Operating from a secret island base, the Tracy family run a global rescue service in the year 2065 using five amazing Thunderbirds vehicles.
AP Films/ATV/ITC
Produced: 1964-1965
First UK broadcast: Thursday 30th September 1965 – 7.00pm
ATV Midlands Television
26 episodes x 50 minutes
Producer: Gerry Anderson
Associate Producer: Reg Hill
Director of Photography: John Read
Character Visualisation: Sylvia Anderson
Lighting Cameraman: Paddy Seale and Julien Lugrin
Art Director: Bob Bell
Supervising Special Effects Director: Derek Meddings
Special Effects Directors: Brian Johncock and Ian Scoones
Music Composed and Directed by Barry Gray
| Episodes List | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Trapped In The Sky
Written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Directed by Alan Pattillo First UK Airdates:
First UK Network Broadcast:
Edited by Len Walter and David Lane Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 3), TB5, FAB 1, Fireflash, Elevator Cars, TX 204 Target-carrying Aircraft Additional Voice Cast:
Notes This episode has no on-screen title but is referred to in all production documentation by the title of the shooting script – Trapped In The Sky. The arrangement of the music on the main titles and end credit sequences is unique to this episode and sound effects are heard in the episode montage during the opening titles. Alan is voiced by Ray Barrett as Matt Zimmerman had not been employed when the dialogue recording session took place. A short piece of Barry Gray’s ‘Formula Five’ track, composed and recorded for Fireball XL5, can be heard on the monitors in Thunderbird 5. Air Terrainean’s Lieutenant Meddings is named after Thunderbirds’ visual effects supervisor Derek Meddings. Fireflash is the only non-International Rescue vehicle to appear in the series’ end titles. The airliner is seen again in Operation Crash-Dive, The Impostors, The Man From MI.5, The Duchess Assignmentand Security Hazard. Commander Norman makes further appearances in Operation Crash-Dive, Edge Of Impact, Security Hazardand Alias Mr. Hackenbacker, while Captain Hanson is seen again in Operation Crash-Dive, The Impostors, The Duchess Assignment and Security Hazard. Trapped In The Sky was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbird 1 (MA 108 1966) narrated by Shane Rimmer as Scott Tracy. This adaptation was re-released on the Century 21 LP International Rescue (LA 3 1966) and issued in electronically created stereo on the Hallmark/Marble Arch Records LP Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet (HMA 227 1967). It was re-released on the Marble Arch LP TV Favourites Vol. 2 (MAL 771 1968) and then issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds audiobook collection (514 385-4 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, this audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on November 5th 1990. Trapped In The Sky was adapted for audio again on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 1 (ISBN 0141803355, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. Oops! Several shots from beneath Thunderbird 1 show the ‘T’ of ‘Thunderbird’ painted on the nose cone, yet the nose cone is free of markings in all other shots of the craft. At the end of the episode, Operation Cover-Up replaces the portraits of the brothers in uniform with pictures of them in civilian clothing, but when the doctor enters the room, the uniformed portraits are still clearly visible in shots of Scott, Gordon and Jeff. |
| 2 |
Pit Of Peril
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 7th October 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 27th September 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 5), TB5, Mole, Remote Camera, Recovery Vehicles, Sidewinder, Army Helicopter, Helijet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Pit Of Peril features the smallest number of regular characters seen in any Thunderbirds episode and no female characters whatsoever. The episode introduces the Mole which is later seen in City Of Fire, Cry Wolfand The Duchess Assignment. The vehicle also appears for the first time in the end title sequence, having been absent from the end titles of Trapped In The Sky. The Thunderbird 1 Remote Camera is used again in Edge Of Impact. Colonel Sweeney previously appeared as Fireflash pilot Captain Hanson in Trapped In The Sky and one of his subordinates was Hanson’s co-pilot in that episode. Pit Of Peril was adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Steve Kyte for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 4-5 1991). The episode was also adapted for audio on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 1 (ISBN 0141803355, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. Oops! When the Mole returns to the surface with Scott and Virgil on board, dust and sand can be seen pouring up from the ground onto the Mole’s tracks (footage of the Mole tunnelling into the ground has simply been reversed). Thunderbird 1 sets fire to a dead tree trunk when Scott lifts off at the end of the episode. |
| 3 |
City Of Fire
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Elliott Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 6th January 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 4th October 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 3), TB5, Mole, Firefly, Hoverbikes, Helijet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The Thompson Tower has 350 floors on which every single commercial item produced throughout the entire world can be obtained. Half a mile wide and two miles deep, the Tower houses 12 hotels and features a massive sub-basement with parking for 10,000 vehicles linked to the store by a monorail four miles long. This episode introduces the Firefly which is seen again in Terror In New York City and Cry Wolf. The Tracy brothers are also seen using their hoverbikes (the Thunderbirds equivalent of Fireball XL5‘s jetmobiles and Stingray‘s monocopters) for the first time. The vehicles also come in handy during Vault Of Death, Martian Invasion, Cry Wolf and Attack Of The Alligators! City Of Fire was adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Keith Watson for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 15-17 1992), and collected in the graphic album Thunderbirds: Shock Wave (Ravette Books 1992). Oops! Although the Thompson Tower is clearly situated in the United States, a sign on the wall of the Control Centre uses the British spelling of ‘Centre’ instead of the American ‘Center’. |
| 4 |
Sun Probe
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Lane Edited by Peter Elliott Original UK Airdate: 9th December 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 11th October 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB2 (Pod 6), TB3, Transmitter Truck, Braman, Sun Probe Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Jeff states that this is Tin-Tin’s first mission and the episode also marks the first appearance of Brains’s robot Braman, who is later seen in Edge Of Impact and The Cham-Cham. Although we do not see Grandma, Jeff tells Virgil that she will organise auxiliary clothing for the trip to Mount Arkan, implying that his mother is already living on Tracy Island (see Move – And You’re Dead). Sun Probewas adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbird 3 (MA 112 1966) narrated by Matt Zimmerman as Alan Tracy. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds audiobook collection (514 385-4 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on November 19th 1990. The episode was also adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Malcolm Stokes for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 6-8 1991/92) Oops! During the television report about the Sun Probe, a diagram shows the solarnauts’ control cabin within the Probe Module, but the control cabin is within the body of the Probe Rocket when the Module is fired into the solar prominence. Alan and Scott manage to swap seats during their journey to Thunderbird 3 on the sofa, but are in their original positions when the sofa arrives on board the spacecraft. When Thunderbird 2 leaves the hangar on Tracy Island, it appears that Pod 3 has been selected (Pod 2 is visible to the right of Thunderbird 2), yet when Virgil and Brains arrive at Mount Arkan, the Transmitter Truck emerges from Pod 6 (the same continuity error also occurs in Vault Of Death, Move – And You’re Dead, Martian Invasion, The Perils Of Penelopeand Day Of Disaster). |
| 5 |
The Uninvited
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 2nd December 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 18th October 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 6), TB3, TB5, Desert Jeep Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The working title of this episode was ‘Desert Of Danger’. Although the pyramid people are named as ‘Zombites’ in the script and the symbol on their helmets is a stylised ‘Z’, they are never actually referred to as ‘Zombites’ in the episode. For the mission to rescue Scott, Tin-Tin wears the same blue uniform that she was seen in on board Thunderbird 3 in Sun Probe – this is presumably the female equivalent of the Tracy brothers’ International Rescue uniforms. John’s dialogue indicates that Scott occasionally takes turns at manning Thunderbird 5. The Zombites’ jet fighters are adapted and re-sprayed WASP aircraft from Stingray. The explorers’ jeep later becomes The Hood’s jeep in The Mighty Atom, Martian Invasionand Cry Wolf. The Uninvited was adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Steve Kyte for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 12-14 1992) and collected in the graphic album Thunderbirds: Shock Wave (Ravette Books 1992). Oops! When Tin-Tin responds to news of Scott’s disappearance, a floor puppeteer’s hand (with dirty fingernails!) can be seen in the bottom of the screen lifting Tin-Tin from her seat. Between arriving on board Thunderbird 3 and climbing into the elevator to travel up to the control room, Alan completely changes his clothes from a purple suit to green checked shirt and beige trousers. Similarly, Scott returns from Thunderbird 3 wearing different clothes from those that he left in, swapping a yellow suit and orange shirt for his usual blue roll-neck and checked jacket. The symbols on the walls of the Zombites’ control room are the reverse of the symbol on their helmets. |
| 6 |
The Mighty Atom
Written by Dennis Spooner Directed by David Lane Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 30th December 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 25th October 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 4), TB3, TB4, TB5, Desert Jeep, TX 204 Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Penelope makes her first visit to Tracy Island since International Rescue became operational and also takes part in her first rescue mission. It is stated that International Rescue were not operating when the Australian plant exploded 12 months ago. A teletype printout gives the date on which the atomic cloud is blown away from Melbourne as October 6th and it is then stated that the explosion of the plant took place the previous Monday. If this is 2064, October 6th is a Monday, so the explosion occurred on September 29th. The rescue plane that evacuates the personnel of the Australian plant is the TX 204 target-carrying aircraft from Trapped In The Sky. This is the only episode to feature the entire regular cast and all five Thunderbird craft. Oops! The Mighty Atom is programmed only to photograph the profiles of human faces, yet it is seen taking photographs of the control panels at the Saharan plant when no one is in the room. An edition of the Melbourne Herald newspaper is seen to be dated Friday, December 24 1964. This date is also seen on newspapers in Edge Of Impact, The Impostors and Cry Wolf but was not intended to be legible to television viewers (oddly, December 24th 1964 was actually a Thursday). |
| 7 |
Vault Of Death
Written by Dennis Spooner Directed by David Elliott Edited by Peter Elliott Original UK Airdate: 23rd December 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 1st November 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 5), TB5, FAB 1, Hoverbikes Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Grandma remembers her grandmother talking about the London subway when she was a little girl, suggesting that the Underground has been out of use since the late 20th century. This episode features the only appearance of a real human face (or, at least, part of one) in the series: when Penelope peeps through a spyhole in the door of the bank during the opening scene. The face is actually that of puppet operator Judith Shutt who was also Lady Penelope’s hand double throughout the series. The City of London Heliport is partially constructed from the remains of Stingray‘s Marineville Tower. Ray Barrett’s voice for Lovegrove is a marvellously accurate impression of the distinguished actor Sir John Gielgud. Vault Of Death was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Lady Penelope and Parker (MA 118 1966) narrated by Sylvia Anderson as Lady Penelope. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds Volume 2 audiobook collection (514 553-4 1992). Oops! When Lovegrove realises that Lambert is still in the vault, Carter is initially voiced by Shane Rimmer but then by David Graham. Virgil and Alan arrive at Bank station via a tunnel from Piccadilly Circus, although the two stations are on different lines of the Underground: Piccadilly Circus is on the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines, while Bank is on the Central, Northern, Waterloo and City and Docklands Light Railway lines. |
| 8 |
Operation Crash-Dive
Written by Martin Crump Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 16th December 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 8th November 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 4), TB4, TB5, Fireflash, EJ2 Jet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Author Martin Crump’s original script of this episode was titled ‘The Test Crew’. The events of Trapped In The Sky are mentioned by a TV reporter who was previously seen in Sun Probe. After the second Fireflash crash, the saboteur escapes in an EJ2 jet, later seen as the bogus Thunderbird 2 in The Impostors. Lieutenant Burroughs, Commander Norman’s assistant at London Airport, was previously seen as Solarnaut Asher in Sun Probe. An insert shot of a pile of newspapers and magazines shows that The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Life and Mad are still being published in 2065. Operation Crash-Dive was adapted for audio on the Kidstuff Cassette Thunderbirds – Operation Crash Dive (KC007 1981) with additional narration by Chris Burton. Oops! While Gordon searches for Fireflash on the sea-bed, the parting in his hair keeps changing sides. When he returns to Thunderbird 4 after making contact with the trapped crew, the configuration of the puppet-sized Thunderbird 4 doesn’t match the model seen in long-shot. |
| 9 |
Move - And You're Dead
Written by Alan Pattillo Directed by Alan Pattillo Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 10th February 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 28th February 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pods 1 and 5), Neutralizer Tractor, Jet Air Transporter, BR2 Racing Car Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Grandma Tracy leaves her home to join the International Rescue team on Tracy Island for the first time, suggesting that the events of this episode take place before those of all the other episodes she appears in (including Sun Probe, The Uninvited, The Mighty Atom, Vault Of Deathand Operation Crash-Dive). Move – And You’re Dead was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album One Move And You’re Dead (MA 128 1967) narrated by Christine Finn as Tin-Tin. With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on December 10th 1990. Oops! When Jeff is first contacted by Alan, he is sat behind his desk, but when the picture cuts back to him after a quick shot of Alan, he is suddenly perched on the front of the desk reading a magazine. As Alan makes his telecall to Grandma, the close-up of his hand dialling her number shows the push-button dial panel with letters on the left and numbers on the right, but on the puppet-sized telecall unit, the numbers are on the left and the letters are on the right. For a blond 21-year-old, Alan’s close-up (ie. live action) hand is remarkably hirsute with very dark hair. |
| 10 |
Martian Invasion
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Elliott Edited by Peter Elliott Original UK Airdate: 17th March 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 27th March 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 5), TB5, Excavator, Hoverbike, Hood’s Jeep Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Although he is only called General ‘X’ on screen, The Hood’s customer is named Strond in the script. Up to this point, The Hood has never been referred to by any name on screen – not even ‘The Hood’. Here he calls himself Agent 79 in his radio transmissions to General Strond. His price for the secrets of International Rescue is $200 million. The film’s special effects technician Brian, who operates the smoke machine for the cave scenes, is a puppet of Thunderbirds’ special effects director Brian Johncock (later known as Brian Johnson). Martian Invasion was adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Keith Page for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 24-26 1992). The episode was also adapted for audio again on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 2 (ISBN 0141803363, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. Oops! In the Thunderbird 2 hangar, Virgil selects Pod 5 but when the cliff face drops down Pod 2 is on the right of Thunderbird 2 instead of Pod 4. When Thunderbird 1 arrives at the danger zone, it descends with wheels on the end of the landing gear, but lands with skids. There are no markings down the length of the vehicle when it lands, but lettering appears after Scott calls for help with his equipment. This lettering is in a completely different font to that seen on the vehicle during the launch sequence. |
| 11 |
Brink Of Disaster
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Lane Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 24th February 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 13th March 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2, TB5, FAB 1, Helijet, Pacific Atlantic Monotrain Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Lady Penelope’s driving in this episode – as she evades the crooks in the opening scenes – is very proficient and in complete contrast to the atrocious driving that she exhibited in Vault Of Death. The bogus telegram that Penelope receives from Parker reveals the location of Creighton-Ward Mansion to be Foxleyheath. Brink Of Disaster was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Brink Of Disaster (MA 124 1967) narrated by David Graham as Parker. It was adapted for audio again on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 2 (ISBN 0141803363, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. The episode was also adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Rod Vass in Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 30-33 1992). Oops! Just as the villains’ car goes out of control in the opening sequence, a huge lump of greenery falls out of the sky in the background. When Selsden and Malloy try to open Penelope’s safe, the bulb in Malloy’s torch gets so hot that the prop torch begins to smoulder. The broken section of monorail track that is attached to the top of the centre coach when Thunderbird 2 lifts it away from the bridge is significantly longer when Virgil sets the coach down on the mountainside. Incidentally, the inland telegram service was withdrawn in the UK in 1982. |
| 12 |
The Perils Of Penelope
Written by Alan Pattillo Directed by Alan Pattilloand Desmond Saunders Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 14th October 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 15th November 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 6), FAB 1, Monobrake, Anderbad Express Monotrain, Sun Probe Additional Voice Cast:
Notes This episode has no on-screen title but is referred to in all production documentation by the title of the shooting script – The Perils Of Penelope. The launch of the Sun Probe at the start of this episode is the same event that was seen in flashback at the start of Sun Probe. The events of that episode occurred one week after the launch, so the events of The Perils Of Penelope must take place immediately before those of Sun Probe. Indeed, The Perils Of Penelope and Sun Probe can be viewed as Thunderbirds‘ only two-part story, although they have never been broadcast as consecutive episodes. This is the only episode in which Scott is seen piloting Thunderbird 1 without his International Rescue uniform – when he returns from leave. The Anderbad Express monotrain was previously seen as the Pacific Atlantic monotrain in Brink Of Disaster. Godber’s Anderbad Tunnel Control Chart unit is revamped from the Marineville Tower launch tunnel scanner unit seen in Stingray. The Perils Of Penelope was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album The Perils Of Penelope (MA 114 1966) narrated by Sylvia Anderson as Lady Penelope. This adaptation was re-released on the Marble Arch/Pye LP TV Favourites Vol. 1 (MAL 771 1968) and later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds Volume 2 audiobook collection (514 553-4 1992). Oops! As it bears down on Penelope’s perilous position, the leading car on the Anderbad Express monotrain keeps changing colour, from white and red to silver and blue. |
| 13 |
Terror In New York City
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Elliottand David Lane Edited by Peter Elliott Original UK Airdate: 21st October 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 27th November 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 6), TB4, Firefly, USN Sentinel Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The red scaffolding supporting the damaged Thunderbird 2 in the Tracy Island hangar reappears only a few minutes later as part of the Empire State Building atomic gantry tractor. It was previously seen as the Sun Probe rocket gantry in Sun Probe and The Perils Of Penelope. Among the members of the audience at The Ned Cook Show are Dr. Godber from The Perils Of Penelope and film producer Bletcher from Martian Invasion. Terror In New York City was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbird 4 (MA 108 1966) narrated by David Graham as Gordon Tracy. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds audiobook collection (514 385-4 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on November 26th 1990. The episode was also adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Keith Page in Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 9-11 1992), and collected in the graphic album Thunderbirds In Action (Ravette Books 1992). Oops! The back of cameraman Joe’s head flies off as he falls into the cavern. As Thunderbird 4 is shaken by the shockwave from the collapse of the Fulmer Finance building, water can be seen running down the outside of the aquarium positioned in front of the model set. At The Ned Cook Show, Dr. Godber is initially seen sitting in front of Bletcher with at least three rows of seats behind him, but he then appears two rows from the back sat in front of Jeff. |
| 14 |
End Of The Road
Written by Dennis Spooner Directed by David Lane Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 25th November 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 10th January 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2, TB5, Road Construction Vehicle, Explosives Tractor, Helijet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The model of the Gray and Houseman Road Construction Vehicle is given a new coat of yellow paint for its reappearance in the series as the Road Construction Vehicle in Atlantic Inferno. Eddie’s explosives tractor is later revamped to appear as an International Rescue fire-fighter truck in the opening scenes of Security Hazard. The front section of the tractor is identical to that of the International Rescue Transmitter Truck seen in Sun Probe (and later in Cry Wolf), albeit a different colour. Project manager Bob Gray is seen again as Cravitz in Atlantic Inferno. The framed portrait of Eddie that Tin-Tin keeps on her dressing table later turns up on a bench in the Williams homestead in Cry Wolf. Brains appears only in a non-speaking role, playing Gordon at chess. End Of The Road was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbird 2 (MA 109 1966) narrated by David Graham as Brains. This adaptation was re-released on the Century 21 LP International Rescue (LA 3 1966) and issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds audiobook collection (514 385-4 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on November 12th 1990. Oops! The raindrops on the faces of Eddie Houseman and his colleagues during the storm are disproportionately large. |
| 15 |
Day Of Disaster
Written by Dennis Spooner Directed by David Elliott Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 4th November 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 6th December 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 4), TB4, TB5, FAB 1, Martian Space Probe Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The music accompanying the journey of the MSP is the track ‘March Of The Oysters’, originally composed by Barry Gray for the Stingray episode Secret Of The Giant Oyster. The piece is also heard in 30 Minutes After Noon, The Impostors and The Cham-Cham. Dave Clayton was previously seen as a reporter in The Mighty Atom. He reappears later in the series as Eddie Kerr in The Impostors and Chip Morrison’s father in Security Hazard. During the edible transmitter incident, Jeff’s wall map of the Tracy Villa reveals that the house contains six bedrooms, two guest rooms, laboratory and workshop in addition to the lounge, patio and Thunderbird 1 bay. Dr. R.G. Korda has a statue in his office that is identical to one in The Hood’s temple. Korda is named after the psychiatrist Dr. Roger Corder, the lead character in the popular ABC television series The Human Jungle which originally aired in the UK between March 1963 and May 1965. Corder was played in the series by Herbert Lom, later seen as Dr. Kurt Hassler in Gerry Anderson’s Doppelgänger (1968) feature film. Day Of Disaster was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbirds (MA 121 1967) narrated by David Graham as Gordon Tracy. |
| 16 |
Edge Of Impact
Written by Donald Robertson Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Peter Elliott Original UK Airdate: 28th October 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 29th November 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 3), Booster Mortar, Low-altitude Escape Harnesses, Remote Camera, Braman, Red Arrow 1, Red Arrow 2, TX 204 Target-carrying Aircraft Additional Voice Cast:
Notes This is the only occasion in which we see The Hood acting with motives that do not involve International Rescue. He gives his codename here as ‘671’ when he contacts General Bron. Jeff’s comment about their unexpected visitors being “some more of Tin-Tin’s admirers” refers to the events of End Of The Road. In a startling prediction of the future, the television relay tower is seen to be owned by British Telecommunications Ltd: the formation of the real-life British Telecommunications (aka BT) did not take place until 1980, 16 years after this episode was made. The TX 204 target-carrying aircraft originally seen in Trapped In The Sky appears briefly in an establishing shot of the airfield. A WASP Spearhead bomber from Stingray is also visible in the background. Tim Casey previously appeared as a bank executive in the opening scenes of Vault Of Death. The Hood’s North Pole Laundry truck is revamped from Ned Cook’s broadcast truck seen in Terror In New York City. Braman from Sun Probe can be seen in Brains’s laboratory. Oops! Tim Casey is a Colonel, but Scott refers to him as a General in one scene. |
| 17 |
Desperate Intruder
Written by Donald Robertson Directed by David Lane Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 18th November 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 3rd January 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pods 4 and 5), TB4, Desert Jeep, Transporter Vehicle, 3E Submarine, Hydrostatic Hoist, Helijet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes In a nicely understated piece of continuity, Tin-Tin has an Air Terrainean flight bag (presumably acquired during her trip on the Fireflash in Trapped In The Sky) with her on board Thunderbird 2 as the team flies out to the Middle East. Tin-Tin points out the Pyramids during the flight: her next visit there is seen in Thunderbird 6 (1968). Brains’s desert jeep is revamped from the archaeologists’ jeep seen in The Uninvited. Tin-Tin wears the same diving outfit that she sported in Edge Of Impact. This episode has the smallest guest cast of all of the Thunderbirds episodes, with only two characters other than the regular cast. Desperate Intruderwas adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Brains and Tin-Tin (MA 119 1966) narrated by Christine Finn as Tin-Tin. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds Volume 2 audiobook collection (514 553-4 1992). The episode was adapted for audio again on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 3 (ISBN 0141803371, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. Oops! When Brains falls under The Hood’s influence, he collapses and between shots his glasses simply disappear. They are subsequently shown to have fallen off but the action is not seen on screen: one moment the glasses are on his face and the next they have vanished. |
| 18 |
30 Minutes After Noon
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Elliott Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 11th November 1965 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 13th December 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 5), TB5, FAB 1, Dicetylene Cage, Laser Equipment, Helijet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The ‘March Of The Oysters’ track from Stingray‘s Secret Of The Giant Oyster episode is heard coming from Gladys Saltzman’s television, while the Highland theme from Stingray‘s Loch Ness Monster accompanies the scenes at Glen Carrick Castle. The castle itself previously appeared as Castle McGregor in Loch Ness Monster. Southern acquires his bracelet at a building that looks exactly like the Thompson Tower seen in City Of Fire. The puppet previously seen as Braman in Sun Probe plays all four of the plutonium store security robots. The Leader’s helijet also appears as the World TV helijet at the start of The Impostors. 30 Minutes After Noon was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thirty Minutes After Noon (MA 129 1967) narrated by David Graham as Parker. The episode was also adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Malcolm Stokes for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 18-20 1992) and collected in the graphic album Thunderbirds In Action (Ravette Books 1992). Oops! When Jeff Tracy contacts Lady Penelope, it is 10.00am in England, yet it is already daylight on Tracy Island in the South Pacific and Alan, Gordon and Tin-Tin have been out fishing for some time (it is later established in Thunderbirds Are Go that there is a five hour time difference between Tracy Island and England). On the night of the Hudson Building fire, the Auto Date Fixer in Commissioner Garfield’s office reads 12/7/65. The next day, it reads 13/7/65, illustrating attention to detail on the part of the set decorator. Unfortunately, the American convention is for the month numeral to appear first: either the first date should read 7/12/65 (July 12th) with the next day as 7/13/65, or the second date should read 12/8/65 (December 8th). |
| 19 |
The Impostors
Written by Dennis Spooner Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Peter Elliott Original UK Airdate: 13th January 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 17th January 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB3, TB5, FAB 1, Fireflash, EJ2 Jet, Helijet Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The photographer who takes the picture of the impostor Jenkins at the start of the episode was previously seen as Colonel Tim Casey in Edge Of Impact. Also among the crowd at the bogus rescue is Blanche Carter from City Of Fire. World Television reporter Eddie Kerr has a statue in his office that previously appeared in Dr. Korda’s office in Day Of Disaster, a statue that is usually seen in The Hood’s temple. The Impostors was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album International Rescue (MA 120 1967) narrated by Shane Rimmer as Scott Tracy. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram’s Thunderbirds Volume 2 audiobook collection (514 553-4 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on December 17th 1990. The episode was adapted for audio again on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 3 (ISBN 0141803371, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. Oops! When the Tracy brothers board Thunderbird 3, Alan does another quick change into different clothes before climbing into the elevator (as in The Uninvited). This time, Scott does a quick change too: initially he is wearing a yellow suit and orange shirt, but just before blast-off we see him in his blue roll-neck sweater and checked jacket. After he is rescued, Elliott tells Scott and Alan that it is great that they have been cleared and Scott replies, “You can say that again,” without moving his lip. |
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The Man From MI.5
Written by Alan Fennell Directed by David Lane Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 20th January 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 24th January 1991 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 4), TB4, TB5, FAB 1, FAB 2, Fireflash Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Reporter Eddie Kerr from The Impostors appears on board Fireflash as Lady Penelope flies to the South of France. Penelope wears the big orange hat that she sports in her picture caption in the opening titles of every episode. Brains’s test submarine is a small model of The Hood’s 3E Submarine as seen in Desperate Intruder. This episode features the first full Thunderbird 4 launch sequence shown from inside Pod 4 prior to this, Thunderbird 4 has only been seen emerging down the ramp outside the pod door. This is also the only occasion in which Thunderbird 2 gently rests the pod on the surface of the water and then rises clear of the pod with lifting jets (normally, the pod is simply dropped on to the water). During the production of this episode in late 1965, the world was in the grip of Bondmania in anticipation of the December release of Thunderball (1965), the fourth James Bond 007 feature, and MI.5 agent Bondson was intended to be Thunderbirds‘ own version of the character. Bondson also made a guest appearance in the ‘Lady Penelope’ strip in Lady Penelope comic (issue 44 1966). The Man From MI.5 was adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Jon Haward for Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 24-26 1992). |
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Cry Wolf
Written by Dennis Spooner Directed by David Elliott Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 27th January 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands and Anglia) First UK Network Broadcast: 31st January 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2, TB3, TB5, Hoverbikes, Hood’s Jeep, Mole, Firefly, Transmitter Truck, Excavator, Monobrake Additional Voice Cast:
Notes Tony and Bob’s tour of Tracy Island takes in the hangar for the Thunderbird 2 pod vehicles: they see the Mole (used in Pit Of Peril, City Of Fire and The Duchess Assignment), the Firefly (from City Of Fire and Terror In New York City), the Transmitter Truck (from Sun Probe), the Excavator (Martian Invasion) and the Monobrake (The Perils Of Penelope) as well as a civilian fire truck and a yellow fire vehicle first seen in City Of Fire. Colonel Jameson was previously General Lambert in The Impostors. Satellite HQ and the tracker satellite were also seen in that episode. One of the technicians at Satellite HQ previously appeared as BSS agent Southern in 30 Minutes After Noon. Other tracking stations marked on Lansfield’s console are at Cranston, Kangaroo (East) and Spring Hill. Oops! The characters all refer to Williams’s station as Dunsley Tracker and it is labelled as such on Lansfield’s console on the puppet-sized set, but in a close-up of the console (a large-scale section of the same set), the caption above the alert light reads ‘Densley Tracker’. |
| 22 |
Danger At Ocean Deep
Written by Donald Robertson Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Harry MacDonald Original UK Airdate: 3rd February 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 7th February 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 3), TB3, TB5, FAB 1, Ocean Pioneer I, Ocean Pioneer II Additional Voice Cast:
Notes This episode features the only occasion in which John is seen taking an active part in a rescue. John admits that he has only been on about a dozen rescue missions, while Scott says that he has taken part in every single one. However, Scott was not involved in saving the kidnapped Lady Penelope in The Perils Of Penelope, so unless he has forgotten all about that mission, the events of this episode must take place before those of The Perils Of Penelope. Much of the music in this episode was originally composed for Stingray, including the Ocean Pioneer theme in the opening scene. Lord Worden was originally seen as Sir Jeremy Hodge in The Perils Of Penelope while the Mayor to Penelope’s right at the Clydeside launching of Ocean Pioneer II is Professor Holden from The Mighty Atom. Tony Williams (from Cry Wolf), MI.5 agent Tidman (from The Man From MI.5) and Lovegrove (from Vault Of Death) are also visible in the crowd, as is the Commander of Ocean Pioneer I, oddly. Lieutenant Jensen is portrayed by Dave Clayton from Day Of Disaster. Danger At OceanDeep was adapted for audio on the Kidstuff Cassette Thunderbirds – Danger At Ocean Deep (KC008 1981) with additional narration by Chris Burton. |
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The Duchess Assignment
Written by Martin Crump Directed by David Elliott Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 17th February 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 6th March 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 3), TB5, FAB 1, Mole, Domo, Fireflash, Carrier Aircraft Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The Duchess of Royston (both the puppet itself and Ray Barrett’s voice for the character) was based on the distinguished British stage actress Dame Edith Evans (1888-1976), best known for her role as Lady Bracknell in The Importance Of Being Earnest (1951). Among the other paintings on display in the Exhibition of 20th Century Art at the gallery are several splatter paintings by designer Keith Wilson and Virgil’s abstract portrait of Alan from Move – And You’re Dead. The Empire State Building is clearly visible in an establishing shot of New York so the events of this episode must take place before those of Terror In New York City. The Hood makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in his Martian Invasion disguise behind Jeff at the London Air Display. The Domo is revamped from the Excavator seen in Martian Invasion and Cry Wolf. The vehicle’s name was revealed in the TV Century 21 Thunderbirds Extra (1966) – it is an acronymn for Demolition and Object Moving Operator. Wilbur Dandridge previously appeared as Warren Grafton in Brink Of Disaster. Lady Penelope’s cook Lil (from Vault Of Death) is seen at the Duchess’s table in the casino at the start of the episode and also in the Art Gallery admiring ‘Portrait Of A Gazelle’. |
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Attack Of The Alligators!
Written by Alan Pattillo Directed by David Lane Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 10th March 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 20th March 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 6), TB4, TB5, Hoverbikes Additional Voice Cast:
Notes: This episode was inspired by the H.G. Wells novel The Food Of The Gods and director Paul Leni’s 1927 classic silent film The Cat And The Canary (remade with Bob Hope in 1939 and with Honor Blackman in 1977). The production team hired baby crocodiles to double as the giant alligators on the model set and this was the first time that live animals were used in the filming of the Supermarionation productions. Visual effects director Brian Johncock refused to be involved as he did not agree with the use of electricity to encourage the crocodiles to move as required, although these scenes were supervised by an RSPCA inspector. The episode’s events take place on March 10th and 11th (the next day is Alan’s birthday, given as March 12th in the series’ promotional information). The businessman Blackmer was named after the elegant American character actor Sidney Blackmer (1894-1973) who appeared in numerous feature films from the 1930s to the 1960s. He made his debut in the 1914 serial The Perils Of Pauline and can also be seen in Trapped In The Sky (1939), High Society (1956) and Rosemary’s Baby (1970). The stock footage of a stormy sky seen near the start of the episode was later used as the opening shot in the title sequence of the ITC series The Prisoner. Although he did not write this episode, it appears that Thunderbirds script-writer Dennis Spooner may have been inspired by the basic idea of Attack Of The Alligators! (a chemical designed to solve the world food shortage problem by increasing the size of livestock is accidentally washed down a sink and causes violent animals to grow to enormous proportions) in his script for Gnaws, an episode of The New Avengers originally screened in 1976. In that programme, a giant rat was substituted for the giant alligators. Attack Of The Alligators! was adapted for audio on Penguin Audiobooks’ Thunderbirds – 4 (ISBN 014180338X, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts. Oops! A film camera and its camera operator can be seen reflected in the glass during a shot of Mrs. Files at the window of Orchard’s house in the opening sequence. |
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The Cham-Cham
Written by Alan Pattillo Directed by Alan Pattillo Edited by Harry Ledger Original UK Airdate: 24th March 1966 – 7.00pm (ATV Midlands) First UK Network Broadcast: 3rd April 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2, TB3, TB5, Ladybird Jet, Braman, RTL2 Transporter Additional Voice Cast:
Notes The artists’ agent Maxie previously appeared as film producer Bletcher in Martian Invasion. The photos on the wall in his office include portraits of Bletcher, Goldheimer and a Martian (all from Martian Invasion), Lieutenant Jensen and Allpets chairman Sir Arthur (both from Danger At Ocean Deep), Frank Hooper (from Atlantic Inferno) and the Duchess of Royston (from The Duchess Assignment). Cass Carnaby also has a picture of the Duchess on the wall of his dressing room and the Duchess herself can be seen dancing nearby as Penelope dances with Olsen. When Penelope and Tin-Tin go ski-ing, their journey to Olsen’s chalet is accompanied by a track entitled ‘Happy Flying’ that was first heard in the Supercar episode Amazonian Adventure. The Cham-Cham was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Lady Penelope (MA 122 1967) narrated by David Graham as Parker. With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on 24th December 1990. Oops! When Penelope and Tin-Tin pause to turn on their ski thrusts as they return to the hotel from Olsen’s chalet, it starts to snow, but the snow has stopped when they set off again just seconds later. |
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Security Hazard
Written by Alan Pattillo Directed by Desmond Saunders Edited by Harry MacDonald First UK Airdates:
First UK Network Broadcast: 10th April 1992 – 6.00pm (BBC2) Major Equipment: TB1, TB2 (Pod 1 and 2), TB3, TB4, FAB 1, Fireflash, Fire Truck, Elevator Cars, Magnetic Grabs, Sun Probe, Road Construction Vehicle, Explosives Tractor, Martian Space Probe Additional Voice Cast:
Notes This episode features extensive flashback footage from End Of The Road, Sun Probe, Trapped In The Sky and Day Of Disaster and only 17 minutes of new material. The International Rescue Fire Truck seen during the mine fire rescue in the opening sequence is revamped from the Gray and Houseman explosives tractor seen in End Of The Road. Chip Morrison previously appeared as Bob Williams in Cry Wolf. Oops! The puppet which portrays Chip’s father is also seen as Dave Clayton in the sequence from Day Of Disaster. When Thunderbird 2 returns to its hangar, smoke can be seen flowing back down into units inside the hangar, revealing that this is simply reversed footage of the regular Thunderbird 2 launch sequence (this sequence appears again in Ricochet). Once inside the hangar, Thunderbird 2 unloads Pod 1 but the numeral on the puppet-sized pod door in the close-up shots doesn’t match the one on the model pod seen in long-shot. |
Through a psychic rapport with his half-brother Kyrano, The Hood learns that International Rescue is ready to begin operations. Plotting to lure the International Rescue craft, he straps a bomb to the landing gear of the atomic-powered airliner Fireflash on its maiden flight from London to Tokyo so that if the crew attempts a landing by conventional means, the bomb will detonate. Although the airliner’s atomic motors enable the Fireflash to stay in the air for six months, the passengers and crew will receive fatal doses of radiation when the anti-radiation shield on the reactor fails. On board is Kyrano’s daughter Tin-Tin, en route to Tracy Island to join International Rescue. The Fireflash crew attempt to dislodge the bomb with aerobatics, without success. Then an attempt is made to winch a man to the landing gear from a TX 204 target-carrying aircraft, but this also fails, so Jeff dispatches Scott and Virgil in Thunderbirds 1 and 2 to London Airport. International Rescue are in business! 
In the African jungle, the US Army is testing a new all-terrain Sidewinder vehicle when the ground gives way and it falls into a blazing pit with a three man crew trapped inside – 300 feet below ground. Lieutenant Mead, a member of the relief crew, is lowered into the pit from a helijet to assess the situation; he is badly burned but able to report the condition of the vehicle. A second man, Sergeant Reynolds, tries to attach a line to one of the Sidewinder’s legs to haul it upright, but he too is badly burned and the line slips off during the attempt. General Peters calls in International Rescue and Scott, Virgil and Brains are soon speeding to the scene in Thunderbirds 1 and 2. Thunderbird 1’s remote camera reveals that the pit was once an open-cast mine used as a military equipment dump after World War II. A crust of earth has formed over the top and the International Rescue team realise that they must remove the remainder of the crust before the 500-ton Sidewinder can be dragged up the side of the pit… 
A car crash in the underground parking lot of the newly opened Thompson Tower maxi-mall causes a raging inferno which soon consumes the building when the sprinkler system fails. Unseen by the security cameras, the Carter family – Joe, Blanche and their son Tommy – is trapped by sealed fire doors in the access corridors beneath the Tower. By the time that they are spotted, it is too late to effect a rescue by normal means. The Tower Controller calls International Rescue and Scott and Virgil race to the scene in Thunderbirds 1 and 2, despite having only just recovered from the side-effects of experiments with new cutting equipment fuelled by oxyhydnite gas. As Thunderbird 1 arrives, the Tower collapses, raising doubts as to how long the ceiling of the underground corridor can last before caving in. Scott and Virgil realise that the only way to reach the Carters in time is to cut through the fire doors with the oxyhydnite equipment, whatever the risks from the side-effects… 
The Sun Probe, a rocket designed to ferry three solarnauts to the Sun and return with a piece of solar matter, is launched from Cape Kennedy and within a week has arrived at its destination. The mission goes according to plan but as the solarnauts prepare to return to Earth, high radiation levels prevent Sun Probe’s control systems from firing the retro rockets and the solarnauts find themselves on a collision course with the Sun. Brains realises that a powerful radio beam is needed to fire Sun Probe’s retros and Jeff decides to mount a two-pronged rescue: Thunderbird 3, with Alan, Scott and Tin-Tin on board, is launched into space whilst Virgil and Brains head for Mount Arkan in Thunderbird 2 with a powerful mobile transmitter. But Alan’s first attempt to reach Sun Probe with the safety beam fails and he and Scott realise that Thunderbird 3 must go much closer to the Sun than originally planned… 
As Scott returns from the scene of a fire in Tokyo, Thunderbird 1 is shot down in the Sahara Desert by three unidentified fighter planes. Scott cracks his head as Thunderbird 1 crashes into the sand dunes, but he is able to open the cabin hatch before passing out. He is found by two archaeologists, Wilson and Lindsey, who administer first aid. They radio International Rescue and Virgil, Brains and Tin-Tin soon arrive in Thunderbird 2. After the International Rescue group return to Tracy Island, the archaeologists continue their search for the lost pyramid of Khamandides, but their supplies trailer breaks loose from their jeep and explodes, leaving the pair stranded without water. Their SOS call is picked up by Alan on Thunderbird 5 and Scott is soon on his way in Thunderbird 1. Meanwhile, Wilson and Lindsey discover the pyramid of Khamandides but the door through which they enter the pyramid swings shut behind them, trapping them inside! 
Attempting to film the secrets of an atomic irrigation plant in Eastern Australia, The Hood accidentally causes a fire which leads to the explosion of the plant’s nuclear reactor. The resulting atomic cloud drifts towards Melbourne, but a strong wind blows it away. A year later, The Hood attends a demonstration of a remarkable surveillance device, the Mighty Atom. Disguised as a mouse, the Mighty Atom can photograph control systems by focusing on technicians’ faces as they monitor their control panels, so The Hood steals the device and uses it to photograph the control room of a new irrigation plant which has been built in the Sahara Desert. He then sparks a fire similar to the one at the Australian plant, planning to lure International Rescue and use the Mighty Atom to photograph the control cabins of the Thunderbird vehicles… 
Lady Penelope and Parker are invited to break into the vault of the Bank of England to illustrate that improved security is required. A new vault is fitted which can only be opened with an electronic key carried by the Bank’s President, Lord Silton, in a briefcase which, he boasts, never leaves his side. But while Lord Silton dines with Lady Penelope at Creighton-Ward Mansion, the workaholic accountant Lambert is accidentally trapped inside the vault when it is closed for the next two years. The air is automatically pumped out to keep everything sterile, but with no manual shutdown Lambert will soon suffocate. Then Parker discovers that an old cell-mate, ‘Light-Fingered’ Fred, has just escaped from Parkmoor Scrubs. He recalls Fred’s intention to break into the Bank of England when he got out, so when Penelope and Lord Silton learn of the emergency at the bank, Parker sabotages their attempts to get there in the mistaken belief that Fred is responsible… 
Fireflash 3 crashes into the sea soon after taking off from London Airport and Air-sea Rescue can find no trace of the wreckage. A test Fireflash is launched and this too experiences difficulties and crashes into the sea. However, on this occasion, the flight has been monitored by Alan on Thunderbird 5 and he is able to report that the craft is actually some 180 miles north west of the position given by the crew. As Thunderbirds 1 and 2 are launched, the Fireflash sinks and the crew are trapped in the cabin when the emergency exit becomes jammed. In Thunderbird 4, Gordon locates the downed Fireflash and uses a laser cutter to remove the airliner’s heavy engines, enabling the Fireflash to float to the surface where the crew escape in Thunderbird 2’s rescue capsule. In an attempt to determine the cause of the crashes, Scott joins Captain Hanson during the next Fireflash test, but again the aircraft loses power and goes into a crash-dive… 
Alan and Grandma are trapped high on the girders of a suspension bridge over the San Miguel River with a sonic wave generator positioned nearby. If either of them makes any move, the sonic wave device will register the movement and detonate a bomb attached to the underside of the bridge. Alan manages to use his personal intercall wrist communicator to call Tracy Island and Scott, Virgil and Brains set off in Thunderbirds 1 and 2. Grandma faints and in order to keep Alan from passing out too, Jeff makes him explain how they got into this fix. Alan tells how he took part in the Parola Sands Race to test a new engine designed by Brains and fitted into a BR2 racing car. On arrival at Parola Sands, Alan met his friend, engineer Kenny Malone, and an old race track rival, Victor Gomez, but Gomez and his partner Johnnie Gillespie proved to be desperate for the prize money and prepared to go to any lengths to win the race… 
Two policemen, responding to a flying saucer report, find themselves attacked by Martians and trapped in a cave. However, this is just part of a movie script to be filmed by B-movie director Goldheimer under the supervision of The Hood in a devious plan to capture the secrets of International Rescue on film for sale to General Strond. Exerting his psychic control, The Hood forces Kyrano to switch off the automatic camera detector in Thunderbird 1 and then sets his plan in motion. Filming begins in the Nevada Desert using automatic camera equipment. The first scenes involve the two policemen becoming trapped in the cave by the Martians, but The Hood sabotages a pyrotechnic effects sequence and the resulting explosion brings down the whole cliff face. The two actors are trapped inside the cave, which begins to fill up with water from an underground river… 
Lady Penelope is visited by American businessman Warren Grafton, who explains that he is looking for investors in his Pacific Atlantic Monorail company. Parker suspects a scam when he recognises Grafton’s chauffeur as a crook named Harry Malloy, so Penelope puts Grafton in touch with Jeff Tracy, who investigates the operation posing as an interested investor. Grafton takes Jeff, Brains and Tin-Tin for a ride aboard the totally automated Pacific Atlantic monotrain, along the 500 miles of track that have already been completed. Grafton assures them of complete safety, although Jeff spots a number of flaws in the design which could endanger the monotrain passengers. Then a patrolling helijet is struck by lightning in a storm and crashes into a monorail bridge, bringing down part of the bridge and cutting off the automatic signals. The monotrain is out of control and heading for disaster! 
Professor Borender, creator of a new rocket fuel produced from sea water, used to power the Sun Probe on its historic solar flight, disappears from a monotrain during a journey from Paris to Anderbad. International Rescue’s Sir Jeremy Hodge calls in Lady Penelope to help find his friend and they meet in a Parisian café where Penelope narrowly avoids drinking poisoned Pernod. The culprit leaves behind a matchbook emblazoned with a heraldic crest, but when they try to locate the crest in the Heraldic Archive, Penelope and Sir Jeremy are trapped in the basement by the evil Dr. Godber as gas is pumped in. Rescued by Parker in FAB 1, Penelope and Sir Jeremy retrace Borender’s steps by taking the express monotrain to Anderbad, but Godber arranges a power failure as the train enters the Anderbad Tunnel and kidnaps them both. Taking them to his tunnel hideout, he tries to force Sir Jeremy and Borender to reveal the secret of their process by tying Penelope to a ladder and lowering her into the path of the Anderbad Express! 
Returning from a rescue operation at an oil well fire, Thunderbird 2 strays into a Naval test area and is attacked by missiles launched from the USN Sentinel. Virgil pilots the damaged Thunderbird 2 to a crash-landing on Tracy Island and although he is not badly injured, Thunderbird 2 will be out of action for weeks. From his sick bed, Virgil watches a television report from New York on an ingenious operation to move the Empire State Building for redevelopment of the surrounding area. Suddenly, the ground gives way beneath the building and as it comes crashing down, television reporter Ned Cook and his cameraman, Joe, fall into a deep cavern. The Empire State Building collapses over the hole and the men are trapped with water seeping into their hollow from an uncharted underground river. Thunderbird 4 is their only hope of rescue, but with Thunderbird 2 out of commission there seems to be no way to get the submarine to New York in time! 
The Gray and Houseman Construction Company are building a road through a mountain range in South-East Asia using an amazing road building vehicle, but they have to complete their contract before the monsoon season. Eddie Houseman successfully blasts a pathway through the mountains but, while he is visiting his old friend Tin-Tin Kyrano on Tracy Island, the mountain range starts to crumble into the pathway and his business partner Bob Gray realises that it will not survive the monsoon. Eddie immediately returns to the site and recklessly sets off in an explosives tractor to plant charges on an unstable peak which will cause it to fall away from the road. With the peak about to collapse, Eddie fires the charges while still too close and the blast leaves his tractor teetering on the edge of the mountain trail. But there’s worse to come: he still has a case of unstable nutomic charges aboard and if he goes over the edge, he will be blown sky high! 
A Martian Space Probe rocket is being transported to its launch site over the Allington Suspension Bridge when the suspension cables snap and the bridge collapses, tipping the MSP from its transport vehicle into the Allington River. The rocket lands on the river bed in an upright launch position, covered in debris from the bridge. The impact sets off the automatic launch countdown which will blow the rocket to pieces, killing two engineers who are trapped in the command module. Brains is visiting Lady Penelope and they both watch the disaster taking place on television. They rush to the bridge in FAB 1 and while Lady Penelope and Parker arrange a diversion, Brains makes his way to the bridge control centre. However, the Bridge Controller refuses to acknowledge the need for more sophisticated rescue equipment so Brains contacts John on his personal intercall wrist communicator and directs the International Rescue operation himself… 
The Hood is hired by General Bron to sabotage the new Red Arrow fighter plane, ensuring that the plane crashes into the launch site on its test flight. World Space Control project supervisor Colonel Tim Casey is replaced for the test programme on Red Arrow 2, so he decides to pay an unexpected call on his old friend Jeff Tracy at Tracy Island. Brains suspects that the Red Arrow was sabotaged and provides Red Arrow 2 pilot Goddard with a diversion detector before he returns to base, but The Hood plants a homing device on an international television relay tower so that when Red Arrow 2 makes its test flight, it is drawn off course. Goddard ejects safely but the Red Arrow crashes into the tower, trapping a pair of operatives, Jim and Stan, in the control cabin. The men call International Rescue as the tower disintegrates, but with Colonel Casey still on the island, Jeff cannot risk launching Thunderbirds 1 and 2… 
Brains and Tin-Tin mount an expedition to find treasure in a temple on the bed of Lake Anasta in the Middle East, but The Hood learns of their plans through his psychic link with Kyrano. Ferried to the desert in Thunderbird 2, Brains and Tin-Tin make the final leg of their journey in a desert jeep towing a pair of caravans, rendezvousing with archaeologist Professor Blakely before completing the journey. Arriving at Lake Anasta, Brains and Tin-Tin use scuba gear to dive in and take a first look at the lost temple. Brains takes a rock sample from the central column for later examination but The Hood, observing from a mini-submarine hidden in the lake, believes that they have found the treasure already. That night, disguised as a Bedouin tribesman, he steals into the expedition caravans and hypnotises the three team members. The next morning, Brains regains consciousness to find himself buried up to his neck in the desert sand… 
Driving home late at night, Tom Prescott picks up a hitch-hiker who locks a bracelet made of hydrochromatised steel to his wrist. He is told that the key is in his office at the Hudson Building in Spoke City, so Prescott races back to the building and unlocks the bracelet before the explosive device set into it detonates. Unfortunately, he is still descending in the elevator when the device left in his office explodes. The elevator plunges into the basement and Prescott is trapped at the bottom of the lift shaft as fire rages through the building. The local fire department is unable to contain the blaze, so Jeff dispatches Thunderbirds 1 and 2 to the scene. Virgil and Alan descend into the lift shaft in a specially cooled dicetylene cage fitted with grabs, recovering the elevator car and rescuing Prescott. Police Commissioner Garfield suspects that the Erdman gang are behind the incident so he turns the case over to the British Security Service… 
A fake International Rescue team apparently rescues a man from an underground well, but when it is discovered that they have stolen top secret plans from the nearby Aeronautical Centre, General Lambert launches a worldwide search to track down International Rescue and bring them to justice. The Tracys have no choice but to shut down operations while the hunt is on but Jeff contacts International Rescue agents around the world to help them to find the impostors. Lady Penelope flies to America to interview a reporter who covered the ‘rescue’ at the well, while hillbilly agent Jeremiah Tuttle finds aircraft tracks in the woods near his shack which lead to an old mine. Meanwhile at the Space Observatory 3 scanning satellite, a technician is stranded in space when his jet pack goes haywire. Only International Rescue can save him, but launching Thunderbird 3 will reveal the organisation’s location to Lambert’s search team! 
When top secret papers are stolen from Captain Blacker’s ship anchored in harbour on the French Riviera, MI.5 agent Bondson contacts International Rescue, warning of the destruction of the world. Penelope agrees to meet Bondson in the Forest of Digne, where he reveals that the stolen papers are plans for a nuclear device. The recovery of the plans is vital so Penelope sets herself up as a target for the thieves, posing as model Gayle Williams, newly arrived on the French Riviera to expose those who blew up Blacker’s boat. Penelope decides to give Parker the night off so she is alone on her luxury yacht FAB 2 when Carl, the leader of the crooks, kidnaps her. She is tied up in a lonely boathouse where Carl plants a radio-controlled bomb, explaining that the explosion will create a diversion for the harbour patrol, thereby enabling Carl and his cronies to escape into the open sea in their mini-submarine… 
Two young boys, Tony and Bob Williams, unwittingly call out International Rescue on their walkie-talkies while playing in the Australian desert near their home at Charity Springs in the Northern Territory. To explain how their games are dangerous to International Rescue, Scott takes the boys back to Tracy Island for a guided tour, but the story makes headlines in the local newspapers which worries their father: under the guise of a weather station, he runs a satellite tracking station and is engaged in top security research for the military. Realising the true nature of the weather station, The Hood encourages Tony and Bob to play in the old Charity Springs tin mine at Dunsley Hill. Once the boys are inside, he fires a grenade into the mine entrance, causing a cave-in and trapping the boys. Tony and Bob call International Rescue on their walkie-talkies but their rescue plea is assumed to be another of the boys’ games, and no action is taken… 
Ocean Pioneer I, an automated tanker carrying liquid alsterene, sails into a mysterious sea mist and explodes. Six months later, Lady Penelope launches Ocean Pioneer II, having thoroughly searched the ship beforehand for signs of sabotage. Meanwhile, International Rescue respond to a distress call from Oahu in the Pacific which has been hit by a typhoon, but suddenly all radio transmissions are blacked out leaving the organisation blind and deaf. Brains traces the cause of the interference to a reaction between OD60, a sea fungus used in the production of dog food, and liquid alsterene fuel in close proximity: bringing them even closer together results in a huge explosion. Jeff realises that this reaction must be the cause of the destruction of Ocean Pioneer I. Then Lady Penelope learns that there are large deposits of active OD60 in the Mediterranean and Ocean Pioneer II is heading straight for the area loaded with liquid alsterene! 
Lady Penelope finds her old friend Deborah, the Duchess of Royston, playing roulette in a French casino. When the Duchess tells Penelope that she has lost everything except for her precious Braquasso painting ‘Portrait Of A Gazelle’, their conversation is overheard by a pair of gangsters, Chandler and Brophy. Penelope realises that the roulette table is fixed but she and Parker are unable to prevent the crooked casino owner from escaping with Deborah’s money. Later, Penelope learns that the Duchess has been forced to put her home up for sale so, to help her, she and Jeff arrange a meeting with Wilbur Dandridge III, head of Gazelle Automations Inc. in New York. Deborah agrees to loan the Braquasso painting to Dandridge on a rental basis, taking the picture to New York herself. But on her arrival in America, the Duchess is kidnapped by Chandler and Brophy who steal the painting and leave her tied up in the basement of an old house… 
Blackmer visits Dr Orchard and his assistant Hector McGill at a lonely house on the Ambro River to see the effects of a new food additive called theramine, developed by Orchard from a rare plant that only grows in this area. Theramine greatly increases the size of animals fed with it, offering a solution to the world food shortage and even greater financial potential. These revelations are overheard by the boatman Culp, who later steals a sample of theramine from the laboratory, accidentally spilling some of the drug into the sink. He washes the spillage away into the river where it immediately affects the growth of three alligators. When Culp ferries Blackmer down the river the next morning, they are attacked by one of the alligators, now grown to enormous size. Blackmer is rescued by McGill but when they take refuge in the house with Orchard and his housekeeper Mrs. Files, they are surrounded by all three of the giant creatures… 
An RTL2 transporter plane is attacked and shot down by three enemy fighter jets while on a secret missile delivery mission. This is the third such attack and Alan has noticed that each time a transporter is shot down, the Cass Carnaby Five have been giving a live performance of their hit tune ‘Dangerous Game’, broadcast by Radio Maxwell. The group are currently performing at Paradise Peaks, a deluxe hotel in the Alps, so Jeff sends Penelope to investigate, posing as torch singer Wanda Lamour. Penelope is joined by Tin-Tin and they secretly film the band’s manager Olsen working at a complex computer board. Brains realises that Olsen is using a Cham-Cham, a device that is sensitive to ultrasonic harmonics and microtones, to encode information about the rocket transporters into the broadcast musical arrangements of ‘Dangerous Game’. Only Penelope’s next performance with the band can prevent the destruction of another transporter plane! 
While Scott, Virgil and Alan are fighting a fire in an English mine, young Chip Morrison stows away inside Thunderbird 2 Pod 1. When Thunderbird 2 arrives back at Tracy Island, the intruder alert goes off and the Tracys find themselves with a security hazard on their hands. While Jeff tries to think of a solution to their problem, Chip is looked after by each of the brothers in turn. The boy exhibits a rare talent for encouraging the brothers to expose International Rescue secrets, as each recalls past rescues which highlight the importance of their individual rescue vehicles. Realising too late what they have all done, the brothers are concerned about what their father will say when he finds out, but they are surprised to discover Jeff giving Chip a full run-down of the importance of his own position in the organisation! Somehow they must prevent Chip from innocently leaking the secrets of International Rescue… | Cast List | |
|---|---|
| Jeff Tracy | Peter Dyneley |
| Scott Tracy | Shane Rimmer |
| Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward | Sylvia Anderson |
| Virgil Tracy | David Holliday |
| Alan Tracy | Matt Zimmerman |
| Brains | David Graham |
| Aloysius 'Nosey' Parker | David Graham |
| Tin-Tin Kyrano | Christine Finn |
| Gordon Tracy | David Graham |
| John Tracy | Ray Barrett |
| Kyrano | David Graham |
| Grandma Tracy | Christine Finn |
| The Hood | Ray Barrett |