Posted by Shado-cabinet on
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/UFO-ANNUAL-1972-tp4023946p4023953.html

Hi Clare

Sorry for the echo  :(  (I just read your last response after I posted the text below) :

It actually does refer to this in a 'special offer' advert for the UFO in Countdown comic (Issue 39, 13 Nov 1971 to be exact as I am currently reading through these issues :) where they are selling the UFO 1971 annual for 40p (plus an extra 10p for postage etc).  The advert states that "Owing to the variation in regional showing of the UFO TV programme, it has not been possible to produce a new UFO annual. This is the same production that was on sale Christmas 1970".  So the reason for a new annual was due  to the fact that UFO was not longer being broadcasted in certain regions. There was no indication that UFO was a flop that I can see in Countdown. If anything the 'UFO' comic strip seemed to the be the most popular strip  in the comic at the time (in fact the show was hailed in the 1st issue of the Countdown comic as 'Anderson's latest & greatest show').

Was 'UFO' deemed a flop by the Andersons & Lew Grade of ITC?  On a UFO site FAQ it states that Lew Grade never commissions a second series for any production such as 'Captain Scarlet' or even 'Thunderbirds' (unless of course the American TV channels request a second season).  So does anyone knows what were the actual viewing figures, or critical response to UFO etc, was it a hit?