k restoration, Flash Gordon was scanned from the original 35mm negative to produce 4K files. Over 500 hours of manual restoration repaired serious damage that included image instability, scratches and intermittent flicker. The sound was scanned from the original track negative and underwent restoration to improve issues ranging from audio drop-outs throughout the feature and during reel changes, digital clicks and optical distortion. The film was colour graded for theatrical, home entertainment and 4K HDR release, using previous digital releases and 35mm prints as a reference. In line with the Director’s vision and the original 35mm cinema release, VFX work was applied to remove the strings in all scenes where visible.  This restoration was approved by Director Mike Hodges in May 2020, and will include the first 4K HDR Dolby Vision master of Flash Gordon.”

What’s more, a five-disc Ultra HD version is set to be available too, and there’s a hefty list of extra features across the various versions of the film.

The UHD, DVD and Blu-Ray Disc 1 includes:

• The main feature (1 hr 47)
• New Lost in Space: Nic Roeg’s Flash Gordon (also iTunes extra)
• Audio commentary with Mike Hodges
• Audio commentary with Brian Blessed
• Behind the scenes of Flash Gordon
• Stills gallery (also iTunes extra)
• Storyboards gallery (also iTunes extra)
• Original theatrical trailer

Blu-Ray Disc 2 includes:

• Interview with Mike Hodges
• Interview with comic book artist Alex Ross TBC
• Interview with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr. TBC
• Episode 24 of Flash Gordon (1979-1982): The Survival Game / Gremlin’s Finest Hour
• Sam Jones’s acting start
• Entertainment Earth on Flash Gordon merchandise
• Bob Lindenmayer discusses deleted scenes and original endings
• 35^thAnniversary Greenroom
• 35^thAnniversary reunion featurette
• Renato Casaro extended interview
• Brian Blessed anecdotes
• Melody’s musings
• On the soundtrack (Brian May & Howard Blake)
• Easter Eggs

The 5 disc Collector’s Edition includes:

• The UHD and 2 Blu-ray discs
• Bonus Blu-Ray Disc of LIFE AFTER FLASH, the 2017 feature documentary celebrating the film and it’s star, directed by Lisa Downs
• Original soundtrack by Queen & Howard Blake
• 32 page booklet
• 16 page Titan mini book (The Story of Flash Gordon)
• Reproduced booklet of the first strip of original comic books
• Poster of original artwork
• 4 artcards of various incarnations of Flash film posters across the years
• 1 sew on ‘Flash patch’

All versions of the film will be available on August 10th, 2020.

Watch the trailer here

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FLASH GORDON: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM

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13 EPISODES OF ‘JASON KING’ DUBBED INTO GERMAN

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JOHN CLEVERLY CARTNEY COLLECTOR CARD

Part of The Complete Avengers Series 1 set of trading cards, released by Unstoppable Cards in August 2019. Autograph card of Peter as John Cartney. Series Card No. AVPW4. Only 36 produced.

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EARTHLINGS, WHO WILL YOU COLLECT NEXT?

Big Chief Studios Ltd. is proud to announce a licensing deal with Hearst Holdings, Inc., King Features Syndicate Division, via Allsorts Licensing to produce a range of high-end collectables based on the cult classic 1980 movie Flash Gordon.

Initial product offerings will include highly detailed Sixth Scale Character Replica Figures of the key characters. Fans will be able to pre-order the first two figures: Flash Gordon – Saviour of the Universe and Ming the Merciless – Emperor of Mongo, from May. The line will be further expanded with figures of fan favourites Prince Vultan and Prince Barin, plus other characters to be announced.

Big Chief will also release a range of Character Mini Busts, which will offer striking portraits of key characters and the fantastical environments of Mongo.

Big Chief managing director Mark Andrews said, “We are thrilled to have agreed rights with King Features for such a beloved cult classic. The adventures of Flash Gordon were the inspiration and template for so many sci-fi TV shows and movies. We are thrilled to be working alongside King Features on Flash Gordon in time for it’s 40th Anniversary in 2020.”

Flash Gordon is a 1980 science fiction film based on the King Features comic strip of the same name created by Alex Raymond. Directed by Mike Hodges and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, the film starred Peter Wyngarde, Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Topol, Max von Sydow, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed and Ornella Muti.

With a camp style similar to the 1960s TV series Batman, in an attempt to appeal to fans of the original comics and serial films. The film is notable for its soundtrack composed, performed and produced by the rock band Queen. The film has since gained a significant cult following.

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