I Like EOS, Sun Probe and the Thunderbirds 2004 movie. I hope there is a Thunderbirds 2015 season 4 series about the Tracy family adjusting to their father coming back.
How many careers in engineering, flying and innovation did this series inspire. I know it did mine and many of many of my contemporaries. God bless you Gerry Anderson.
The attention to detail with regards to engineering, they talked about hydraulic system failure, electrical systems failure etc etc what was I thinking of as a 9 year old boy when they talked about that stuff. Still I ended up being an engineer too and this TV series was a major reason why that happened.
Let me say this you guys and girls in those days were brilliant to create a show like this 4 young and old that we all love till this day thank u so much 🥰🥰🥰🥰
For me, apart from the model technology (wondrous for boys of all ages), one of the best elements of the show was the music written by Barry Gray. His work was mercilessly plundered by John Williams in Star Wars. Gray's Thunderbirds Overture was played by military bands all over the world. Brilliant stuff.
I was thinking about the music and sound effects too. Would love to know what synthesizers they used, and who played them. How did they record the sound effects and voice overs, and mix everything down?
@@TheScreamingFrog916 Synthesizers? How very dare you! 😆 It's a proper brass band playing the music. It was recorded in the middle 60s, after all. Way before electronic music was a thing.
But electronic/synth sounds were around and used in many movies, before that. Are you sure there were no synthesizers used in the production of Thunderbirds?
@@TheScreamingFrog916 Only if you had the time and resources to build and program the synthesizer yourself. Like Walter/Wendy Carlos, who released "Switched On Bach" at about the same time. Jerry Anderson did not have the luxury of being able to develop new technology from scratch, and he had to work to a fixed budget. The BBC, y'know.
Wonderful and quite shocking to think that this was a TV series made for CHILDREN, even if grown-ups loved it too. In a completely analogue world, it was fantastic. Look at the care, skill and imagination that went into it. No computers, no digital image manipulation, no slick editing software, no CGI... I remember being thrilled by the music, too. It was all done for kids, but it's just as stirring and evocative now as it was then. And no messing about with weedy little guitars and plinky-plonk piano backing - we got huge meaty compositions and full orchestration, no expense spared. Brilliant. Just brilliant. 😁
See Doctor Who. See Quatermass. The Brits assumed that their audience was intelligent. US usually produces for the least common denominator, the barbarian deep south.
I watched that first episode in 1965, absolutely enthralled as a 6 year old. It planted a seed in my young mind and resulted in a 40 year career in aerospace and defence. Listening to Anderson describe the project management of the series squared the circle for me. It's no surprise that's my speciality. The miniatures of each vehicle sit on my windowsill. All by God's grace with a little help from Thunderbirds.
My SO and I grew up watching in the 60s. Our children used to watch on Saturday mornings in the late 80s early 90s. Now our grandchildren watch this and Captain Scarlet.
The experience of watching and sharing "Thunderbirds" is one is one of the treasures of my childhood. The Bank of England robbery by Lady Penelope was my favourite
It's seems incredible, but after all this years ago, The Thunderbirds still being a TVshow that many of us enjoy more than many of the actual series. A salute from Mexico.
Gerry and Sylvia, with Reg and Bob were the "Brains", The voice cast were the life and Derek Meddings 's team made it happen.. This was, and still is, some of the best quality work ever done for TV.. Thanks to everyone involved .......... Favourite episodes start with " End of the road ", "Path of destruction, Brink of disaster, The Cham-cham and all of the rest.. Astounding work (If you don't agree, try making something better. No one has yet.)?
Can't believe it's 55 years, and I can remember them when they weren't repeats! Feeling old now, thanks..! 😁 Favourite episode, "Trapped in the Sky". Favourite Thunderbird, 2 (has to be!) Favourite character, Parker.
Really good documentary here - I'm glad more light was shown on the mining disaster that was "Thunderbirds' Genesis". After listening to those news reels, it honestly DOES feel like an International Rescue situation! And listening to Gerry Anderson recall the details of every production choice and explaining his decisions was F.A.B!
I loved Thunderbirds as a kid, my dad worked for a fabrication company just round the corner from Stirling Rd and did structural metalwork for the water tanks they filmed in.😁👍
Thunderbirds was my official introduction to the Worlds Of Gerry Anderson back in November 1991 when I was 5 years old, so it is hard to pick a favourite episode as all of them are great and very entertaining. However, my favourite character is Virgil Tracy, simply because he's the pilot of Thunderbird 2 - my favourite Thunderbird craft. :)
Same I was the exact age and remember seeing the repeats in 1991. I was hooked for the next year and remember Blue Peter telling you how to make your own Tracy Island.
Thank You Dad for showing Thunderbirds to me when I was younger! Thank you to Gerry Anderson and his fantastic production team that have made Thunderbirds GO!
I've just started watching Thunderbirds again after a 45 year hiatus and it is amazing how much I remember from all that time ago! Such an exciting and dynamic TV show, really quite extraordinary and genuine edge of your seat stuff! So much of it is iconic, from the music to the characters to the Thunderbirds (we all know 2 is the best!). I used to have all the Dinky Thunderbird toys, sadly long gone..
Thunderbirds was my favourite TV show as a kid. I was 4 in 1965 and when the show was first broadcast it was an instant hit with me and my friends. We were in competition to see who could collect all the Thunderbird themed toys. I had T1, 2 & 3. I was taken to see the movie at the local cinema- a major event for all the kids at school! Of course it was great many years later to see my own sin's generation fall in love with the same shows when it was rerun on UK TV during the 80s and 90s.
I remember watching that first episode and how freakin awesome the Fireflash landing was back then……and still is! The fact that it aired at 7pm in the evening, suggests that Thunderbirds wasn’t ever entirely aimed at children. The fact that old fogies like me still enjoy it, Is testament to that.
When I was a kid I loved Supercar. I was thrilled to see that UA-cam has this series. I watched every show and thought, "How could I have loved this show so much?" 60 or so years later, it doesn't have the same thrill. But I still love the Supercar theme song 😀
I recently watched every Supercar,i think it still stands up but it was aimed at our age group and i loved the nostalgia element,but our ages meant we got to watch AP films develop into shows like Stingray and Thunderbirds,for me Captain Scarlet was the pinnacle of Supermarionation and storytelling,we were spoiled back in the day.
I was a kid back in ‘65 and Thunderbirds was just the most exciting and amazing program - we all used to do impressions in school playground of the craft flying around, bought the Dinky models, had a badge and a hat! I’ve never lost my love of it and what has been so wonderful in later years, especially with the Gerry Anderson podcast is to find out about all the amazing people, including Gerry himself, that worked so hard with love to make so many programs So important to me, but especially Thunderbirds. They were responsible for most of my best TV memories. Thank you all.
Stephen Watson Me too Stephen! Thunderbird 1 pilot was my career goal! Once sat next the Sean Rimmer (Scott Tracey voice) at a dinner and it was great!
I remember 'Supercar', 'Fireball XL5' & 'Thundrrbirds' when I was a kid. Even then I was amazed at the sets, costumes, and models used to make those episodes. Incredible difficult work!
I think this show, which I was watching in 1998 in french, launched my appetite and carrer in model making, and many interests I have now, from science-fiction and cinema to piloting and electronics. Thanks Gerry Anderson.
What gets me most is how, not one of the reboots has been able to improve on the iconic designs of Thunderbirds and the overall direction. I still watch the Fireflash landing every now and then, it’s just so freakin’ cool……the directing, the music. Wonderful!
Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet oh man these were so cool. The attention to detail was incredible and more than fed the imagination. Bless the Andersons for some very fond memories 🤍
I wish we knew more about Derek Meddings. He was the true genius of thunderbirds, as he brought Gerry’s ideas to life. Him being fully responsible for Thunderbird 2 as we now know it based on a basic concept by Gerry is total genius. Interchangeable pods!!! WOW! I understand Derek Meddings had a hand in the special effects for Star Wars as well?
My favourite character was, of course, Jeff Tracy. My favourite episode was Trapped in the... no wait, Sun Pro... no wait, Operation Crash... no wait, Terror in New... no wait, The Uninvi... this question has no answer.
It's impossible to pick a favourite. I loved Thunderbirds when I was a wee boy. But I enjoyed even more watching Thunderbirds and Stingray, Captain Scarlett, UFO and Space 1999 with my own sons when they were little. I'm sure they'll do the same with their own kids when they come along. I hope Gerry and Sylvia realise the impact they've had and continue to have on kids of all ages. FAB!
These folks were fabulous. I loved all of their stories and series. The sets were very well done as well. Thank you for bringing these heroes to us as youngsters and giving us something to look forward to in a difficult time growing up.
And to think, most of the sets, puppets and the amazing Thunderbirds craft, ended up in skip bins when the studio in Slough shut down. If all of this was still available today, it would be making millions traveling the world.
I was there, in front of the goggle box, on 30/9/1965 to watch that first airing. Back in those days kids used to have scrap books full of clippings from magazines and papers, for whatever was popular or of personal interest. I had been collecting said clippings in advance of the first show and was dead keen to watch. I even had E.P.s (long playing 7 inch vinyl) of some episodes, including the Fireflash story.
I absolutely adore Thunderbirds. Brings back good memories watching it with my dad in the afternoons on the BBC, we had a book which described all the episodes and things to look out for and we used to look for all the gaffs and laugh when we could point out continuity errors. I miss him.
Favourite craft is Thunderbirds 2 with all its rescue vehicles. Favourite pilot is Scott voiced by Shane Rimmer. His vocals was so recognisable in dramas & films. R.I.P.
My Dad watched this as a kid in the 60s. He grew up in Queens, New York in the early 60s when this show was on the air. In the early 2000s, while I was downstairs playing with some of my toys at the age of four, he showed me this on a VHS tape that he had recorded the first three episodes on it: Trapped in the Sky, Pit of Peril and City of Fire on the small TV he had set up to watch videos. It was recorded when it was shown briefly on a rerun in 1992. Since then, I have been a lifelong fan of the Thunderbirds. I have the Tracy Island playset, a Scott Tracy doll that is currently next to my Simpsons and Yoda doll, my Mom made me and an old friend sashes from the show, we had made plastic guns to look like the show's ones, the models and I have the DVD Mega Set. Same with Captain Scarlet. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson really outdid themselves by creating these shows. They never get old and even despite the 60s feel to the original shows, it never feels dated. And it predicted a ton of things as well. Thunderbirds Forever!
The amount of imagination,creativity and art that went into these is astounding.Loved both Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet.They where simply unique and a great spectacle to watch all the models and sets blown up.There was no one else like the Andersons
I started with Twizzle and Torchie, skipped 4FF and came back to Supercar, XL5. Stingray and Thunderbirds. Wonderful stuff. I just watched the CGI 2015 version of the Fireflash episode today on ITV. FAB Mr Anderson.
FAB! Thanks for putting this up. Never knew what the inspiration was for the creation of Thunderbirds, so this has been an education. Great to hear Gerry Anderson talking about the background to the making of the episodes as well. It was groundbreaking in so many ways and led to many careers in the film and special effects industry. It also fired the imaginations of so many children and the stories are so well told they withstand repeated viewing. Thank you Gerry, Sylvia and everyone else involved for all the years of pleasure and joy you have given me and many others over the last 50 odd years!!
I love how much technology was in Thunderbirds which we see in use today video calling, mobile phone, mobile computing, tree Harvester, road paving machine , monorail, stacking carparks tunnel boring machine, etc
Now I understand a lot of my questions about the show. For example, the first several episodes are action model-driven adventures, but around mid season we see a lot more character driven spy thriller stuff. Knowing that they were trying to cut corners after the first 9 or so makes a lot of sense now. They just didn't have the time for great set piece rocket adventures at that time.
Impossible to pick a favourite episode but I do love Trapped in the Sky and The Cham-Cham, especially the part where Thunderbird 2 is trying to slow down the cable car.
A fascinating and interesting video about this wonderful t v series from the unique creative team of the Anderson’s. Like so many their creations were just so entertaining and unforgettable. My earliest memories are Stingray, Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet Space 1999, Joe 90 and probably my favourite, UFO that mixed real actors with animation. Brilliant stuff
Thought Penelope’s Rolls was the most gorgeous, glamorous, futuristic thing imaginable. The dual wheels in the front were so unusual. Vintage episodes of Coronation Street featured Shane Rimmer and Paul Maxwell. It’s a howl to hear Steve Zodiac and Joe Donnelly’s voices come out of live men.
My favourite episodes are : 'Trapped In The Sky' - when we first met the FireFlash 'Pit Of Peril' - we first met The Mole. 'Ricochet' - very funny meeting with one "Rick (gunshot sound) O'Shea' My all-time favourite Thunderbird - has to be Thunderbird 2 & always wanted to be Virgil !
I remembered Thunderbirds, I've watched the series back in the 90 when I was a kid and at the time I wasn't aware the series was from the 60's. My favourite episodes are: "City of Fire", "Sun Probe", "The Mighty Atom", "Vault of Death", "The Perils of Penelope", "Terror in New York City", "Edge of Impact", "30 Minutes After Noon", "The Man From MI.5", "Cry Wolf", "Danger at Ocean Deep", "Move - And You're Dead", "The Duchess Assignment", "Brink of Disaster", "Attack of the Alligators!", "Martian Invasion", "The Cham-Cham", "Path of Destruction" and "Atlantic Inferno".
What a wonderful show. Spent many an hour watching Thunderbirds with my brother while visiting Nan and Pop in Kilburn London UK in the early 70s. Great memories!
Wonderful to hear Gerry’s own words describing the beginnings of Thunderbirds and the behind the scenes of AP and his relationship with Lee Grade. Brilliant stuff 😎😎👍👍 The “special behind the scenes touches” making it as an American picture, pure genius and some so subtle that Id never even have thought of. Gerry really was ahead of his time.
I also saw it first run in 1965 as a 6 year old. Was riveted to the 17 inch black and white tv set. Interesting that at 20:55 TB1 is headed downhill toward the ground and the clouds slope downhill as well. LOL
I loved this series as a kid in the 60's, one thing I seem to remember which seemed perfectly normal then but would be frowned upon now is I seem to remember in some of the scenes certain characters were actually smoking. Thank you for posting this video and bringing back good memories.
Virgil in particular was pretty much a chain smoker. Any scene on Tracy Island would feature Virgil, puffing away. But in the 60s, it was perfectly normal. Lady P used a long cigarette holder so as not to stain the fingers. Anyone who was "a bit rough" would have a cigarette super-glued to one corner of the mouth.
What's your favourite episode of Thunderbirds? Who is your favourite character? Let us know and celebrate Thunderbirds Day 2020 with us!
My favorite episode is Pit Of Peril
Favorite episode: Pit of Peril
Favorite character: Scott Tracy (R.I.P. Shane Rimmer)
Attack of the alligators and Brains is my favourite character.
I Like EOS, Sun Probe and the Thunderbirds 2004 movie. I hope there is a Thunderbirds 2015 season 4 series about the Tracy family adjusting to their father coming back.
My favorite episode: Terror in New York City.
My favorite character: Scott and Parker.
That show was so ahead of its time we still have not seen anything like it.
Telling a story about first responders it doesn't get better than that Gerry truly is a genius
One could argue Thunderbirds was the greatest TV production of the 20th Century.
It was then and still is today !!!!
Certainly by far the best TV production aimed at children
One could also argue that this is nonsense, and with a good deal more credibility.
When on a degree course I was asked to name the best TV series of all time. I said “Thunderbirds”.
@@LordOfLight ok, and....go!
How many careers in engineering, flying and innovation did this series inspire. I know it did mine and many of many of my contemporaries. God bless you Gerry Anderson.
Michael Alexander Likewise, brother!
Yup. I admired the way the women were always held up as being smart. Grandma, Tin Tin, Lady Penelope. They were ahead of their time
My inspiration was to build models, plastic scale models, architectural models, etc...
The attention to detail with regards to engineering, they talked about hydraulic system failure, electrical systems failure etc etc what was I thinking of as a 9 year old boy when they talked about that stuff. Still I ended up being an engineer too and this TV series was a major reason why that happened.
@@derekfrederick2180 Same! That and project Apollo 👍❤️❤️
Let me say this you guys and girls in those days were brilliant to create a show like this 4 young and old that we all love till this day thank u so much 🥰🥰🥰🥰
I named my 4-month-old Virgil. Can't wait until he's old enough to watch Thunderbirds!
This comment is now 3 years old. I hope Virgil is enjoying the episodes as much as we do.
Another example of a project landing in the perfect time, with the perfect tech, perfect international relations, perfect team, etc... amazing show
For me, apart from the model technology (wondrous for boys of all ages), one of the best elements of the show was the music written by Barry Gray. His work was mercilessly plundered by John Williams in Star Wars. Gray's Thunderbirds Overture was played by military bands all over the world. Brilliant stuff.
I was thinking about the music and sound effects too.
Would love to know what synthesizers they used, and who played them.
How did they record the sound effects and voice overs, and mix everything down?
@@TheScreamingFrog916 Synthesizers? How very dare you! 😆 It's a proper brass band playing the music. It was recorded in the middle 60s, after all. Way before electronic music was a thing.
But electronic/synth sounds were around and used in many movies, before that.
Are you sure there were no synthesizers used in the production of Thunderbirds?
@@TheScreamingFrog916 Only if you had the time and resources to build and program the synthesizer yourself. Like Walter/Wendy Carlos, who released "Switched On Bach" at about the same time. Jerry Anderson did not have the luxury of being able to develop new technology from scratch, and he had to work to a fixed budget. The BBC, y'know.
@@davidfawcett3144 Gerry Anderson*
Wonderful and quite shocking to think that this was a TV series made for CHILDREN, even if grown-ups loved it too. In a completely analogue world, it was fantastic. Look at the care, skill and imagination that went into it. No computers, no digital image manipulation, no slick editing software, no CGI...
I remember being thrilled by the music, too. It was all done for kids, but it's just as stirring and evocative now as it was then. And no messing about with weedy little guitars and plinky-plonk piano backing - we got huge meaty compositions and full orchestration, no expense spared.
Brilliant. Just brilliant. 😁
See Doctor Who. See Quatermass. The Brits assumed that their audience was intelligent. US usually produces for the least common denominator, the barbarian deep south.
I was a little boy when this was on, man I love ❤ this show.
I watched that first episode in 1965, absolutely enthralled as a 6 year old.
It planted a seed in my young mind and resulted in a 40 year career in aerospace and defence. Listening to Anderson describe the project management of the series squared the circle for me. It's no surprise that's my speciality. The miniatures of each vehicle sit on my windowsill.
All by God's grace with a little help from Thunderbirds.
Respect Sir
My SO and I grew up watching in the 60s. Our children used to watch on Saturday mornings in the late 80s early 90s. Now our grandchildren watch this and Captain Scarlet.
Me too.
And of course you made the Thunderbirds machines from Lego.
The music was brilliant
This was such an informative show; had no idea that the series was inspired from a tragedy.
Thunderbirds wasn’t just a pinnacle of Gerry Anderson’s career; it was, and still is, a pinnacle of television history.
As a kid, I always thought Thunderbirds had the same feel of comradery and family as a futuristic Bonanza series.
This was marvelous!
The experience of watching and sharing "Thunderbirds" is one is one of the treasures of my childhood. The Bank of England robbery by Lady Penelope was my favourite
It's seems incredible, but after all this years ago, The Thunderbirds still being a TVshow that many of us enjoy more than many of the actual series.
A salute from Mexico.
One of my childhood memories. Love the series, fascinated by its effects.
Gerry and Sylvia, with Reg and Bob were the "Brains", The voice cast were the life and Derek Meddings 's team made it happen.. This was, and still is, some of the best quality work ever done for TV..
Thanks to everyone involved ..........
Favourite episodes start with " End of the road ", "Path of destruction, Brink of disaster, The Cham-cham and all of the rest.. Astounding work (If you don't agree, try making something better. No one has yet.)?
Barry Gray never really got the recognition he truly deserved for his stirring music for Gerry Andersons shows.
Can't believe it's 55 years, and I can remember them when they weren't repeats! Feeling old now, thanks..! 😁
Favourite episode, "Trapped in the Sky".
Favourite Thunderbird, 2 (has to be!)
Favourite character, Parker.
Metv airs this great show around 4 or 5 am, Sunday mornings.
What a childhood I had. Stingray, Thunderbirds, etc then the whole space-race, Russian and Apollo missions! Certainly made me a space-nerd
Really good documentary here - I'm glad more light was shown on the mining disaster that was "Thunderbirds' Genesis". After listening to those news reels, it honestly DOES feel like an International Rescue situation! And listening to Gerry Anderson recall the details of every production choice and explaining his decisions was F.A.B!
the 60 mins of Thunderbirds episodes was unique for a kids show. i loved it.
I loved Thunderbirds as a kid, my dad worked for a fabrication company just round the corner from Stirling Rd and did structural metalwork for the water tanks they filmed in.😁👍
Thunderbirds was my official introduction to the Worlds Of Gerry Anderson back in November 1991 when I was 5 years old, so it is hard to pick a favourite episode as all of them are great and very entertaining. However, my favourite character is Virgil Tracy, simply because he's the pilot of Thunderbird 2 - my favourite Thunderbird craft. :)
Same here, although it was 25 years earlier for me.
Had a discussion over 20 years ago at work. Scott was useless, Virgil did all the work
Same I was the exact age and remember seeing the repeats in 1991. I was hooked for the next year and remember Blue Peter telling you how to make your own Tracy Island.
I used to love this show, thought it was fascinating
Thank You Dad for showing Thunderbirds to me when I was younger! Thank you to Gerry Anderson and his fantastic production team that have made Thunderbirds GO!
Almost 60 years later and better than anything currently on TV.
I've just started watching Thunderbirds again after a 45 year hiatus and it is amazing how much I remember from all that time ago! Such an exciting and dynamic TV show, really quite extraordinary and genuine edge of your seat stuff! So much of it is iconic, from the music to the characters to the Thunderbirds (we all know 2 is the best!). I used to have all the Dinky Thunderbird toys, sadly long gone..
I knew how intricate the puppetry was, but to see it from behind the scenes as shown here is fascinating.
Thunderbirds was my favourite TV show as a kid. I was 4 in 1965 and when the show was first broadcast it was an instant hit with me and my friends. We were in competition to see who could collect all the Thunderbird themed toys. I had T1, 2 & 3. I was taken to see the movie at the local cinema- a major event for all the kids at school! Of course it was great many years later to see my own sin's generation fall in love with the same shows when it was rerun on UK TV during the 80s and 90s.
I remember watching that first episode and how freakin awesome the Fireflash landing was back then……and still is! The fact that it aired at 7pm in the evening, suggests that Thunderbirds wasn’t ever entirely aimed at children. The fact that old fogies like me still enjoy it, Is testament to that.
Fantastic,
this has taken me away from the real world for half an hour.
Just what I needed,
thank you.
I don't know if it is possible for anyone brought up with CGI to really appreciate what Gerry and Sylvia Anderson achieved.
A wonderful program for its time, with beautifully crafted sets that are still remarkable today.
When I was a kid I loved Supercar. I was thrilled to see that UA-cam has this series. I watched every show and thought, "How could I have loved this show so much?" 60 or so years later, it doesn't have the same thrill. But I still love the Supercar theme song 😀
I recently watched every Supercar,i think it still stands up but it was aimed at our age group and i loved the nostalgia element,but our ages meant we got to watch AP films develop into shows like Stingray and Thunderbirds,for me Captain Scarlet was the pinnacle of Supermarionation and storytelling,we were spoiled back in the day.
I was a kid back in ‘65 and Thunderbirds was just the most exciting and amazing program - we all used to do impressions in school playground of the craft flying around, bought the Dinky models, had a badge and a hat! I’ve never lost my love of it and what has been so wonderful in later years, especially with the Gerry Anderson podcast is to find out about all the amazing people, including Gerry himself, that worked so hard with love to make so many programs So important to me, but especially Thunderbirds. They were responsible for most of my best TV memories. Thank you all.
Stephen Watson Me too Stephen! Thunderbird 1 pilot was my career goal! Once sat next the Sean Rimmer (Scott Tracey voice) at a dinner and it was great!
I remember 'Supercar', 'Fireball XL5' & 'Thundrrbirds' when I was a kid. Even then I was amazed at the sets, costumes, and models used to make those episodes.
Incredible difficult work!
Nothing today could top the production of this great show.
I think this show, which I was watching in 1998 in french, launched my appetite and carrer in model making, and many interests I have now, from science-fiction and cinema to piloting and electronics.
Thanks Gerry Anderson.
Lady P “ are you going to tie me up- oh I don’t mind really” Fav line
Lady P was played by Sylvia. Gerry ended up hating her after the divorce. He was a bitter son of a bitch.
Lady P and Brain from International Rescue had a love affair. Lady P dug smart men.
The had a son, Joe 90...
Yet another presentation that took me back to my happy childhood of RTV (Rhodesian TV) black and white TV.
Impossible to convey just how important all of Mr and Mrs Anderson's wonderful shows were to my generation. A deeply-beloved part of our childhood.
What gets me most is how, not one of the reboots has been able to improve on the iconic designs of Thunderbirds and the overall direction. I still watch the Fireflash landing every now and then, it’s just so freakin’ cool……the directing, the music. Wonderful!
Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet oh man these were so cool. The attention to detail was incredible and more than fed the imagination. Bless the Andersons for some very fond memories 🤍
I used to wake up at 5 am in the 80's to watch this show.
The twin steering wheels/controls of the elevator cars just shows Derek Meddings genius. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before or since.
Awesome!
Thanks so much for sharing. 😉👌🏻
Lovely memories ❤ child hood.
I wish we knew more about Derek Meddings. He was the true genius of thunderbirds, as he brought Gerry’s ideas to life. Him being fully responsible for Thunderbird 2 as we now know it based on a basic concept by Gerry is total genius. Interchangeable pods!!! WOW!
I understand Derek Meddings had a hand in the special effects for Star Wars as well?
My favourite character was, of course, Jeff Tracy.
My favourite episode was Trapped in the... no wait, Sun Pro... no wait, Operation Crash... no wait, Terror in New... no wait, The Uninvi... this question has no answer.
You have the same favourite episode as me (!)
It's impossible to pick a favourite. I loved Thunderbirds when I was a wee boy. But I enjoyed even more watching Thunderbirds and Stingray, Captain Scarlett, UFO and Space 1999 with my own sons when they were little. I'm sure they'll do the same with their own kids when they come along.
I hope Gerry and Sylvia realise the impact they've had and continue to have on kids of all ages.
FAB!
The Best memories growing up was watching all these excellent episodes of Thunderbirds! Thanks 😊 for the show, Cheers.
Thunderbird 2 was always my favorite and thank you for making my childhood worth it coming from a American
These folks were fabulous. I loved all of their stories and series. The sets were very well done as well. Thank you for bringing these heroes to us as youngsters and giving us something to look forward to in a difficult time growing up.
Brilliant absolutely Brilliant !!! 👏
And to think, most of the sets, puppets and the amazing Thunderbirds craft, ended up in skip bins when the studio in Slough shut down.
If all of this was still available today, it would be making millions traveling the world.
😎👍Very cool and very nicely well done and very well executed and informatively explained in every detail way shape and form indeed!,👌.
I was there, in front of the goggle box, on 30/9/1965 to watch that first airing. Back in those days kids used to have scrap books full of clippings from magazines and papers, for whatever was popular or of personal interest. I had been collecting said clippings in advance of the first show and was dead keen to watch. I even had E.P.s (long playing 7 inch vinyl) of some episodes, including the Fireflash story.
The music and sound effects were outstanding!
I absolutely adore Thunderbirds. Brings back good memories watching it with my dad in the afternoons on the BBC, we had a book which described all the episodes and things to look out for and we used to look for all the gaffs and laugh when we could point out continuity errors.
I miss him.
Favourite craft is Thunderbirds 2 with all its rescue vehicles. Favourite pilot is Scott voiced by Shane Rimmer. His vocals was so recognisable in dramas & films. R.I.P.
Interesting (and appropriate) names Gerry Anderson chose, for the Tracy brothers. 🙂
My Dad watched this as a kid in the 60s. He grew up in Queens, New York in the early 60s when this show was on the air.
In the early 2000s, while I was downstairs playing with some of my toys at the age of four, he showed me this on a VHS tape that he had recorded the first three episodes on it: Trapped in the Sky, Pit of Peril and City of Fire on the small TV he had set up to watch videos. It was recorded when it was shown briefly on a rerun in 1992.
Since then, I have been a lifelong fan of the Thunderbirds. I have the Tracy Island playset, a Scott Tracy doll that is currently next to my Simpsons and Yoda doll, my Mom made me and an old friend sashes from the show, we had made plastic guns to look like the show's ones, the models and I have the DVD Mega Set. Same with Captain Scarlet.
Gerry and Sylvia Anderson really outdid themselves by creating these shows. They never get old and even despite the 60s feel to the original shows, it never feels dated. And it predicted a ton of things as well.
Thunderbirds Forever!
I’m still mesmerised by Thunderbirds.
The amount of imagination,creativity and art that went into these is astounding.Loved both Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet.They where simply unique and a great spectacle to watch all the models and sets blown up.There was no one else like the Andersons
I started with Twizzle and Torchie, skipped 4FF and came back to Supercar, XL5. Stingray and Thunderbirds. Wonderful stuff. I just watched the CGI 2015 version of the Fireflash episode today on ITV. FAB Mr Anderson.
FAB! Thanks for putting this up. Never knew what the inspiration was for the creation of Thunderbirds, so this has been an education. Great to hear Gerry Anderson talking about the background to the making of the episodes as well. It was groundbreaking in so many ways and led to many careers in the film and special effects industry. It also fired the imaginations of so many children and the stories are so well told they withstand repeated viewing. Thank you Gerry, Sylvia and everyone else involved for all the years of pleasure and joy you have given me and many others over the last 50 odd years!!
September 30th 1965?. Damn, I was three days old. No wonder I missed the first episode 😅
It was brilliant
An absolute stunning team, both creative & character.......
I love how much technology was in Thunderbirds which we see in use today video calling, mobile phone, mobile computing, tree Harvester, road paving machine , monorail, stacking carparks tunnel boring machine, etc
Best TV show Eva 👌 !!
Now I understand a lot of my questions about the show. For example, the first several episodes are action model-driven adventures, but around mid season we see a lot more character driven spy thriller stuff. Knowing that they were trying to cut corners after the first 9 or so makes a lot of sense now. They just didn't have the time for great set piece rocket adventures at that time.
Impossible to pick a favourite episode but I do love Trapped in the Sky and The Cham-Cham, especially the part where Thunderbird 2 is trying to slow down the cable car.
The Cham Cham episode is brilliant. Probably based on the Enigma machine story.
The models were the best part. FAB!
some of the most exciting moments of my childhood!
Awesome video guys, I never tire of Thunderbirds, even the music gets me going. Gimme gimme gimme way more of this. 😎👍👍👍
Scott Tracy ! Thunderbird One. Favorite episode : The Sun Probe.
I liked it too. What happened to Braman?
A fascinating and interesting video about this wonderful t v series from the unique creative team of the Anderson’s. Like so many their creations were just so entertaining and unforgettable. My earliest memories are Stingray, Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet Space 1999, Joe 90 and probably my favourite, UFO that mixed real actors with animation. Brilliant stuff
Thought Penelope’s Rolls was the most gorgeous, glamorous, futuristic thing imaginable. The dual wheels in the front were so unusual.
Vintage episodes of Coronation Street featured Shane Rimmer and Paul Maxwell. It’s a howl to hear Steve Zodiac and Joe Donnelly’s voices come out of live men.
My favourite episodes are :
'Trapped In The Sky' - when we first met the FireFlash
'Pit Of Peril' - we first met The Mole.
'Ricochet' - very funny meeting with one "Rick (gunshot sound) O'Shea'
My all-time favourite Thunderbird - has to be Thunderbird 2 & always wanted to be Virgil !
I remembered Thunderbirds, I've watched the series back in the 90 when I was a kid and at the time I wasn't aware the series was from the 60's.
My favourite episodes are: "City of Fire", "Sun Probe", "The Mighty Atom", "Vault of Death", "The Perils of Penelope", "Terror in New York City", "Edge of Impact", "30 Minutes After Noon", "The Man From MI.5", "Cry Wolf", "Danger at Ocean Deep", "Move - And You're Dead", "The Duchess Assignment", "Brink of Disaster", "Attack of the Alligators!", "Martian Invasion", "The Cham-Cham", "Path of Destruction" and "Atlantic Inferno".
What a wonderful show. Spent many an hour watching Thunderbirds with my brother while visiting Nan and Pop in Kilburn London UK in the early 70s. Great memories!
So popular yet no cable company has bothered showing any of these films in the last 30+ years!!
Wonderful to hear Gerry’s own words describing the beginnings of Thunderbirds and the behind the scenes of AP and his relationship with Lee Grade. Brilliant stuff 😎😎👍👍
The “special behind the scenes touches” making it as an American picture, pure genius and some so subtle that Id never even have thought of. Gerry really was ahead of his time.
Lord (Lew) Grade was a master showman, and he should be recognized for his financial support of Gerry's shows.
I can't think of a favourite episode, 'cause they're all so good, but I love the launch sequences, particularly Thunderbird 2.
I also saw it first run in 1965 as a 6 year old. Was riveted to the 17 inch black and white tv set. Interesting that at 20:55 TB1 is headed downhill toward the ground and the clouds slope downhill as well. LOL
I loved this series as a kid in the 60's, one thing I seem to remember which seemed perfectly normal then but would be frowned upon now is I seem to remember in some of the scenes certain characters were actually smoking.
Thank you for posting this video and bringing back good memories.
Virgil in particular was pretty much a chain smoker. Any scene on Tracy Island would feature Virgil, puffing away. But in the 60s, it was perfectly normal.
Lady P used a long cigarette holder so as not to stain the fingers. Anyone who was "a bit rough" would have a cigarette super-glued to one corner of the mouth.
I didn't know any of that about the mining disaster, so thanks for teaching me a new thing! Those guys are FAB irl
This kind of attention to detail must have done people's heads in...what a brilliant concept though. Such commitment!
This show made my childhood magical.
Ray Barrett and Bud Tingwell - both brilliant actors. I'm glad that Australia had some input into this superb series.
Ray did a great job as Sam on STINGRAY.
RIP David Graham 33m.52 died this week aged 99.
This is when cartons were great as well in the 80s and 90s.
Thank you👍
My favourite episode of THUNDERBIRDS has always been "Terror in New York City", the crash sequence of TB2 is so iconic!
"Too fast for a plane, too slow for a missile. Let's shoot it down!"
loved Thunderbirds, I watched the repeats in the 80`s