I haven't bought the DVD set (I should add "yet", I suppose. But let me see what I remember:Robert the Robot intoning "On our way home" at the end of the episodeThose fabulous hover scootersZoonie the Lazoon's distinctive vocalisations (and sucker fingers) Venus (ah, Venus! the first artificial female I improbably fancied)(odd that Lady Penelope sounded exactly like her...) That take-off ramp, the second of Gerry Anderson's increasingly elaborate launch sequences My plastic Fireball XL5 model kit Every word of the theme song. All together now, "I wish I was a spaceman..." My die-cast Fireball XL5 model Fireball XL5 in TV21 comicCome on, I was 10! It was great! Now, where can I get those DVDs?

After the pretty limited but successful 'Supercar', Gerry Anderson pushed the boat out a lot further with 'Fireball XL5'. His effects set a whole new standard in puppet animation. Fireball was a comparatively large spaceship that blasted off from earth by means of an elevated trackway. It's an idea that might have been borrowed from the 1950's sci-fi spectacular 'When Worlds Collide'.The ship itself had a detachable nose-cone with huge panoramic windows like those of the later Millennium Falcon, and typified most spaceships of the vintage. How they withstood atmospheric re-entry wasn't made clear, but they were still in use on the drop-ship in 'Aliens'. The body of the vessel was mostly engine, which was at least partway right.Mike Mercury was the universal hero, assisted by a doting air-head who was his wife, I think. There was a boy, of course, a pet creature called a lazoon, and a transparent monotone robot that seemed to say nothing but 'approachingearthzatmozphere' in a single word. They all got into a variety of space adventures that often turned even the known science of the day on its head. But what the hell? so did 'Star Wars' 15 years later.At the time it became very popular, aided by an excellent merchandising campaign. It's own success paved the way for 'Stingray' and the incomparable 'Thunderbirds'.I haven't seen it for ages and expect that it now appears laughable. But at the time, lots of kids both big and small were glued to the telly for half an hour.Critics of the apparent sexism should bear in mind that the Andersons were a husband and wife team, and Ms Anderson had a considerable input during each program. So don't go blaming the blokes.

I remember watching this show and I was surprised, when it came out, to see puppets! I would have not watched it except that I loved the theme song so much. I would actually leave it on just to hear this song. It was the first song that really turned me on to music. I don't think I ever felt that way about any music until The Beatles came out a year later. I don't know if I would still like the song as much, but I probably would. The show never really knocked me out, but the song has stayed in my memory to this day.Because it had puppets portraying humans it seemed very primitive to me. I never could get past the primitive movement of these things. Maybe I was too old for the show and just left it on because of the song. I cannot say, but the song definitely had some real magic to it.

This was the show that sparked my interest in Sci-Fi way back in 1962, being only five the opening shot of Steve and Venus flying past the fin of the huge spaceship Fireball XL5 filled me with wonder!Although this was a series for it's time it was one of the first to depict a space fleet of patrol ships monitoring our quadrant of space, notably used in Star Trek a few years later. The characters from the very first episode were amazingly fleshed out by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, only to be further developed by the talents of the other scriptwriters resulting in a fine continuity right up the last episode, unheard of in those days. Stories involved time travel, space pirates and of course earth domination, which had the puppets smoking, shaving, being tied up and the odd reference to child psychology! -Very adult for a child's T.V. series.My favourite episodes - A day in the life of a space general, Space Magnet & 1875 In all, superb sixties Sci Fi fun.