Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9824 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-29
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, PAL
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 975 minutes

Synopsis
Before CAPTAIN SCARLET, before THUNDERBIRDS and even before STINGRAY Gerry Anderson's TV career was rocketing into the stratosphere with FIREBALL XL5. First shown on TV in 1962, this black and white string-puppets-in-space series, containing 39 episodes, was captivating viewers around the world.
It is the year 2063, and hunky Col. Steve Zodiac, the glamorous blonde doctor Venus and the transparent robot called Robert, are in outer space aboard Fireball XL5 protecting Sector 25. The World Space Fleet--based on earth in the Pacific Ocean--is run by Commander Zero and Lt. Ninety, while the Fireball crew is assisted by the spectacular spec-wearing "Matt" Matic who navigates the ship. Featuring the voices of Gerry Anderson and Sylvia "Lady Penelope" Anderson, this is sixteen hours of string-pulling anti-gravity entertainment.

Customer Reviews

you will NEED this! it's stunning!
if you are a fan of gerry anderson like me, you will NEED this! the old carlton box set was nice at the time, but in comparison to this excellent network release, it simply pales. its so nice and pleasing to have a company like network, who actually care about the products it puts out. they know they are producing the dvds for the fans and the care and attention to detail is always very welcome. indeed, all their box sets are worth checking out. this box set comes in a very hard cover and the two dvd sections are each in their own hardcovers too and are made up to resemble fireball XL5 annuals from the 1960s. they look (and feel) great! the actual info booklet is made up to look like a TV21 magazine and it is beautifully reproduced, well researched and very informative. not only are we treated to all 39 digitally remastered and restored episodes (thankfully in full screen and not cropped or compressed and in full dynamic mono), theres also a brand new and utterly stunning colourised version of one of the episodes on the bonus disc. it will knock your socks off! ive never seen a colourisation look like this EVER before! it certainly sets the standards for the future. the episode actually looks as if it was originally made in colour, not like the poor colourisations we are used to (if you dont believe me, on the network homepage there is a clip). whetever, this boxset is well worth the money and i can only recommend it with the highest of praise. well done network on another brilliant release!

A Classic Show Gets A Fresh And Bold Look
I LOVED this show as a kid growing up in the States (it ran here on NBC on Saturday mornings), where I would sit mesmerized by the program. A few years ago, the series was released on Carlton in the UK and A&E in the US. While I was happy to have the cherished episodes of my childhood finally available, the video and audio quality were as good as they could be at that time.

Now, Network DVD (that WONDERFUL company that brought such fantastic remasters of The Prisoner and Space 1999 Series One and The Champions) has done it again. These DVDs are SPECTACULAR. For a show in B&W to look THIS good with a crystal clear soundtrack (mono) is mind boggling. Not only can I have fun and relive a part of my childhood, but I'm sharing this with my 8 year old daughter who loves it. Network ALWAYS delivers on high quality products with vastly superior remastering than most DVD manufacturers could even dream of. The new Fireball XL5 does not disappoint, and the original episodes look brand new having been remastered from the original film elements.

To top it all off, a bonus disc contains not only great documentaries about the program and classic photos and promo material...but a COLORIZED episode of the original show that has to be seen to be believed. STUNNING isn't the word for it. What a FANTASTIC job!

If you have the earlier discs...sell them, give them away, and buy these. There is no comparison. A great show has been made to look like it was meant to look...perfect picture and sound. I cannot recommend this release strongly enough.

Fantastic - worth getting!
This is another superb set from Network. Along with all 39 restored episodes is a fabulous bonus DVD featuring a colourised version of "A Day In The Life Of A Space General" plus two excellent documentaries "A Wonderland Of Stardust" which is a behind the scenes look at how Fireball XL5 was made. Narrated by Shane Rimmer there are contributions from both Gerry & Sylvia Anderson, David Elliot, Alan Pattillo, Brian Johnson, David Graham, Mary Turner & Judith Shutt. The other documentary is called "Drawn In Supermarionation" which if you are a fan of TV comics is a look at the comic strip adaptations of the early AP films series and features contributions from director of merchandising Keith Shackleton and artists Bill Mevin, Mike Noble & Colin Page. Other extras include a home movie about Supercar, original Zoom ice lolly adverts, image galleries & PDF material. In time this will no doubt become quite sought after so buy it now while this classic set is available! Hopefully sometime in the future Network will bring out a set of all the Fireball episodes in colour! Fingers crossed!