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With the celebration of Gerry Anderson’s birth coming tomorrow on Gerry Anderson Day, Anderson Entertainment have revealed that a new documentary about the producer is planned for next year.

The documentary will be made by the Format Factory with the full backing of Anderson Entertainment, the production company founded by Gerry Anderson.

According to them, “Viewers will hear about his complicated relationships with family, friends and fellow workers, his hatred of the puppets that made his name, the years when he fell out of favour, the revivals, tributes and theatre adaptations that found him a brand-new audience, and, of course, how the era of DVDs, Blu-Ray and streaming has seen his shows revived and rediscovered to enormous acclaim.

“Above all, this will be a celebration of a television pioneer, one whose death after living with Alzheimer’s inspired an outpouring of heartfelt tributes from fans young and old across the world whose lives had been touched by his work.

“The documentary will include contributions from family members, friends, colleagues and many of the people who worked in and were inspired by Gerry Anderson’s shows. But it will also include contributions from Gerry Anderson himself.

“Using cutting-edge technology in a way this technology innovator would have loved, extracts from over 30 hours of previously unreleased audio recordings will be brought to life through digital wizardry and artificial intelligence to produce a never-before-seen interview with Gerry Anderson – in person!

“The Format Factory hopes to begin shooting the single-film documentary in the summer of 2021 with a release date of 2022 – the tenth anniversary of Gerry Anderson’s death. It will be produced by award-winning producer / director Benjamin Field – and has already attracted interest from a number of potential buyers.

“Benjamin Field, The Format Factory, says: “It’s hard to believe that a comprehensive, insightful documentary on the life and times of Gerry Anderson has not yet appeared, but we aim to do full justice to a major television pioneer. It will be an appraisal of a great and sometimes flawed man – honest, unflinching, but always fascinating. With Gerry Anderson how could it be anything else?”

Jamie Anderson noted, “Ben and his team’s plans to combine research and insight with high technology and modern audio and video techniques are both innovative and exciting. I can’t wait to see the result!”