THE LADY PENELOPE ANNUAL 1966

Isn’t this just fab? Or should that be F.A.B.? (Hint: Yes, it should, and how clever of me to have thought it.) For years I wondered what F.A.B. stood for when the characters of Thunderbirds used it as an all-purpose sign-off to their transmissions. Today, just now in fact, I decided to find out and this is what I’ve learnt:  Series creator Gerry Anderson was often asked what F. A. B. stood for, but it turns out, rather disappointingly, that it simply stood for fab (short for fabulous), a 1960s catchphrase that Anderson liked the sound of. He might equally have assigned the phrase G.R.O.O.V.Y. or G.E.A.R. which, admittedly, don’t have quite the same ring to them.  Later this was unofficially decided to mean Fully Advised and Briefed (which is brilliant, let’s face it – I would never have come up with that one) following on from P-W-O-R (Proceeding With Orders Received), a similar radio confirmation code in the series Stingray. In fact, he didn’t really hit his stride until his next series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, where characters would conclude terse communications with S.I.G. (Spectrum is Green). I’m surely not the only one to remember this stuff, right?

Anyway, this marvellous album was produced in 1966 when I was 1. Going’s on within include The Perils of Parkers, Marina – Rescue in Titanica,  and adventures with The Space Family Robinson and the Man From U.N.C.L.E. (these days everyone knows, but for years I used to win big points in Trivial Pursuit for knowing what U.N.C.L.E. stood for), as well as features on Boutiques-A-Go-Go, Décor For Dollies, The Walker Brothers (that Scott is dreamy and yet at the same time just so existential) and probing articles that asked:  Are You ‘In’ On The Beauty Scene?

Worth 10/6d of anyone’s money.