The Star Wars Phenomenon in Britain: The Blockbuster Impact and the Galaxy of Merchandise, 1977-1983
Craig Stevens began as a fan of Star Wars in 1977 and went on to become a world-class collector and the editor of the U.K Star Wars Fan Club magazine. Craig has also become very well-known for constructing some of the most impressive Star Wars models from Lego.
He spent several years as a Lego professional. News coverage of his 2015 auction of Star Wars collectibles at Vectis Auctioneers of Thornaby, including a record-breaking £17,000 amount paid for a Boba Fett action figure brought Craig’s Star Wars passion to a world-wide audience.
Based in Whitby, North Yorkshire he continues to be an active member of the Star Wars collecting community and has written many influential blogs and articles.
Craig Stevens is a name familiar to UK Star Wars fans. From his involvement in the fan-driven U.K Star Wars Fan Club as editor and chairman to the modern day as a member of starwarsforum.co.uk, his knowledge and passion for the earliest days of Star Wars fandom in the UK is well known. Starting from scratch with only a smattering of information on the internet and his own memories, Stevens waded into the UK Star Wars community, scooping up stories, images and information that over the course of 5 years developed into this 280 page tome.
The book covers a lot of ground. Starting with news filtering across the Atlantic of this British made film raking in unheard of box office in the States to its release in the UK in December 1978 and into that first era of Star Wars, the book looks at cinema promotional events, UK unique releases and much more besides. Indeed, it not only paints a picture of the UK experience but also gives us a snapshot of Britain in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It’s a historical document that takes left and right turns into every facet of the era. Stickers, transfers, Palitoy, newspaper clippings and much, much more are looked at.
Fans of a certain vintage will smile at the memories and soak up the facts that they don’t know, all the while learning, learning, learning. I know a good wodge about the saga, but I didn’t realise that Empire opened on 40 screens across the UK when was released on 15th June 1980, or that the double bill opened May 20th 1982 at the Odeon Leicester Square and Odeon Marble Arch (I still proudly own my double-bill t-shirt, sadly waaaay too small). A trawl through the book will load you up with other such knowledge nuggets.
I can’t claim to be entirely uninvolved in the process. A number of my StarWars.com articles are referred to, as well as an interview I conducted with Marvel editor Jo Duffy for TeeKay-421 magazine, but despite this I would naturally be drawn to a book like this. While it’s lasers are turned to the UK story, there is plenty of value here for fans around the world. Promotional oddities, collectibles and release information are here and international fans will find much to delve into, much as we enjoy Star Wars tales from around the globe.
In the UK we have a strong sense of ownership over Star Wars. Lucasfilm may be on the other side of the planet in San Francisco, the story concocted by George Lucas in San Anselmo, the characters designed by Ralph McQuarrie, the SPFX by ILM, the big three of Hamill, Ford and Fisher all American….but the films were made here, at Elstree, Shepperton, Ealing, Pinewood with British chippies and designers, electricians and painters. The supporting cast would spring up on UK TV and cinema. Star Wars was conceived in the States but made in the UK (as it still is), and this book reflects that pride.
The original Star Wars generation – those of us who saw the film in cinemas on its first run – are now at the very youngest 41 years of age, realistically far closer to 50. As Star Wars continues to grow, develop and flourish, the stories here run the risk of being lost to the mists of time. Because of that, and for a community fuelled by nostalgia and memories, the value of this treasure-trove of a release cannot be underestimated, and for that it should be commended.
