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Thunderbirds (TV series)

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Thunderbirds
Alt=Series title set against thunderclouds
GenreScience fiction, Disaster, Action, Adventure, Thriller
Created byGerry and Sylvia Anderson
Written byGerry and Sylvia Anderson, Tony Barwick, Martin Crump, Alan Fennell, Alan Pattillo, Donald Robertson, Dennis Spooner
Directed byBrian Burgess, David Elliott, David Lane, Alan Pattillo, Desmond Saunders
Voices ofPeter Dyneley, Shane Rimmer, Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, David Holliday, Jeremy Wilkin, David Graham, Matt Zimmerman, Christine Finn, Paul Maxwell, Charles Tingwell, John Tate
ComposerBarry Gray
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes32
(64 in 30-minute "cliffhanger" format) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersGerry Anderson
(Series Two)
ProducersGerry Anderson (Series One)
Reg Hill (Series Two)
CinematographyJohn Read
EditorsPeter Elliott, David Lane, Harry Ledger, Harry MacDonald, Len Walter
Camera setupSingle
Running time49–51 minutes approx.
Production companyAP Films
Original release
NetworkATV
Release30 September 1965 (1965-09-30) –
25 December 1966 (1966-12-25)
Related
Thunderbirds 2086 (1982 re-make)
Turbocharged Thunderbirds (1994 re-edit)

Thunderbirds is a 1960s British science-fiction television series, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company AP Films and distributed by ITC Entertainment, which was produced using a mixed method of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects termed "Supermarionation". Set in the 21st century, the series follows the exploits of International Rescue, a secret organisation formed to save people in mortal danger with the help of technologically-advanced land, sea, air and space vehicles and equipment, launched from a hidden base on Tracy Island in the South Pacific Ocean. The main puppet characters are multi-millionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, the founder of International Rescue, and his five sons, who pilot the craft of the Thunderbirds fleet. Periodically re-aired since its original 1965–66 broadcast, Thunderbirds has influenced numerous TV programmes, films and advertisements, has been followed by three feature-length films and a stage play, and has inspired various merchandising campaigns.

Premise

Main article: List of Thunderbirds episodes

The events of Thunderbirds start in 2065.[2] Co-creator Gerry Anderson envisioned a setting of "100 years in the future" – a date supported by visual evidence in the episode "30 Minutes After Noon",[3] and by contemporary tie-ins, such as the Thunderbirds strip in the comic TV Century 21 and the Century 21 mini-album "Thunderbird 3" (in which narrator Alan Tracy states that the year is 2065). The events of the first film sequel, Thunderbirds Are Go (1966), occur in 2065 and 2067,[4] and those of the second, Thunderbird 6 (1968), in 2068;[5] the setting of the final TV episode, "Give or Take a Million", is Christmas 2067.[6] The Zero-X spacecraft that appears in Thunderbirds Are Go returns in the first episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, which is also set in 2068.[7] However, some Thunderbirds episodes suggest, either visually or verbally, other settings: 1993 vintage champagne is referenced in "Alias Mr. Hackenbacker",[8] and according to a calendar on Tracy Island, the events of "Give or Take a Million" take place in December 2026.[6]

The series follows the adventures of the Tracy family, headed by multi-millionaire American astronaut Jeff Tracy (one of the first to land on the Moon)[9] and comprising his five sons: Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John – all named after one of the Mercury Seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter,[10][11] Virgil Grissom,[12][13] Alan Shepard,[14][15] Gordon Cooper[16][17] and John Glenn.[18][19][20] Unknown to the rest of the world, the Tracys are the team behind International Rescue, a top-secret organisation dedicated to the saving of human life with the aid of highly-advanced land, sea, air and space rescue vehicles – most prestigious of all, the five-machine fleet known as the Thunderbirds. Along with Jeff's elderly mother, the genius scientist and engineer "Brains" (birth name unknown, though in one episode he uses the alias "Hiram K. Hackenbacker"),[21][8] and the family's manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin, the Tracy family reside in the luxury Tracy Villa on a remote, un-charted island in the South Pacific Ocean (called "Tracy Island" in tie-in books and other media, though not in the series itself),[22] where their machines' secrets may be prevented from falling into the hands of criminal and spy elements, as well as other unscrupulous persons envious of International Rescue's technological superiority. Tracy Island's purpose is not evident from the air, since International Rescue's vehicles and equipment are launched from a series of subterranean hangars, accessible from the villa lounge via concealed launch chutes; meanwhile, visitors are kept ignorant of the Tracys' occupation via a security measure known as "Operation Cover-Up".

Although its objectives are strictly humanitarian, International Rescue's operations are sometimes necessitated not by misadventure, but by deliberate sabotage that endangers human life. For missions entailing criminal investigation, or requiring military intelligence, the organisation incorporates a worldwide network of undercover operatives, headed by English aristocrat Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her Cockney butler and chauffeur Aloysius "Nosey" Parker. Based at Creighton-Ward Mansion in Kent, Lady Penelope and Parker's primary mode of transport is a heavily-armed, amphibious, pink, customised Rolls-Royce called FAB 1. Foremost among International Rescue's enemies is the criminal mastermind known as the "Hood" (not named in dialogue, but referred to as such in comics, books and spin-off media). Operating from a hidden temple in the Malaysian jungle, and possessing powers of hypnosis and dark magic, the Hood exerts a telepathic influence over Kyrano, his estranged half-brother; exploiting Kyrano's inside knowledge of International Rescue, he regularly manoeuvres the Tracy brothers into rescue situations of his own making, giving himself opportunities to spy on, and steal the secrets of, the Thunderbirds machines.

International Rescue's radio code "F.A.B.", defined by the Collins English Dictionary as "an expression of agreement to, or acknowledgement of, a command",[23] was not intended to be an abbreviation. When asked what the initials stood for in 2000, Anderson responded: "... absolutely nothing! In the Sixties, when the series was made, the abbreviation "fab", as in "fabulous", was all the rage and I just changed it a bit."[24] In tie-in media, the expression has been interpreted as "Fully Advised and Briefed," in a manner similar to "P.W.O.R." ("Proceeding With Orders Received"), a radio confirmation code used in Stingray, and "S.I.G." ("Spectrum Is Green") and "S.I.R." ("Spectrum Is Red"), affirmative and negative codes used in Captain Scarlet.[25]

International Rescue vehicles

Main articles: Thunderbirds machines and Thunderbird 2 pod vehicles

The five primary International Rescue vehicles are:

International Rescue uniform

The Tracy brothers wear a common blue uniform comprising a polo-neck tunic, trousers, boots, and a simplified side cap. Other members of International Rescue are occasionally shown in uniform. The uniform is accompanied by a sash bearing the International Rescue insignia and holding a sidearm and two pouches. Each pilot's sash is a different colour, matching the coloured cuffs on his boots.[32]

Production

Conception and filming

Commissioned by Lew Grade of ITC Entertainment, Thunderbirds was the fourth Supermarionation children's series to be made by AP Films. The logo of Supermarionation had previously introduced episodes of Supercar (1960–61), Fireball XL5 (1961–62), and Stingray (1962–63). Gerry Anderson's inspiration for the underlying concept of Thunderbirds was the West German mining disaster that later came to be known as the Wunder von Lengede ("The Miracle of Lengede") – on 24 October 1963, the collapse of a nearby dam left the iron mine at Lengede, Lower Saxony, flooded and 50 men trapped underground; by 7 November, 21 had been rescued.[35][36] The heavy equipment required to rescue the miners was located far from the mine itself, and the time required for transport proved to be a major hindrance in ensuring the survival of the workers.[37]

Wishing to distinguish this idea from the premises of the first four puppet TV series he had produced, with plots that would appeal as much to adults as to children and an early-evening transmission slot, Anderson retired with his wife Sylvia to their holiday villa in Portugal to develop the premise and script the pilot episode.[38] The title Thunderbirds derived from a letter posted by Anderson's deceased older brother, Lionel, while he was serving as an Royal Air Force pilot based in Arizona during the Second World War.[39] In his letter, Lionel had made reference to a nearby United States Air Force base, Thunderbird Field.[39] The working title had been "International Rescue"; drawn in by the "punchiness" of "Thunderbirds", Anderson elected not only to rename the series but also the fleet of rescue vehicles, which had originally been designated Rescue One, Two, Three, Four and Five.[39]

Many members of the Thunderbirds production crew had contributed to its immediate antecedent, Stingray. For Thunderbirds, the team was expanded, and the series was filmed at APF's Stirling Road studio on the Slough Trading Estate. Filming commenced in September 1964 after a summer of pre-production,[40] and a first series of 26 episodes was completed in less than a year, with pairs of episodes being filmed simultaneously to expedite the shooting.[1] Episodes typically included about 100 special effects sequences.[1] A second series of six episodes was then produced between 1965 and 1966, bringing the total number of episodes to 32. Some episodes of Thunderbirds display live human hands in shots of one or more scale puppet characters, an innovation in camera work for APF: an visual illusion, generated by forced perspective, gives the impression that the size of the hand is proportionate to that of a puppet body.[3][41][42]

Thunderbirds was the first one-hour series to be produced by APF.[43][44] A few months into production, Grade viewed the finished pilot, "Trapped in the Sky", at a private screening and was so enthusiastic with the result that he ordered Anderson to double the episode length from 25 to 50 minutes.[43] This presented difficulties for the crew, since eight 25-minute episodes had already been filmed and scripts for 10 more had been written.[43] Ironically, the episodes were later divided into two parts to fill the conventional half-hour slot, forming 64 episodes of 25 minutes' duration.

Casting and characters

Regular Puppet Cast[45]
Name Date of Birth Nationality Occupation Voice actor(s)
Jeff Tracy 2 January 2009 American Founder and leader of International Rescue
Former astronaut and Air Force colonel		 Peter Dyneley
Scott Tracy 4 April 2039 American Pilot of Thunderbird 1
Co-pilot of Thunderbird 3
Former Air Force pilot		 Shane Rimmer
John Tracy 8 October 2040 American Space Monitor of Thunderbird 5
Astronomer and writer		 Ray Barrett
Virgil Tracy 15 August 2041 American Pilot of Thunderbird 2
Painter and musician		 David Holliday (Series One)
Jeremy Wilkin (Series Two)
Gordon Tracy 14 February 2043 American Aquanaut of Thunderbird 4
Oceanographer and former Olympic champion		 David Graham
Alan Tracy 12 March 2044 American Astronaut of Thunderbird 3
Part-time Space Monitor of Thunderbird 5
Former motor-racing champion		 Matt Zimmerman
Lady Penelope
Creighton-Ward		 24 December 2039 English International Rescue's London field agent
Aristocrat and socialite		 Sylvia Anderson
Aloysius "Nosey" Parker 30 May 2013 English Butler and chauffeur to Lady Penelope
Former professional burglar and safe-cracker		 David Graham
Brains 14 November 2040 American Scientist, engineer and inventor David Graham
Tin-Tin Kyrano 20 June 2043 Malay Assistant scientist and engineer on Tracy Island Christine Finn
Kyrano Unknown Malay Manservant and chef on Tracy Island
Botanist and scientist		 David Graham
Grandma Tracy Late 1980s American Assistant housekeeper and chef on Tracy Island Christine Finn
The Hood 17 July 2018 Unknown Master criminal and black magic practiser
Half-brother of Kyrano and half-uncle of Tin-Tin		 Ray Barrett

In developing the cast of characters that would appear in Thunderbirds, the first consideration of the Andersons, Reg Hill and John Read was the series' potential for transatlantic appeal.[38] As such, while the Thunderbird machines would be operated by the American Tracy family, for the purposes of intelligence, International Rescue would depend on its British field agents Lady Penelope and Parker.[38] David Holliday (the voice of Virgil Tracy in the first 26 episodes) was the only American to be cast for a voice role in Thunderbirds, the remaining members of the voice cast being British, Australian or Canadian.

Australian actor Ray Barrett provided the voices of John Tracy, operator of Thunderbird 5, and The Hood, the arch-enemy of International Rescue, in addition to many supporting roles. He had worked for the Andersons before, voicing both Commander Shore and Titan for Stingray. Drawing on his experience acquired from radio acting in Australia, Barrett was adept at performing a wide range of voices in quick succession and could also affect both British and American accents convincingly. Although Sylvia Anderson or Christine Finn, the voices of Lady Penelope and Tin-Tin Kyrano, were responsible for the voicing of the majority of one-off female characters, Barrett proved to be an exception when, to the hilarity of his fellow cast members, he voiced the elderly Duchess of Royston in the episode "The Duchess Assignment".[42]

Canadian actor Shane Rimmer (Scott Tracy) went on to appear in – and occasionally write scripts for – subsequent Anderson productions. David Graham, one of Anderson's longest-serving voice actors, had previously worked on Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball XL5 and Stingray, and was also one of the original voices of the Daleks in Doctor Who (1963–present). Graham supplied no fewer than four of the main characters' voices – Gordon Tracy, Parker, International Rescue's resident scientist and engineer, Brains, and Tin-Tin's father, Kyrano.

Voice cast

Maxwell (the voice of Steve Zodiac in Fireball XL5), Tingwell and Tate received no on-screen credit in either series, although Maxwell and Tingwell were credited for the films Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968).

It has been claimed that the introductory "5–4–3–2–1!" countdown voice-over was provided by Brian Cobby (1929–2012),[47][48][49] who from 1985 to 2007 was the voice of the British speaking clock. While Cobby himself maintained this,[50] and stated that he had even received repeat-fee royalties from the BBC, the claim has been rejected by the surviving members of the Thunderbirds cast as well as Gerry Anderson himself,[51] all of whom are certain that the voice is that of Peter Dyneley in character as Jeff Tracy. The prevailing view is that Cobby provided the voice for a Thunderbird 2 talking alarm clock that was produced in the early 1990s, and later claimed to have provided voice work for the original TV series based on an unclear recollection of events.

Design and effects

Puppets

Staffing the AP Films puppet sculpting department were John Brown, Christine Glanville, John Blundall and Mary Turner, who together designed and built the 13 members of the main puppet cast within six months.[52] Many of the characters' appearances were based on contemporary actors and other entertainers, whom the sculptors typically selected while browsing the showbusiness directory Spotlight.[52] Jeff Tracy's likeness was based on Lorne Greene,[40] Scott's on 1960s James Bond actor Sean Connery,[52] Virgil's (loosely) on Robert Reed,[40] Alan's on both Reed and Derren Nesbitt,[40] John's on Adam Faith and Charlton Heston, Brains' on Anthony Perkins, and Parker's on Ben Warris, a member of The Crazy Gang.[40] Virgil's appearance was strongly influenced by Alan's, when Brown experienced difficulties in realising the character and Glanville suggested that he base his work on the Tracy brother whose puppet she had already completed.[40]

Puppet heads were initially sculpted in either Plasticine or clay and, after the rough aspect had been finalised, used as the template for a silicone rubber mould, which was subsequently laminated in layers of Bondaglass (fibreglass mixed with resin).[40] Once detached from the mould, this Bondaglass shell was fitted with leather lips, eyeballs, a mohair wig, and an electronic solenoid to trigger dialogue-synchronised lip movements.[40] The solenoid was connected to 11 steel conductor wires, 0.005 inches (0.13 mm) wide.[40] As for the previous Supermarionation series, Stingray, the facial expressions of the main characters were diversified by means of removable heads: in addition to heads with neutral expressions, puppets were provided with "smilers", "frowners" and "blinkers".[40] The plastic puppet bodies were issued in three types – "large male", "small male" and "small female".[40] Costumes generally avoided inflexible synthetic materials, the wardrobe department preferring cotton, silk and wool for the greater mobility that was afforded to the characters.[40] Once completed, the puppets measured approximately 22 inches (56 cm), or 1⁄3 human scale, in height and weighed between 7 and 9 pounds (3.2 and 4.1 kg).[40] The puppet likenesses and mechanics are remembered favourably by operator Wanda Brown, who has stated a preference for the Thunderbirds generation of Supermarionation puppets over those that appeared in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967–68) and later TV series, and were modelled using realistic bodily proportions: "The puppets were easier to operate and more enjoyable because they had more character to them ... Even some of the more normal-looking faces, such as Scott and Jeff, for me had more character than the puppets in the series that came afterwards."[52]

Special effects

The special effects supervisor for all Anderson's productions from Supercar to UFO was Derek Meddings, who went on to produce effects for the James Bond and Superman film series. For Thunderbirds, Meddings also found himself with the task of designing the primary vehicles after it was decided that former head designer Reg Hill would serve only as associate producer.[38] Rolls-Royce provided AP Films with a genuine radiator grille for close-up shots of FAB 1, such as when its retractable machine guns are seen to fire.

Scale models for a number of the Thunderbird machines were constructed by a professional model-making company, Master Models of Middlesex, while others were custom-made by Meddings and his team from commercially-available radio-controlled vehicle building kits.[39] Meddings was not satisfied with the concept of Thunderbird 2, which was originally to be blue in colour as opposed to green, until he inverted the aircraft's wings.[39] The job of sculpting the largest scale model of International Rescue's heavy-duty transporter in balsa wood fell to Arthur "Wag" Evans of Master Models.[39] Thunderbird 3, whose appearance was based on that of the Russian Soyuz rocket, was realised as a model that stood six feet (2 m) tall, although ultimately the largest model to be built for filming proved to be FAB 1, whose miniature needed to be large enough to fit the two-foot (0.6 m) marionette puppets of Lady Penelope and Parker.[39] Seven feet (2.1 m) in length, the large-scale plywood FAB 1 model cost £2,500 to build in 1964; post-decimalisation, this is equivalent to £30,000.[53]

One of the latest additions to the effects department for the production of Thunderbirds was Mike Trim, who became Medding's assistant in designing the vehicles and buildings that populate the world of Thunderbirds. The existing staff, managed by effects director Brian Johncock, was further expanded by the arrival of Roger Dicken, who had previously worked for the BBC Visual Effects Department.[53] Meddings and Trim pioneered the technique of "customising" models and sets by applying pieces drawn from commercial model kits to add convincing surface detail. For example, the air-conditioning silos visible on either side of Thunderbird 1 in its underground hangar were originally 1960s periscope toys manufactured by J & L Randall. The Thunderbirds miniatures were also "aged" with paint and dust to give an impression of work-weary vehicles. These techniques became standard practice in the special effects industry and were put to use in the building of the miniature spacecraft and other vehicles for the films of the original Star Wars trilogy (1977–83).

One of Meddings' design innovations for Thunderbirds was a cyclical, moving effects stage (coined the "rolling road" or "rolling sky") to be used for sequences depicting aircraft flight, take-off and landing, as well as motor vehicles being driven along roads. Judging that the established method – pushing or pulling scale models across a static base or against a static background – did not create a persuasive illusion of motion, Meddings devised a new solution that was first tested during the production of the pilot episode, in which International Rescue's remotely-operated Elevator Cars speed down a runway to assist in the controlled landing of the Fireflash airliner.[54] Meddings constructed a belt of canvas, stretched on top of rollers and powered by an electric motor; with the help of wires, the miniature Elevator Car models were left stationary on the "rolling road" and the Fireflash model was lowered onto the soundstage from overhead, simulating the aircraft's descent. Meanwhile, more rollers, painted to represent a sky background, were erected at a right angle to the canvas belt, and both roller motors were synchronised to ensure that the speeds of the two systems were equal. This process simplified the jobs of the camera and lighting effects crews, since the models had no requirement to move and effects sequences became simpler to film and light. For shots of airborne aircraft, the illusion was enhanced by blowing smoke across the soundstage from a fan to simulate passing clouds, and by connecting the canvas belt at an angle to conceal the plainly visible divide. The "rolling road" system would later be used in the effects filming of a number of James Bond films.

Miniature explosions seen in the series required materials such as petroleum and fuller's earth. Originally filmed at high speed, the sequences were slowed to normal speed during post-production to achieve more persuasive results. For high-quality rocket take-offs and landings, the effects department commissioned a British firm to supply thrustless, solid-fuelled rocket canister in a range of sizes, which would burn for approximately 10 seconds and could be fitted inside the various scale models to produce convincing rocket exhaust effects. Impressed by their work on Thunderbirds, director Stanley Kubrick employed several of the Anderson effects team as supervisors for his science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Music

Music for Thunderbirds was composed and conducted by Barry Gray, who scored all TV series produced by AP Films and Century 21 Productions up to the first series of Space: 1999. Gray's original master recordings for the Anderson series were discovered in a storage facility in Chelsea, London in 1993 but later lost again after being returned to then-copyright holders Carlton Media International. They were subsequently re-located and used as the basis of two soundtrack albums released by Silva Screen Records in 2003 and 2004. A third album, featuring tracks from the other two in addition to previously un-released material, appeared in 2005.

The Thunderbirds March and the "5–4–3–2–1!" countdown that introduce the opening titles were adopted by British band Level 42 for its live shows, as captured in the video release of their 1987 performance at the Wembley Stadium in London. An updated version, blended with the opening fanfare to the band's own hit "Heaven in My Hands", continues to kick off Level 42's concert gigs today. Similarly, the countdown has been used by the Beastie Boys for its subsequent live shows; one example is the 2007 London Live Earth concert.

In 1990, TV producer Gary Shoefield released a re-mix album titled Power Themes 90, which included techno covers of the themes of many British TV programmes. Among these was Thunderbirds, whose theme was re-mixed under the name "Thunderbirds Are Go! (The Pressure Mix)" and billed as "featuring MC Parker"; it climbed to number five in the British charts. To accompany this, a music video compilation, similarly titled Power Themes 90, was also released; the video for "Thunderbirds Are Go! (The Pressure Mix)" comprises footage from episodes of the series interspersed with newly-filmed shots of the original Parker puppet dressed in "era" clothing and acting as a DJ.

Gray's original theme music, with lyrics performed by Gary Miller, was ultimately not used. Titled "Flying High", the song had been intended to accompany the closing titles, only to be abandoned in favour of the "Thunderbirds March" just weeks before the first episode was broadcast.[55] However, an altered version of "Flying High" can be heard in the closing scenes of the Series Two episode "Ricochet" (1966).[55]

Original broadcast

The title card for the first series carries a copyright date of 1964, since this was the year in which the pilot, "Trapped in the Sky", was filmed. Other first-series episodes were filmed in 1965, with the second series following in, and dated, 1966. Thunderbirds premiered on British television on 30 September 1965 in the ATV Midlands broadcasting region. Other ATV regions followed, with ATV London commencing transmissions on 25 December.

Thunderbirds ceased production suddenly and unexpectedly in the autumn of 1966, six episodes into the production of its second series. The decision was made by Lew Grade after a business trip to the United States to sell the programme proved unsuccessful.[44] According to published reports of the incident, three major television networks – NBC, ABC and CBS – had all bid for the series, with Grade thinking that he could play them against one other to win a higher price; when one network withdrew, the others immediately followed. Although it was highly popular in the UK by this time, Grade believed that a full second series would be too expensive to produce without the support of the American market. Instead, the programme was aired in the United States in first-run syndication[44] to moderate success. The final Series Two episode, the Christmas-themed "Give or Take a Million", was first broadcast in the UK on 25 December 1966.[6]

The availability of repeats of Thunderbirds in the 1960s and 1970s was dependent on the broadcasting region; ATV Midlands transmitted the series regularly from 1966 to 1973, while viewers in Yorkshire, previously served by Granada Television, received no transmissions at all between 1968 and 1976 (due to a decision by Yorkshire Television not to purchase any of Anderson's series).[56] Thunderbirds aired on ITV for the last time in 1981, after which it had no further repeats in the UK until a decade later, when the BBC acquired broadcasting rights and networked the series (i.e. simultaneously in all broadcasting regions) on BBC2, starting on 20 September 1991.[56] Since the end of the original network run in 1992, the BBC has repeated the series six times: from October 1992 to May 1993 (first series only), during the 1994 Christmas season (seven episodes only), from 2000 to 2001 (digitally remastered by Carlton International Media), and in the summer of 2003, 2005 and 2006. The series was repeated in full on UK Gold from 1994 to 1995, on Bravo from 1995 to 1997, on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2002, and on Boomerang from 2001 to 2003. On Syfy, the series was repeated alongside Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Joe 90 in 2009. A Gaelic-language dub, Tairnearan Tar As ("Thunderbirds Are Go") was broadcast in weekly five-minute installments in the BBC Scotland region from 23 September to 2 December 1993; it was repeated in 1994 on BBC Two Scotland during school hours.[57]

Film sequels and adaptations

Main articles: Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6

The popularity of Thunderbirds resulted in the release of two full-length film sequels, with financial backing by United Artists, which premiered on 12 December 1966[58] and 29 July 1968.[5] Both films were written and produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and directed by David Lane,[4][59] and neither was a critical or commercial success.[60] During the early 1980s, several Thunderbirds episodes were combined to create three compilation TV films, and in 2004, a live-action film adaptation was released, nearly 40 years after the original TV series was first broadcast.

Super Space Theater

Main article: List of Thunderbirds episodes § Compilation films

In 1981, episodes from a number of Gerry Anderson's 1960s Supermarionation series were re-edited and combined into made-for-TV compilation films by ITC's New York offices, supervised by Robert Mandell and David Hirsch.[61] Intended to be broadcast in a two-hour family timeslot (including commercial breaks), and branded "Super Space Theater", this 90 to 95-minute format was sold to TV cable networks and into syndication in United States.[61] Three Thunderbirds compilations, briefly cut and edited with new, animated title sequences, were produced: Thunderbirds To The Rescue is a combination of "Trapped in the Sky" and "Operation Crash-Dive", while Thunderbirds In Outer Space pairs "Sun Probe" with "Ricochet" and Countdown to Disaster mixes "Terror in New York City" and "Atlantic Inferno".[61] Although rights issues entailed by the 1980s home video releases of the "Super Space Theater" compilations delayed VHS releases of individual Thunderbirds episodes (in their un-cut form) until the early 1990s, the UK versions proved to be a major commercial success for the distributor, Channel 5 Video.[61]

Thunderbirds (2004)

Main article: Thunderbirds (film)

A live-action film adaptation – Thunderbirds, directed by Jonathan Frakes and produced by StudioCanal, Universal Pictures and Working Title Films – premiered on 24 July 2004. All the Thunderbird machines seen in the film are based on the original designs, but also display modern refinements; a modified Ford Thunderbird appears as FAB 1 after BMW, owners of Rolls-Royce, refused to give permission for use of the brand. The plot of the film mostly side-lines the majority of the primary characters in favour of Alan, Tin-Tin and a newcomer, Brains' son Fermat, who must save the adults from the machinations of the evil Hood. The 2004 film was poorly received both critically and commercially, opening in 11th place at the North American box office and attracting a negative response from fans of the original TV series. While his ex-wife Sylvia, a production consultant on the film, endorsed Frakes' version and attended the London premiere, Gerry Anderson denounced the film as "the biggest load of crap I have ever seen in my life."[62]

Plans for a live-action film had first been announced by ITC's Los Angeles offices in 1994.[63] With a Christmas 1995 release expected, the film was to have been directed by Renny Harlin, with Tom Cruise a possibility for the role of Scott Tracy and other artists being considered including Bob Hoskins (as Parker) and Patsy Kensit, Joanna Lumley and Emma Thompson (as Lady Penelope).[63] After ITC was acquired by PolyGram in 1995,[64] Working Title Films (a PolyGram subsidiary) re-developed the abortive project, with production scheduled to start in August 1998.[65] By 1997, Peter Hewitt had been attached to direct, and a script had been written by Karey Kirkpatrick.[65] Meanwhile, Kristin Scott Thomas had been contracted to play Lady Penelope, while Pete Postlethwaite had yet to accept an offer to appear as Parker; the Baldwin brothers – Alec, William, Daniel and Steven – had been proposed for the roles of the Tracy sons, with Sean Connery a candidate for Jeff.[65] Other filming techniques were briefly considered, including CGI and stop-motion animation.[65] A combination of budgeting difficulties, disagreements regarding scripting and characterisation, and the poor commercial reception to other 1998 films such as Lost in Space and The Avengers (both adaptations of older TV series) resulted in further delays to the project,[65] which ultimately did not enter production until 2003.

Merchandise

File:FAB1model.jpg
Konami FAB 1 toy car

In 2011, the British Royal Mail launched a commemorative Gerry Anderson-themed stamp series, which included a lenticular mini-sheet displaying holographic Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 4.[66][67]

Toys

At the time of the series' original airing, companies including Matchbox, Dinky and J. Rosenthal[6] had licences to manufacture die-cast metal and plastic toys based on Thunderbird vehicles. Themed birthday cards for children, for ages 6 to 10, were available in Australia in the mid-1960s, while Japanese-made model kits of the machines continued to be marketed into the 1980s. Bandai manufactured toys to co-incide with the UK release of the live-action film in 2004. Fellow Japanese companies Aoshima, Konami and Takara currently continue to manufacture Thunderbirds toys designed using the original vehicle schematics; one example is Takara's Thunderbird 2 model (with functioning lights and landing struts).

When Thunderbirds was revived on BBC2 in the early 1990s, Matchbox launched a brand-new range of toys. After poor sales in 1991 (due to demand for toys far outstripping supply), by Christmas 1992 the series had provided the most successful merchandising campaign in the UK since Star Wars.[56] Matchbox's Tracy Island playset quickly became the UK's most sought-after toy, resulting in stock shortages nationwide.[56] So widely demanded was the product that, in 1993, the BBC children's TV programme Blue Peter aired a making-of (hosted by presenter Anthea Turner) showing how viewers could build their own model using household waste.[57] Similarly, demand for a free instruction manual detailing the process became such that the BBC was forced to withdraw its viewer offer and instead release Turner's demonstration, by then titled Blue Peter Makes a Thunderbirds Tracy Island, on VHS.[57]

The 1991 Matchbox Toys[68] range consisted of:

  • Thunderbirds 1 - 4 & Fab 1 Die Cast Vehicles - Available separately, together as a rescue pack (or in commemorative packaging through the Radio Times)
  • Tracy Island Electronic Playset - featuring electronic sounds, fold back palm trees, revealing swimming pool and a raising launch pad for Thunderbird 2 - So scarce this was at Christmas, it made the headlines on the BBC News [69]
  • Action Figures of the Tracy Brothers, Jeff, Brains, The Hood, Lady Penelope, Parker (Note - Alan was released with a cream coloured sash and later corrected to a white coloured sash)
  • Electronic Thunderbird 1 - on a base with mechanised opening wings, electronic firing light and sound
  • Electronic Thunderbird 2 - capable of containing two of the above mentioned action figures, and with electronic sounds and a mini Thunderbird 4
  • Pod Vehicle Set - The Mole, Firefly and Recovery Vehicle all compatible with the Electronic Thunderbird 2
  • Pull Back Action Vehicles of Thunderbirds 1,2 & 4
  • 10" Dolls of Scott, Virgin, Alan, Gordon and John

After the success of the Thunderbird repeat broadcasts and merchandise line, the BBC scheduled Stingray for repeats, and Matchbox once again produced a small toy line. However when the BBC resurrected Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons - the license for toys was issued to Vivid Imaginations, who later went on to produce a very similar range of toys (to that of Matchbox) for the early 2000 revival of Thunderbirds.

The Vivid Imaginations range included:

  • Thunderbirds 1 - 4, Fab 1 & The Mole - available separately or together, this time made of plastic and slightly larger than the Matchbox range
  • Thunderbird 5 - withdrawn because of inappropriate electronic sounds, later reissued and not capable of docking with Thunderbird 3
  • Tracy Island Soundtech Electronic Playset - very similar to the Matchbox design, capable of holding the Thunderbird Vehicles and featuring 12 sounds through a hidden electronic control desk displaying above the Tracy Brother portraits
  • Tracy Island Powertech Transforming Playset - a miniature version revealing vehicle hanger interiors with various sounds and features
  • Thunderbirds 1-4 Soundtech Electronic Playsets - with miniature figures, revealing cockpit and sounds
  • Action Adventure Set - to scale with the above mentioned Thunderbird 2 playset, featuring the Mole, Firefly, the Hood's Submarine and six figures
  • Several dolls and action figures were also available

Selected items from this collection were rereleased in different packaging for the show's 40th anniversary - with the Tracy Island playset claiming to have 'new interactive launch stations'. Vivid Imaginations also went on to produce toys for Captain Scarlet and Stingray, and will produce a product line for the upcoming ITV remake.

Audio episodes

Century 21 Records, a subsidiary company of Century 21 established in September 1965,[70] produced nineteen 7-inch, 33 RPM, EP "mini-albums" based on the TV series.[70] Sixteen are adapted from original episode soundtracks, edited to a running time of 30 minutes and including additional narration from a member of the original voice cast, who performs in character.[70] The other three are brand-new adventures;[70] voice actors Peter Dyneley, David Graham and Sylvia Anderson are featured in all three, Ray Barrett in two and Shane Rimmer in one. To satisfy increasing demand from comics writers for stories showcasing Lady Penelope and Parker, two records – F.A.B. and The Stately Homes Robberies – are narrated from the point of view of the International Rescue agents instead of the Tracy family.

Code Title Writer(s) Notes
MA 103 Introducing Thunderbirds
  • Alternative title: Introducing The Thunderbirds
    		• Alan Fennell
  • A prequel to the first TV episode, "Trapped in the Sky", in which Lady Penelope visits Tracy Island for the first time.
  • Released prior to September 1965 to acquaint potential TV viewers with the series' premise.
  • Later re-issued as one side of Lady Penelope Presents (Century 21, LP, LA 2) and as part of Gerry Anderson Presents TV Favourites – Volume 1 (Marble Arch Records, LP, MAL 770).[71]
    • MA 107 F.A.B.
  • Alternative title: The Abominable Snowman
    		• Desmond Saunders
    David Graham
  • Investigating reports of supposed attacks by the legendary Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas, Lady Penelope and Parker are abducted by a disguised Hood.
  • Later re-issued as one side of Lady Penelope Investigates (Century 21, LP, LA 4).[71][72]
    • MA 108 Thunderbird 1 Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (episode) Adaptation of "Trapped in the Sky", with narration by Scott Tracy (Shane Rimmer)[73]
    MA 109 Thunderbird 2 Dennis Spooner (episode) Adaptation of "End of the Road", with narration by Brains (David Graham)[74]
    MA 110 The Stately Homes Robberies Alan Fennell
    Jim Watson (story)
  • A series of burglaries at various English stately homes draws Lady Penelope and Parker into a plot to raid the Tower of London and steal the Crown Jewels.
  • Released in June 1966. Later re-issued as one side of Lady Penelope Investigates.[72][75]
    • MA 112 Thunderbird 3 Alan Fennell (episode) Adaptation of "Sun Probe", with narration by Alan Tracy (Matt Zimmerman)[76]
    MA 113 Thunderbird 4 Alan Fennell (episode) Adaptation of "Atlantic Inferno", narrated by Gordon Tracy (David Graham)[77]
    MA 114 The Perils of Penelope Alan Pattillo (episode) Adaptation of "The Perils of Penelope", with narration by Lady Penelope (Sylvia Anderson)[78]
    MA 118 Lady Penelope and Parker Dennis Spooner (episode) Adaptation of "Vault of Death", with narration by Lady Penelope (Sylvia Anderson)[78]
    MA 119 Brains and Tin-Tin Donald Robertson (episode) Adaptation of "Desperate Intruder", with narration by Tin-Tin (Christine Finn)[79]
    MA 120 International Rescue Dennis Spooner (episode) Adaptation of "The Impostors", with narration by Scott Tracy (Shane Rimmer)[80]
    MA 121 Thunderbirds Dennis Spooner (episode) Adaptation of "Day of Disaster", with narration by Gordon Tracy (David Graham)[81]
    MA 122 Lady Penelope Alan Pattillo (episode) Adaptation of "The Cham-Cham", with narration by Parker (David Graham)[82]
    MA 123 Brains Alan Pattillo (episode) Adaptation of "Alias Mr. Hackenbacker", with narration by Brains (David Graham)[8]
    MA 124 Brink of Disaster Alan Fennell (episode) Adaptation of "Brink of Disaster", with narration by Parker (David Graham)[83]
    MA 125 Atlantic Inferno Alan Fennell (episode) Adaptation of "Atlantic Inferno", with narration by Gordon Tracy (David Graham)[77]
    MA 126 Ricochet Tony Barwick (episode) Adaptation of "Ricochet", with narration by Brains (David Graham)[55]
    MA 128 One Move and You're Dead Alan Pattillo (episode) Adaptation of "Move – And You're Dead", with narration by Tin-Tin (Christine Finn)[84]
    MA 129 Thirty Minutes After Noon Alan Fennell (episode) Adaptation of "30 Minutes After Noon", with narration by Parker (David Graham)[3]

    Books

    Between 1966 and 1967, eight original novels, based on the TV series, were written by John William Jennison (four using the pseudonym "John Theydon") and Kevin McGarry;[85] three focus on the character of Lady Penelope. In 1992, Corgi Books published four novelisations for children, all written by Dave Morris, based on the scripts for episodes "The Uninvited", "Brink of Disaster", "Sun Probe", and "Atlantic Inferno".

    In 2008, FTL Publications launched a new series of Thunderbirds original novels, written primarily by Joan Marie Verba with art by Steve Kyte. It was the first licence for Thunderbirds titles to be granted to an American publisher, and the books constitute the first new, official series of Thunderbirds novels to be written since 1967. Countdown To Action, published in June 2008, presents the founding of International Rescue, exploring the establishment of the organisation and the construction of its machines. The other books individually highlight the five Tracy brothers, in addition to Brains.

    Year Title Writer Publisher Notes
    1966 Thunderbirds "John Theydon"
    (John W. Jennison)     		Armada Books When a mysterious meteorite lands in the Gobi Desert, Scott Tracy and the Hood are overpowered by an extraterrestrial intelligence. Re-printed as Thunderbirds 1: Thunderbirds in 1989 by Titan Books.[85]
    1966 Calling Thunderbirds "John Theydon" Armada Books Lady Penelope and her cousin are kidnapped by a Peruvian explorer and the Hood, who are both seeking to recover ancient Inca treasure. Re-printed as Thunderbirds 2: Calling Thunderbirds in 1990 by Titan Books.[86]
    1966 Thunderbirds: Operation Asteroids John W. Jennison World Distributors A rescue mission to the Moon is hi-jacked by the Hood; he returns to Earth in Thunderbird 3, holding Lady Penelope, Brains and Tin-Tin hostage and plotting to attack major cities from orbit with nuclear devices.[86][87]
    1966 Thunderbirds: Lost World John W. Jennison World Distributors On New Guinea, Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Tin-Tin are abducted by descendants of a lost but scientifically-advanced tribe allied with the Hood, who intends to wreak havoc with the natives' anti-gravity technology.[87][88]
    1966 Lady Penelope: Cool for Danger Kevin McGarry World Distributors Lady Penelope and Parker are embroiled in the initial stages of a coup d'état in the European state of Revonia, in part triggered by Penelope's arch-enemy Mr Steelman's desire for world domination.[88][89]
    1966 Lady Penelope: A Gallery of Thieves Kevin McGarry World Distributors Mr Steelman's latest scheme is to hold the galleries of the world to ransom by stealing unique works of art and replacing them with counterfeits.[89]
    1966 Thunderbirds: Ring of Fire "John Theydon" Armada Books Following a rescue at a disintegrating nuclear power station, Thunderbird 1 is caught in a volcanic eruption; the nuclear explosion has furthermore opened a fissure in the Earth's crust, threatening widespread destruction.[90]
    1966 Thunderbirds Are Go Angus P. Allan Armada Books Novelisation of the film Thunderbirds Are Go (1966).[58]
    1967 Lady Penelope: The Albanian Affair "John Theydon" Armada Books
    Century 21 Publishing     		Lady Penelope's mission to pursue a reporter who has photographed the Thunderbirds machines is complicated by the involvement of a criminal organisation intent on selling the images to a rogue Balkan state.[91]
    1992 Sun Probe Dave Morris Corgi Books Novelisation of the TV episode "Sun Probe" (1965).
    1992 The Uninvited Dave Morris Corgi Books Novelisation of the TV episode "The Uninvited" (1965).
    1992 Brink of Disaster Dave Morris Corgi Books Novelisation of the TV episode "Brink of Disaster" (1965).
    1992 Atlantic Inferno Dave Morris Corgi Books Novelisation of the TV episode "Atlantic Inferno" (1966).
    2008 Countdown to Action! Joan Marie Verba FTL Publications Highlights Jeff Tracy. ISBN 978-8-9653575-7-9.
    2008 Action Alert! Joan Marie Verba FTL Publications Highlights Scott Tracy. ISBN 978-0-9653575-8-6.
    2009 Deadly Danger! Joan Marie Verba FTL Publications Highlights Virgil Tracy. ISBN 978-0-9653575-9-3.
    2010 Situation: Critical! Joan Marie Verba FTL Publications Highlights John Tracy. ISBN 978-098252322-3.
    2011 Extreme Hazard! Joan Marie Verba FTL Publications Highlights Gordon Tracy. ISBN 978-193688101-7
    2012 Danger Zone! Joan Marie Verba FTL Publications Highlights Alan Tracy. ISBN 978-1-936881-08-6
    2012 Arctic Adventure Anthony Taylor FTL Publications Highlights Brains. ISBN 978-0-9825232-5-4.

    Comics

    A comic strip starring the characters of Lady Penelope and Parker, set at a time prior to their recruitment by International Rescue, debuted in the weekly AP Films Publishing children's title TV Century 21 in early 1965, several months before the transmission of "Trapped in the Sky".[92] A full-length Thunderbirds strip first appeared in the comic's 51st issue, published in January 1966; initially written by Alan Fennell, this mostly replaced the "Lady Penelope" strip, which moved to a newly-established sister comic of the same name.[92] Illustrated by Frank Bellamy, the strip was a centrepiece of TV Century 21 (later re-branded as TV 21) for 30 stories and 186 issues, until October 1969.[92]

    A Thunderbirds Annual was published by the re-branded Century 21 Publishing from 1966 to 1968, and a Lady Penelope version until 1969. Thunderbirds also featured in the parent TV Century 21/TV 21 annual until 1969; the same year, a joint Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds annual was published.[93]

    All the Bellamy-illustrated strips, as well as some strips that originally appeared in Lady Penelope, were re-printed in Fleetway Publications' Thunderbirds: The Comic between 1991 and 1994; various other re-prints had appeared in Polystyle Publications's Countdown (briefly titled TV Action + Countdown) and Thunderbirds Holiday Special series during the 1970s and 1980s.[92] In 1992, Ravette Books re-printed 13 strips in a graphic album series.[92]

    Video games

    In 1985, a Thunderbirds video game was released for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum; in the game, the player was required to explore an Egyptian-styled labyrinth using Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 2. In 1989, Grandslam Entertainment released a title for the Commodore 64 and Commodore Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MSX and ZX Spectrum.[94] In 1990, Activision released a NES version;[95] in 1993, a title by Super Famicom, subtitled Kokusou Kyuujotai Shutsudou Seyo!, was released in Japan only.

    SCi Games published a Game Boy Color game in 2000.[96] The following year, it further released a collection of Microsoft Windows themes and screensavers called "F.A.B Action Pack"[97] as well as a Game Boy Advance game titled Thunderbirds: International Rescue.[98] In 2004, another Game Boy Advance title was released by Vivendi Universal Games.[99] A new Thunderbirds video game was released in Europe for the PlayStation 2 on 6 July 2007;[100] the North American release was cancelled.[101]

    Home Video Releases

    In the 1980s and 1990s, then-rights holder Polygram and its subsidiaries issued a limited number of episodes on home video in the 1981 "Super Space Theater" format. Some episodes were released in pairs on VHS in the later 80's by Channel 5 video (not to be confused with the as then non-existent Channel 5 (UK) television channel). Digitally remastered by Carlton in 2000, Region 2 DVD's were finally released after a rights dispute was resolved. Region 1 DVD releases were published by A&E Home Video in 2001, with a "Complete Series" box set following in 2002; it was re-issued with thinner packaging in 2008. Thunderbirds has since been released on Blu-ray Disc - the Region B version is region-free and presents episodes in a widescreen 16:9, as opposed to the original 4:3, aspect ratio. A recent japanese Blu-ray set released by Geneon Universal features the episode in their original 4:3 aspect ratio[102], and is regarded as the best release to date.

    Release Title Media Format Country Region Release Date No. of Discs Picture Format Special Features
    Thunderbirds - The Complete Series DVD UK 2 2000, re-released in slimmer packaging in 2004 9 4:3 The Thunderbirds Companion, FAB Fact Files, Printable CD Rom Cross Sections, Featurettes, Original Artwork & Memorabilia, TV Commercials
    Thunderbirds - The Complete Series Blu-ray UK Free 2008 6 16:9
    Thunderbirds - Blu-ray Collectors Box Blu-ray Japan Free 2013 9 4:3 Collectors Booklet, The Thunderbirds Companion, FAB Fact Files, Featurettes, TBC

    Reception

    Nothing was as successful as Thunderbirds. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was very successful, but once you've had a smash hit, everything tends to look less successful in comparison.

    Gerry Anderson[60]

    Director David Lane considers Thunderbirds to be "really the ultimate Gerry Anderson programme".[60] In an essay about Anderson's science fiction, Jonathan Bignell argues that the title sequence of Thunderbirds – in which the main puppet cast's portraits are superimposed on images of the Thunderbirds machines, and their silhouettes colour-coded with the sashes on their uniforms – reflects Anderson's partiality to "visual revelation of machines and physical action".[103] Reflecting on the length and detail of the Thunderbird 1, 2 and 3 launch sequences, he identifies a "focus on vehicles", as well as a fixation on futuristic technology in general; to a certain extent, this is exploited to compensate for the limited mobility on the part of the Supermarionation puppets, which could not be made to walk convincingly on screen.[103] Jeff Evans, writer of The Penguin TV Companion, praises the show, saying "the format provided plenty of scope for character development and tension building."[104]


    The series' presentation of tobacco smoking was the subject of a study published in the medical journal Tobacco Control in 2002. Kate Hunt of the University of Glasgow records on-screen examples of tobacco consumption in 26 of Thunderbirds' 32 episodes, with "Martian Invasion" containing the highest number (eight). According to Hunt, smoking on the part of the primary puppet cast is "generally associated with high status, high self-esteem, social and sexual desirability, and pleasure and leisure". The character of Lady Penelope is shown to be a smoker in 10 of the 17 episodes in which she appears; by contrast, the three junior Tracy brothers (Alan, Gordon and John) appear to be non-smokers, possibly on account of their "lack of maturity, their isolation from peers, or the closeness of their family set-up". As for non-recurring minor characters, the selection and application of tobacco product is frequently a clear indication of social class, with high-ranking male characters likely to hold cigars in their hands, and characters "of most dubious social worth" sometimes puffing constantly on cigarettes fixed between their lips. Hunt further comments that Thunderbirds' attitude to women and smoking is difficult to ascertain due to the under-representation of female characters, a reflection of the "more marginal status of women in the mid-1960s"; Tin-Tin, a socially-ambiguous young woman, is seen to smoke in only one episode. Hunt determines that the depictions of smoking in Thunderbirds mostly "concur with the tobacco industry's efforts to associate tobacco consumption with glamour and success, health and wealth", adding that on occasion it is used to "'mark' 'baddies'". Furthermore, she concludes that Thunderbirds does not actively promote smoking, an opinion rejected by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation at the time of the series' 2000s re-launch on BBC Two.[105]

    When summing up the series, John Marriot in his book Thunderbirds Are Go, believes that "Thunderbirds has sparked the imagination of a world public like no other puppet series before or since."[106] When talking about the effect it has had on viewers, he believes "its influence, extending beyond millions of eager viewers has also been both technical and ideological."[106] Gerry Anderson agree, and also adds "it did excite a future generation of scientists and engineers, whose ideas have been shaped by the craft and their capabilities."[106]

    Current broadcast

    Today, the series is repeated on BBC Two in the UK and RTÉ Two in Ireland. Thunderbirds also has a considerable following in Japan, where it was first broadcast by NHK in 1966. Between 2000 and 2003, the satellite channel Boomerang UK broadcast episodes daily, ultimately showing the whole series of 32 episodes about 34 times. Thunderbirds was also syndicated on the now-defunct American cable network TechTV from 5 August 2002 to 20 June 2004; however, episodes were split into two 30-minute parts, and were filled with "pop-up trivia" and arrows pointing at various spots on the screen. It is currently shown in the United States in High Definition on Family Room, a VOOM TV network.

    In Australia, the Channel 9 Network screened the series many times from the 1970s to as recently as 2007 in a Saturday morning timeslot, and on weekdays during school holidays. Thunderbirds has also aired on Channel 9's second digital station Go! on Saturday mornings, and the original (uncut) series was repeated several times on the Foxtel cable network in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Most recently, Foxtel has broadcast Thunderbirds on the SF Channel on weekdays.

    Modernising attempts

    Main article: Thunderbirds 2086

    The 1980s Japanese anime TV series Kagaku Kyuujo-Tai TechnoVoyager (Scientific Rescue Team TechnoVoyager) – dubbed for and exported to Anglophone countries as Thunderbirds 2086 – is based on Thunderbirds[61] but written with a stronger emphasis on futuristic technology. In this re-imagining of the 1960s series, developed without Gerry Anderson's involvement, International Rescue is stationed within a colossal arcology, operates 17 Thunderbird vehicles, and employs personnel from many different backgrounds.[107] Distributed by ITC under the supervision of Robert Mandell,[61] Thunderbirds 2086 comprised 24 episodes and was broadcast in the UK in 1986.[107]

    In the early 1990s, the Fox Broadcasting Company broadcast Thunderbirds (re-styled Thunderbirds USA) on its Fox Kids programming block.[63] To familiarise American audiences with the series premise prior to the planned release of a feature-length film (then expected to appear in 1995), and in response to the success of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–95) and other popular children's programmes, ITC edited 13 of the original episodes to fill a half-hour timeslot (co-incidentally, the running time of the first episodes as they were originally produced in 1964) and overlaid new opening titles, music and character voices (provided by American actors).[63] A limited number of re-edited episodes were subsequently released on home video.

    The "Hack Masters", Tripp and Roxette, of the short-lived Turbocharged Thunderbirds (1994–95)

    From 18 December 1994, Thunderbirds was syndicated in a brand-new format under the title Turbocharged Thunderbirds.[64] Co-produced by PolyGram and Bohbot, the re-working preserved most of Fox's editing while adding live-action footage of two Californian teenagers – Tripp (Travis Wester) and Roxette (Johna Stewart), nicknamed the "Hack Masters" – who are drawn into the year 2096 of a parallel universe and ally themselves with simulated life-forms (played, via stock footage, by the original puppet characters) that inhabit the planet "Thunder-World" against the villainous "Atrocimator" (voiced by Tim Curry).[64] The main characters' dialogue includes such exclamations as "Booyah!", "Cowabunga!" and "Don't have a cow!".[64] One series of 13 episodes aired in the United States; Turbocharged Thunderbirds has never been broadcast in the UK.[65] Anderson publicly expressed disapproval of the series and asked the programme-makers to remove his name from the production credits.[65]

    In 2000, Thunderbirds was re-mastered with Dolby Surround Sound for DVD release. To draw maximum benefit from the 5.1 audio, the new sound mix included additional contemporary sound effects and foley (mainly explosions, aircraft noise, and other mechanical noise) inserted on top of the original track at suitable points. Anderson, who had received no royalties from the distribution of the series since signing away the rights in the 1960s, was hired as "re-mastering consultant", and the DVDs were released in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia in 2002. Thunderbirds has also been released on Blu-ray Disc, panned and scanned vertically to a 16:9 aspect ratio.

    Revival attempts

    Prior to the 2013 announcement of the official re-make, Gerry Anderson made several attempts to resurrect Thunderbirds. In 1976, in association with Star Trek and Space: 1999 producer Fred Freiberger, he developed Inter-Galactic Rescue 4 for the American NBC network; the series was to have been filmed in live action and followed the adventures of a variable-configuration air, sea and space rescue vehicle, Rescue 4.[61] Century 21 Productions regulars Reg Hill, Brian Johnson and Martin Bower contributed to the pre-production design work, but the 13-episode proposal was ultimately rejected by NBC.[61] In 1984, after the production of Terrahawks had been completed, Anderson conceived T-Force, an updating of Thunderbirds that would have transferred International Rescue's base of operations to a submarine.[108] In 1993, this concept was further developed under the title G-Force, and later GFI (an abbreviation of Gee Force Intergalactic, the rescue organisation that was to have appeared instead of International Rescue).[63] The flagship of the G-Force fleet was to have been the spacecraft Galaxy, which housed a factory capable of manufacturing vehicles and equipment specialised to fulfil the requirements of any rescue mission.[63] Although plans for T-Force had prematurely collapsed due to a lack of funding, one of the 13 planned episodes of GFI – "Warning Warning", written by Tony Barwick – was filmed, combining traditional cel animation (for character sequences) and CGI (for vehicles).[63] The former, which was provided by a Russian animation studio, was of poor quality, and when it was determined that re-working and upgrading the footage would render the series cost-prohibitive, production on GFI was cancelled.[63]

    In September 2005, a QuickTime video file titled Thunderbirds IR appeared on P2P networks. It opened with music by Barry Gray and clips of the original Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 4 launchings, before shifting to scenes from a new Thunderbirds series, to be produced by Carlton Television. The trailer, produced using a combination of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and puppetry, included scenes showing a re-designed Thunderbird 1, Scott Tracy, the Hood, and the rescue of a falling lighthousekeeper. Scott was seen to walk, and perform a backflip (making the tongue-in-cheek quip "Look, no strings!"). The series was developed with Asylum responsible for puppet work and set design and The Mill for CGI. Gerry Anderson, after meeting the Carlton team in the early days of development, gave the project his blessing; however, when Carlton merged with Granada plc, work on the series was postponed indefinitely.[109]

    On 29 August 2008, The Sun announced that Anderson was planning to produce a new CGI version of Thunderbirds and that he was in discussions with ITV for the rights to the original series.[110] Although Anderson expressed his belief that such a series would eventually be produced with his involvement, ITV refused to return the rights in 2008 and 2009.[111][112][113] On 11 January 2011, a new series of Thunderbirds was announced by Anderson during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live. Anderson stated that he was unable to reveal many details because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement, but that the production of the series was assured and that it would be made in CGI, with modernised characters and vehicles. In the 15 January edition of The Sun, he said that he had yet to script the first episode, but that he had "fleshed it out" in his mind.[114]

    New series (2013)

    Anderson died on 26 December 2012, initially leaving the future of the new series uncertain. However, a press release issued on 4 February 2013 confirmed that ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures planned to re-invent Thunderbirds as twenty-six 30-minute episodes, using a mixture of computer animation and live-action model sets, for CITV. It was expected to be broadcast in 2015, the original series' semi-centennial year.[115]

    References, parodies and imitations

    Thunderbirds-themed exhibition in London's Trafalgar Square in 2004

    Film, TV and radio

    South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker produced the puppet film Team America: World Police (2004), whose marionette comedy was heavily inspired by the idiosyncrasies of Supermarionation techniques. Stone and Parker stated that, while they were not particular fans of Thunderbirds (having grown up only after the 1960s), they admired its visual style: "What's made it last is the time and care that the people who did that show put into the marionettes".[116] The Wallace and Gromit short film A Close Shave (1995), made by Aardman Animations, contains a prominent homage to Thunderbirds: after the character of Wallace receives a telephone call for window-cleaning services, his method of transferring from his living room to his garage and onto his motorcycle, and subsequently out into the street, is similar to that used by Virgil Tracy to access and launch Thunderbird 2.

    In the 1960s BBC comedy TV series Not Only... But Also, starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, a sketch titled "Superthunderstingcar" was performed. This was a parody of Thunderbirds as well as other Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced puppet series, including Supercar and Stingray). The 1980s Australian comedy series The D-Generation included a Thunderbirds-themed sketch featuring live actors pretending to be string puppets; it was performed a number of times during the series' run, every time with a different storyline – one example being "Thunderbirds Pizza", which has the crew managing an worldwide pizza-delivery business. In 1987, Shane Rimmer, Matt Zimmerman and David Graham reprised the voices of Scott Tracy, Alan Tracy and Parker for a comedy mini-series transmitted on BBC Radio 2 in support of the November Children in Need telethon.[108]

    A 1994 episode of the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous features the Lady Penelope puppet in a dream sequence that draws its basis from the character of Edina undergoing surgery: Penelope informs Edina that she is dying, but that Brains is working on a chemical formula to save her life. In the United States, MTV broadcast an adult-situation parody of Thunderbirds, Super Adventure Team, in 1998. The design of the CGI characters in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–13) is inspired by Thunderbirds,[117] as is the premise of the Warren Ellis comic book Global Frequency (2002).[118]

    Advertising campaigns

    In 1990, Gerry Anderson filmed a car insurance TV advert for Swinton Insurance titled "Parker's Day Off", in which Lady Penelope, at the wheel of FAB 1, drives dangerously and requires rescue by Parker in Thunderbird 2.[108] The title character was played by the original Parker marionette, kept by Anderson since the 1960s and worked by original series puppet operator Christine Glanville.[108]

    In 1993, a Thunderbirds-themed advert for the Kit Kat chocolate bar was broadcast. This included the original "5–4–3–2–1!" countdown (re-recorded by a new voice actor) and shots of all the machines taking off except Thunderbird 1 – in the cockpit, Scott was, to honour the product's slogan, "having a break" with a Kit Kat. Meanwhile, a cantankerous Jeff repeatedly ordered Scott to launch: "Thunderbirds! GO!"

    In 2001, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) made use of Thunderbirds in an advert prompting drivers to pay their road tax on time: Lady Penelope snipped Parker's strings for accidentally allowing FAB 1's wheels to be clamped. The same year, Travelcare produced an advert with the tagline "We'll tell you what the brochures won't": two girls in a swimming pool were disturbed as the floor started to slide away; as Thunderbird 1 blasted off, they were revealed to be on Tracy Island, and narrowly avoided incineration by the rocket exhaust.

    Billboard for the 1989 production of Thunderbirds FAB in London

    In 2008, Specsavers produced an advert starring the characters of Virgil Tracy and the Hood to promote its newly-launched "Reaction" lenses. Made using the same production techniques employed by the original production crew, it was published on the official Specsavers YouTube page and screened on commercial TV. This mini-adventure saw Virgil, wearing a jet pack, being chased by the Hood over a mountain pass. When Virgil flew out of a tunnel into the dazzling sunshine, his Specsavers lenses immediately darkened to protect his vision; the Hood was not so fortunate and, blinded by the light, crashed in a fireball into the mountainside.

    Another late-2000s advert, released by Britvic to advertise its product Drench! water, featured Brains dancing to the 1992 song "Rhythm Is a Dancer". Half-way through, he rested and drank some Drench! before resuming the dance, and the advert finished with the slogan "Brains perform best when they're hydrated". The official "Stay Drenched!" website hosted a making-of video revealing that Brains' movements were supplied by a combination of live-action puppetry, motion capture and CGI.

    Miscellaneous

    The mission of the International Rescue organisation inspired the foundation of the Red Cross-funded International Rescue Corps, originally a brigade of British firefighters who volunteered their humanitarian services to the Italian authorities in the aftermath of the Irpinia earthquake.[61] Still operational, the charity has since assisted at disaster zones in various other countries.[61] Meanwhile, the British railway operator Virgin Trains employs a group of 16 Class 57/3 diesel locomotives primarily for "rescue" duties, towing electric Pendolino trains in the event of breakdowns or unexpected detours onto non-electrified lines; all 16 trains are named after Thunderbirds characters or machines.

    In 1984, mime artists Andrew Dawson and Gavin Robertson devised a Thunderbirds stage show, Thunderbirds: F.A.B., which went on to surpass West End sales records at the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, London.[107][119] Also featuring the title character of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and with Dawson and Robertson performing all the parts themselves (including, via helmets, the Thunderbirds machines), the original show toured internationally and popularised a style of movement that became known as the "Thunderbirds walk".[119]

    Virgin Trains' Class 57 locomotive "57301 Scott Tracy"

    The show was re-launched in 1991 as Thunderbirds: F.A.B. – The Next Generation, incorporating additional characters from Stingray and Captain Scarlet, and with actors Wayne Forester and Paul Kent replacing Dawson and Robertson.[119] In a flyer for the 2001 tour, Dawson stated, "Every time Thunderbirds returns [to British TV] people call us up and ask us if we are still doing the show. We try to re-create everything that everyone loves about Thunderbirds in a live show – the noises, the funny puppet walk. Anyone who has ever seen Thunderbirds – and there can't be many people who haven't – will enjoy the show." Before the success of Thunderbirds: F.A.B., from 1974 to 1975, the company Stage Three – whose founders included Thunderbirds puppeteer Christine Glanville – presented a Thunderbirds rod puppet stage show at Bournemouth Pier and Woodville Halls Theatre in Gravesend, among other venues.[120][61]

    Gerry Anderson directed the music video for the Dire Straits single "Calling Elvis" (1991), which incorporates a mixture of new footage of Thunderbirds-style puppets (some with likenesses of the band members), old material from the original 1960s episodes, and clips of the band in performance.[63] Australian band TISM released a single titled "Thunderbirds Are Coming Out" (1998); the music video focuses on a socially-awkward teenager who sees the Thunderbird machines on TV and is immediately impressed – thereafter, he is inspired to conform to the norms of adolescent life.

    References

    Footnotes

    1. ^ a b c Bignell, p. 76.
    2. ^ Bentley, p. 42.
    3. ^ a b c Bentley, p. 81.
    4. ^ a b Bentley, p. 96.
    5. ^ a b Bentley, p. 99.
    6. ^ a b c d Bentley, p. 95.
    7. ^ Evidence for both sides of the year debate at http://www.tracyislandchronicles.com/lab/foundry/datedebate/datedebate.html (Retrieved 1 January 2011).
    8. ^ a b c Bentley, p. 92.
    9. ^ Bentley, p. 52.
    10. ^ Bentley, p. 53.
    11. ^ Marriot, p. 18.
    12. ^ Bentley, p. 54.
    13. ^ Marriot, p. 20.
    14. ^ Bentley, p. 55.
    15. ^ Marriot, p. 23.
    16. ^ Bentley, p. 56.
    17. ^ Marriot, p. 22.
    18. ^ Bentley, p. 57.
    19. ^ Marriot, p. 21.
    20. ^ Bignell, p. 77.
    21. ^ Bentley, p. 58.
    22. ^ Bentley, p. 44.
    23. ^ Bentley, cover lining.
    24. ^ "Ask Gerry Anderson: His Answers". BBC News Online. 2 November 2000. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
    25. ^ Theydon, John (1966). Thunderbirds. Armada Books.
    26. ^ Bentley, p. 45.
    27. ^ Bentley, p. 51.
    28. ^ Bentley, p. 46.
    29. ^ Bentley, p. 47.
    30. ^ Bentley, p. 48.
    31. ^ Bentley, p. 49.
    32. ^ Marriot, p. 81.
    33. ^ "FABmail" in FAB, Issue #65, March 2010.
    34. ^ Marriot, p. 16.
    35. ^ Bentley, p. 6.
    36. ^ Bentley, p. 7.
    37. ^ [1]
    38. ^ a b c d Bentley, p. 12.
    39. ^ a b c d e f g Bentley, p. 13.
    40. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bentley, p. 16.
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    42. ^ a b Bentley, p. 86.
    43. ^ a b c Bentley, p. 26.
    44. ^ a b c Bignell, p. 75.
    45. ^ Character biographies: Bentley, pp. 52–61.
    46. ^ Bentley, p. 63.
    47. ^ 10 Things We Didn't Know Last Week - BBC News, November 2005
    48. ^ Profile published in the Insight between 2001 and 2004 - Voice of the Speaking Clock
    49. ^ The 22 April 2008 edition of BBC One's University Challenge attributed the voice-over to Cobby.
    50. ^ "In 1965, I did one of my most famous voice-overs: the countdown for Thunderbirds." - Waitrose Food Illustrated, October 2002
    51. ^ Gerry Anderson: "Ask Anderson" in FAB News, Issue 58 (Vol. 12, No. 2), p. 11.
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    53. ^ a b Bentley, p. 14.
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    66. ^ "FAB: The Genius of Gerry Anderson". Stamp Magazine
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    68. ^ http://www.fanderson.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=658
    69. ^ All About Thunderbirds - BBC Four Documentary http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008lz78
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    71. ^ a b Bentley, p. 101.
    72. ^ a b Bentley, p. 102.
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    86. ^ a b Bentley, p. 110.
    87. ^ a b Bentley, p. 111.
    88. ^ a b Bentley, p. 112.
    89. ^ a b Bentley, p. 113.
    90. ^ Bentley, p. 114.
    91. ^ Bentley, p. 115.
    92. ^ a b c d e Bentley, p. 104.
    93. ^ Bentley, p. 108.
    94. ^ http://www.mobygames.com/game/thunderbirds_ Thunderbirds game from Grandslam Entertainment.
    95. ^ "Thunderbirds for NES (1990)". MobyGames. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
    96. ^ "Thunderbirds for Game Boy Color (2000)". MobyGames. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
    97. ^ "Thunderbirds: F.A.B. Action Pack for Windows (2001)". MobyGames. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
    98. ^ "Thunderbirds: International Rescue for Game Boy Advance (2001)". MobyGames. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
    99. ^ "Thunderbirds for Game Boy Advance (2004)". MobyGames. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
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    101. ^ "IGN: Thunderbirds". Ps2.ign.com. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
    102. ^ Geneon Universal Blu-ray Promo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXJ8IQh2qww
    103. ^ a b Bignell, p. 78.
    104. ^ Evans, Jeff (2003). The Penguin TV Companion. Penguin Books. p. 721. ISBN 978-0-141012-21-6.
    105. ^ Hunt, Kate (2002). "Re-Evaluating Smoking and Gender in Thunderbirds 35 Years On". Tobacco Control. 11 (2). New York City: BMJ Publishing Group: 151–53. doi:10.1136/tc.11.2.151. ISSN 1468-3318. OCLC 645295997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
    106. ^ a b c Marriott, John (1992). Thunderbirds Are Go!. London: Boxtree. p. 88. ISBN 1-85283-164-2.
    107. ^ a b c Bentley, p. 118.
    108. ^ a b c d Bentley, p. 120.
    109. ^ David Freedman (19 June 2005). "Thunderbirds Are Still Not Go". Blogspot. Archived from the original on 4 June 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
    110. ^ Collin Robertson, "Thunderbirds Are Back!" in The Sun, 29 August 2008.
    111. ^ "Talking Shop: Gerry Anderson". BBC News Online. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
    112. ^ Jane Fryer (11 July 2009). "TV bosses? Total idiots. Lady Penelope? Don't get me started. Outspoken Thunderbirds genius Gerry Anderson and the TV comeback that may not happen". The Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
    113. ^ Saturday, 11 July 2009, 12:51 BST (11 July 2009). "Thunderbirds Creator Blasts ITV". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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    Bibliography

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