by David Hirsch and Robert E. Wood with Christopher Penfold

Telos, out now

The Lost Universe of Space 1999

If you’re a fan of the Andersons’ live action productions of the 1970s – particularly UFO and Space: 1999 – then you’re definitely going to want a copy of this excellent new book from Telos. Sure, there’s some speculation within it, and extrapolation from the documentation quoted, but this is a fascinating, fact-based glimpse of the many different possibilities that were inherent in the format created for the series.

Set out in roughly chronological order, the book begins with 1999’s roots in UFO and plans for a second year of that show, before moving onto the 30-minute version and the proposed pilot. There are multiple illustrations of what could have been as well as details on the introduction of characters such as Space Commander Steve Maddox and Doctor Mark Miller and story outlines that in many cases bore little resemblance to what was finally produced (some of which are highly detailed).

We then get into the minutiae of the creation of the show, and the potential writers as well as actors whose lives never quite coincided with Moonbase Alpha, before the real treasure trove – Martin Landau’s correspondence about the series with various concerned parties which includes copies of Gerry Anderson’s cancellation notification to the cast and crew, Johnny Byrne’s infamous assessment of the first season episodes (which includes the brilliant line, “The high special effects content might just make it acceptable to the undiscerning viewer”), and material about the planned spin-off. Hidden among the appendices are Landau’s shooting schedules and the book concludes with some production drawings.

Verdict: With the authors’ editorial comments clearly indicated (and sometimes providing necessary context), this is an outstanding addition to the behind the scenes content available for Anderson fans. 9/10

Paul Simpson