It was 60 years to the day that Thunderbirds first graced the telly in the UK.
Blimey!
A lifetime ago!
And I've just realized that I will have seen it in black and white, missing all those fabulous colours!
An incredible show, one of the most important things I ever watched and there's a direct link between me seeing Thunderbirds and creating this blog 42 years later.
Dee Anderson was on the morning News this morning celebrating the 60 year anniversary of Thunderbirds. She'd brought an original Lady Penelope puppet, spoke about her partnership with Andrew Powell and the prospect of new products such as make-up. Dee handed the presenter a pink box, which I assume is Lady P style make-up set for adults.
The new Thunderbirds exhibition in London at the Museum of Brands was also on the news report. Apparently it's the biggest public display of Thunderbirds toys and collectables in the world including some very rare items, curated by superfan Malcolm Garrett, ex-Duran Duran album cover designer:
Thunderbirds & Space: 1999 – Sci-Fi Toys & Collectables Exhibition | Museum of Brands
https://share.google/Zn0Llsab5BbmWOh3S
When did Thunderbirds appear in your life and what's your favourite vehicle or episode readers?
I honestly can't remember a time when Thunderbirds wasn't in my life. (I'm 63). Favourite is TB2.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Kev.
DeleteThunderbirds was syndicated in the US in 1968, and that series changed my life. I had never seen anything so beautiful as the Thunderbirds craft. SFZ
ReplyDeleteThey were simply stunning SF. Yes
DeleteCongratulations! Thunderbirds was first aired in Finland in 1968 with first rerun in 1973. The biggest impact must have been made by the 1973 airings, but it is quite likely I was smitten as early as in 1968.
ReplyDeleteThere is no match to TB2 (with TB4 inside, of course).
What a show, a global phenomenon Arto!
DeleteI remember it from the very beginning. For a six-year-old, it was the most amazing and influential TV programme I had ever watched.
ReplyDeleteTo this day the series still calls to me.
I am with you, Brother!
DeleteMe too!
DeleteI remember the excitement I felt when I first saw a copy of the TVTimes with a full colour photo of Thunderbird 2 (I think on the launch pad).
ReplyDeleteSo I remember a life before Thunderbirds!
Was it really so long ago?
Maybe time should be recalibrated to Before Thunderbirds and After Thunderbirds!
By that reckoning I was born in 7 BTB!
Ha ha, I like it. I'd be 4 BTB!
DeleteI can't remember exactly when I first saw Thunderbirds but I understand it was first screened in Oz in 1965, so I must have seen it then or perhaps in 1966. I definitely remember trying build Thunderbird 2 from lego as a 4 year-old at kindergarten in 1967 and also pretending to be Virgil while in the playground at kindergarten in 1967 - laying on my back and sliding down a piece of polished wood into a make-believe Thunderbird 2!!
ReplyDeleteBut Thunderbird 3 remains my favorite. Cheers, Tony
Fab memories Tony, I can almost feel that slide you're going down! And it's nice that TB3 has its fans too.
DeleteFortunately there weren't any splinters in the wooden slide!! Cheers, Tony
DeleteMy first memory of Gerry Anderson was watching Stingray at the home of a neighbour, as we did not have a TV set in those days. In black and white of course. Then came Thunderbirds. Not sure when that came to New Zealand, but certainly the 1960s. The greatest TV show ever made. My favourite scene was when the cliff face opens, Thunderbird 2 taxis out, and the palm trees fold down. No other show gave you folding palm trees. Now I have the original series, and the two movies, on DVD.
ReplyDeleteYes, those folding palms, so iconic of our youth Paul, along with that rousing Barry Gray theme tune. I can hear myself shouting Where's my fish n chips Mum, Thunderbirds is on!
DeleteA fantastic series that was one of a number of TV Sci Fi shows in my childhood that inspired me to want to work in TV SFX.
ReplyDeleteI also got to work with a couple of the FX guys from Century 21 when I joined the BBC VFX Department, namely Tony Harding and Peter Wragg.
The latter was my boss on Red Dwarf, and my co-design for Starbug, on that show, was partly based on Thunderbird 2, particularly it's non aerodynamic 'clumsy' look and the green colour.
Fantastic memories Mish! What a career! Have you ever considered writing a book about it?
DeleteNot really Woodsy, but if I did, I suppose I could call it "From Shipley to Shepperton : My life in Telly!".
ReplyDeleteThat's it! That's the title! C'mon Mish, you know you want to!
DeleteAll of my childhood memories are Anderson shaped!!
ReplyDeleteA lovely phrase that Marky!
DeleteI was blown away by the Thunderbirds series as a kid watching it on video and the 2000 repeats. The drama was intense and gripping, the voice acting superb and the characterization fantastic. The detail to attention paid to the marionettes, combined with the work of the voice artists allowed the characters to emote better than many 'flesh and blood' actors. And, presumably because of the format, the writers had got away with scripts that would be considered too scary and dramatic for any other children's series. It is truly a timeless masterpiece...
ReplyDeleteWell said Sam, I think youv'e pretty much summed up Thunderbirds universal appeal there!
Delete