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Strings in the Wind: Growing Up with Supermarionation in the 70s and 80s

Paul Ferry

Throughout the 1960s, Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation ruled the television for a generation of children. The high-class puppetry technique produced such evergreen shows as Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and, of course, the immortal Thunderbirds. But although the rocket boosters … Continue reading Strings in the Wind: Growing Up with Supermarionation in the 70s and 80s

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10 Out-of-Print Books Your Kids Should Be Reading

Paul Ferry

There are lots of great new books available for kids today; some of them, unbelievably, weren’t even written by celebrities! You can also get delightful reprints and facsimiles of children’s classics from the golden age of literature. But somewhere in between, mostly (but not exclusively) dating from the 60s, 70s and 80s, is a vast library of forgotten books for children; destined to lie mouldering and unloved on the shelves of charity shops and the cluttered tabletops of jumble sales. What follows is my pick of the lost chapters in the book of children’s literature. Many of these books I … Continue reading 10 Out-of-Print Books Your Kids Should Be Reading

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Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds – The Musical Drama

Paul Ferry

Hybrids were a signigicant part of Victorian carnivals: Mermaids and Jackalopes – cryptozoological creations stitched together from the preserved remains of very different beasts. The air of the Victorian carnival has always pervaded Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds, from its florid font to its sense of melodramatic spectacle, so it’s entirely fitting that the latest addition to Jeff Wayne’s canon is something of a hybrid itself. If you go into this expecting a musical extravaganza like the album, you will be disappointed and similarly, if you go into this expecting a straight reading of H.G. … Continue reading Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds – The Musical Drama

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All Aboard the Omnibus!

Paul Ferry

Hello, and welcome to the Universal Omnibus – the magazine style blog with a bit of something for everyone… well, everyone who likes book reviews, Doctor Who, music, film-making and general pop culture nonsense, that is. This site came about via the amalgamation of four separate blogs, all edited by myself, Paul Ferry; SpaceProbe 1, a sci-fi book review blog; Hot Bullets, a thriller book review blog; Timebase Productions, a site for the fan-film production company and general Doctor Who-y goodness; and Strange Skins, a pdf sci-fi fanzine. I’ve decanted a lot of articles from those blogs onto here, so … Continue reading All Aboard the Omnibus!