Experience Space Precinct like never before in HD! Gerry Anderson's classic 1990s sci-fi police TV series is now available on Blu-Ray, and just in time to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary.

Space Precinct was the most expensive television series of its time, boasting state-of-the-art animatronics and CGI effects. Restoring a television series as hugely ambitious as Space Precinct has therefore demanded plenty of care and attention. Let's lift the lid on revealing the secrets behind our Space Precinct 30th Anniversary Blu-Ray!

Welcome to Precinct 88

Space Precinct was Gerry Anderson's third and final live action television series. Following on from his and then wife Sylvia's hugely successful string of Supermarionation productions throughout the 1960s and live action works such as UFO and Space: 1999 from the 1970s, Gerry's career from the 1980s onwards saw him pursue many different creative avenues. 

From returning to puppetry with Terrahawks to an underrated career in advertising, Space Precinct became a lengthily road from its initial concept to the fully realised sci-fi crime saga it eventually became in 1994/1995. Space Precinct's mixture of live action with animatronics was done to create a world simultaneously familiar and alien. On the one hand, it was a recognisably gritty New York cop show, but on the other, it was a fantastically imaginative sci-fi adventure series. 

The series began as a pilot produced in 1986 by Gerry Anderson and his then business partner, Christopher Burr, to attract potential funding for a full series. Space Police, as it was known back then, featured many of the embryonic elements that would be refined in the eventual series itself. The pilot starred Shane Rimmer as a somewhat older Lieutenant Chuck Brogan. Rimmer’s Brogan was transferred to Precinct 44 East on the planet Zar XL5 following 15 years as a New York street cop. The pilot featured many who would go on to work on the series proper, including Visual Effects Director Steve Begg, Lighting Cameraman Alan Hume and voice artist, Gary Martin.

A shorter pilot, Space Precinct Reloaded, was eventually produced in 1991 to attract further funding. Although this shorter pilot is perhaps less well-known compared to the earlier one starring the voice of Scott Tracy himself, it was more successful in that it enabled Gerry to secure funding for a 24-episode series. 

With Ted Shackleford now cast as the series' star, Lieutenant Patrick Brogan, production of the series took place at Pinewood Studios and the eventual finished series found an impressive home on the fledging satellite channel, Sky One.

Unfortunately, Space Precinct wouldn't survive past a single series. Its tonal confusion (too adult for kids, too childish for grown-ups) and graveyard broadcast slot rather sealed the series' fate before it was allowed a chance to flourish into the series it could have excelled at being. Even with stages booked and scripts written for a rumoured second series, the final nail in the coffin was the demise of Grove TV, the distribution company that had put up much of the money for the 24 episodes.

30 years on since the last case in Demeter City was solved, Space Precinct has acquired a huge cult status. Now, the series can be enjoyed in spectacular high definition for the very first time with our Blu-Ray collectors boxset! Jam-packed with exclusive bonus features, including never-before-seen test footage filmed for the proposed second series and a brand new mini episode, the Space Precinct 30th Anniversary Collectors Blu-Ray set promises to be the definitive Space Precinct release.

Now, let's hand over to Anderson Entertainment Managing Director, Jamie Anderson, to explain more about the practicalities involved in restoring Space Precinct to HD!

Restoring the Series

Space Precinct was originally filmed on 16mm, film but edited on video using a mix of early CGI and model effects. This was common for TV shows in the 1990s and meant that the finished episodes only existed in standard definition, as the final edited versions were stored on video tape rather than film.

For this Blu-Ray release, we searched extensively for the original 16mm negatives, which might have allowed us to rebuild the episodes from scratch in full HD. Unfortunately, after years of searching through archives and storage facilities across the UK and internationally, we’ve had to conclude that the negatives are lost or were destroyed at some point. Without the film elements, a traditional HD remaster wasn’t possible.

However, we were determined to bring the best possible version of Space Precinct to fans. That’s where AI technology came in. We went back to the original master tapes, which were preserved in standard definition, and used state-of-the-art AI upscaling to enhance the picture quality. This process reconstructs details, smooths imperfections, and improves resolution to create a sharper and more vibrant image than the original SD broadcast.

The results have exceeded our expectations, offering a significant upgrade while maintaining the integrity of the original show.

The upscale remaster is the best — and only — option available for this release. It represents the clearest, most detailed version of Space Precinct anyone has ever seen, and we’re incredibly proud of the outcome.

The Space Precinct 30th Anniversary Collectors Edition Blu-Ray is available to order now! Be sure to grab your chance of experiencing the adventures of the officers of Precinct 88 in stunning HD!

You can also enjoy this 9-minute preview of our feature-length documentary, I Love This Job - 30 Years of Space Precinct, which features never-before-seen footage, interviews and stills from the making of the series. 

Don't forget - you can also enjoy watching Space Precinct every Saturday at 6pm UK time on the Official Gerry Anderson YouTube channel, where we're uploading the classic series, episode by episode, every week!

Experience a thrilling new saga for Space Precinct with Space Precinct: Fight the Future. Written by Officer Orrin himself, Richard James, this time-spinning adventure of epic proportions that thrusts readers back into the galactic world of the Demeter City police force. Space Precinct: Fight the Future is available in paperback or eBook form now!

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