FIREBALL XL5

'''Fireball XL5''' was a science fiction-themed children's television show produced in Britain in 1962 by the husband and wife team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson through their company APF in association with ATV for ITC Entertainment.
The show featured the Anderson's Supermarionation marionettes, a form of puppetry first introduced in ''Four Feather Falls'' (1960), and later used in shows such as ''Supercar'' (1961-1962), ''Stingray'' (1964-1965), ''Thunderbirds'' (1965-1966), ''Captain Scarlet'' (1967-1968), and finally, ''Joe 90'' (1968-1969). Special effects in ''Fireball XL5'' were by Derek Meddings, with music by Barry Gray.
Thirty-nine black and white half-hour episodes were made on 35mm: all future Anderson series would be produced in colour.
A very similar program often confused with ''Fireball XL5'' is ''Space Patrol'' (known as ''Planet Patrol'' in the US) due to a number of similarities and settings.
The show was a major success for the Andersons, being the first of their marionette shows to be sold to a US TV network (NBC), a rarity for British programmes at the time.
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Set in the years 2062/63 the series features the spaceship ''Fireball XL5'', commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac of the World Space Patrol. Also aboard as part of the crew were the glamorous Doctor Venus, middle-aged navigator and engineer Professor Matthew Matic, and Zodiac's co-pilot Robert the Robot, notable for being transparent. Robert was also unique as the only character in an Anderson series that was actually voiced by Gerry Anderson himself, albeit with the aid of an artificial larynx.
''Fireball XL5'' is based at Space City, located on an unnamed island in the South Pacific Ocean, headquarters of the World Space Patrol headed by Commander Zero. Zero is assisted by Lieutenant Ninety (whose name was later to inspire the name of another Anderson character, ''Joe 90''). For some unspecified reason the headquarters is based in a rotating control tower which turns fast enough for the people inside to suffer from vertigo. Luckily within the tower there is no sensation of movement (and the outside world appears stationary) suggesting some form of gravity control is being used. ''Fireball XL5'' takes off along a mile-long launch rail ending in a 40 degree incline, or sky ramp, which Anderson claims was inspired by an old Soviet design, which also inspired the rocket design in the film ''When Worlds Collide''.
There were a number of 'XL' ships, XL5 being only one of them. The ship itself was in two sections. The winged nose section, known as ''Fireball Junior'' contained the cockpit and was detached from the main body to land on planets.(A similar device was used in the later series UFO, with a detatcheable jet fighter -'SKY-1'- launching from the front of the submarine SkyDiver). The rest of the ship contained a laboratory, and fuel and rockets for interplanetary journeys and would stay in orbit. The crew never wore space suits. Instead they took "oxygen pills" to survive in the vacuum of space, moving in zero gravity with the aid of thruster packs or jetmobiles . Somehow Fireball XL5 managed to travel around the universe without actually going faster than light speed until an accident causes XL5 to race ever faster and it finally breaks the light barrier in an episode called 'Faster than Light'. Some fans of the series have therefore speculated that ''Fireball XL5'' must travel through hyperspace (ie folded space-time).
''Fireball XL5'' was noteworthy as the only Anderson series run on a U.S. network. NBC (the National Broadcasting Company) ran the series at 10:30 am (Eastern) in its Saturday morning children's block from 1963 through September, 1965.

Contents

Theme song and merchandising

Cast of characters

Episode list

In other media

Trivia

Translations

External links

Theme song and merchandising

''Fireball XL5'' had both an opening and a closing theme song - the latter of which, ''Fireball'' written by Barry Gray and sung by Don Spencer, would become a minor hit in Britain. Barry Gray would have a long relationship with the Anderson's productions, writing the themes for such series as ''Thunderbirds'' and ''. Don Spencer would become Australia's premier children's entertainer, and founder of the Australian Children's Music Foundation.
In addition to the hit theme song, the series spawned a number of other successful licensed merchandising spinoffs including toys, model kits including a plastic kit which made Fireball XL5, puppets, and books. In Britain four ''Fireball XL5'' annuals were printed, while in the United States Gold Key Comics printed a single issue comic book.

Cast of characters

★ Colonel Steve Zodiac, pilot and commanding officer of ''Fireball XL5'' (voiced by Paul Maxwell) previously in command of the Mars Military cruiser K17 Captain Zodiac then an Astronaut of six years experience took XL5 on its first test flight in 2060 along with Prof. Matic, Doctor Venus and Chief Test Pilot Colonel Grange.
After a successful trial period Grange who had issues with the new ship was given a ground job and Zodiac was promoted to the rank of Colonel and given command of Fireball XL5.

★ Doctor Venus, Doctor of Space Medicine,of French origin, 5 years of service on the ''XL5'' crew (voiced by Sylvia Anderson)

★ Professor Matthew Matic, ships designer, engineer, navigator and scientist of ''XL5'' (voiced by David Graham)

★ Robert the Robot, co-pilot of ''XL5'', invented by Professor Matic (voiced by Gerry Anderson)

★ Zoonie the Lazoon, lazy semi-telepathic pet of Dr. Venus from planet Colevio (voiced by David Graham)

★ Commander Wilbur Zero, World Space Patrol Commander since 2060 and Space City's Chief Controller (voiced by John Bluthal)

★ Lieutenant Ninety, Assistant Space City Controller (voiced by David Graham)

★ Jonathan Zero, Commander Zero's young son (voiced by Sylvia Anderson)Young Jonathan was lucky enough to be a passenger aboard Fireball XL5's maiden voyage which included as unscheduled stop at the planet Geminy.

★ Jock Campbell, Space City's Chief Engineer (voiced by John Bluthal)

★ Eleanor Zero, Commander Zero's wife (voiced by Sylvia Anderson)

Episode list

Main articles: List of Fireball XL5 episodes

In other media

★ The theme song from ''Fireball XL5'' was sung by Sean Pertwee in the 2000 London gangster film ''Love, Honour and Obey'' in a Karaoke scene.

★ Outside of the various spin-off titles, ''Fireball XL5'' gained some minor recognition when it appeared in Marvel Comics, as one of the TV shows Meggan used to watch prior to meeting Captain Britain.

★ Some scenes from ''Fireball XL5'' are shown in the Tom Hanks movie ''That Thing You Do'', watched by Lenny and James on the TVs in Guy's father's appliance store.

★ Elements of ''Fireball XL5'' are shown in an episode of ''Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet'', entitled "Mercury Falling".

★ British Heavy Metal musician Steve Zodiac borrows the name of the ''Fireball XL5's space hero.

★ A spin-off comic book series was planned by Gold Key Comics, ''Steve Zodiac and the Fireball XL5'', but only one issue was published in the series before it was abandoned.

Trivia

★ One particular episode, "Robert To the Rescue" depicts many striking similarities with alien abduction phenomenon, complete with medical examination and memory blocks induced by abductors. As these were one of the first public broadcasts of such material, their relationship if any with the alien abduction cases then being reported is a matter of study.

Translations

★ : ''Fusée XL5''

★ : ''El Capitán Marte y su XL5''. In the version shown in Latin-American countries, Colonel Zodiac is rechristened ''Capitán Marte'' ("Captain Mars").

External links

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★ Gerry Anderson's Fireball XL5 (fansite)

★ Fireball XL5 (fansite)