ITC, the programme sales spin-off from ITV franchise operator ATV, were past masters at creating content with an eye to the American market. They realised that was where the cash was as well as giving the UK broadcasts of their shows and sheen that most other ITV companies couldn't hope to match.
As the article points out, the US market had gone cold to Gerry Anderson's work by the late 1970s so the New York office reworked them into a package of teleflicks which they could offer to local stations and the brave new world of cable television.
I don't think any of these reworked versions made it onto British TV (ITV bought the reruns rights to a large chunk of the Anderson back catalogue in the 1980s) but i think they did appear on tape during the early years of the VHS boom. Indeed some (or similar compilations made in the UK) were still knocking around a decade later, preventing ITC themselves from releasing complete series of uncut episodes on tape.
This article appeared in STARLOG MAGAZINE.
cant say I noticed much difference in the ' new look ' STARBURST except that its slightly bigger in size.
ReplyDeletebtw Slow, I just noticed you had another letter published in BACK ISSUE.
well done !