THUNDERBIRDS ARE STILL GO

The pioneering sci-fi puppet series thrilled children and adults alike when it launched 60 years ago this month. As a double bill of episodes hits UK cinemas tomorrow, Gerry Anderson's son Jamie on why its theme of international harmony is more relevant than ever

- By Neil Clark

IT HAS to be one of the most thrilling opening credits sequences to a television programme ever. A countdown of “5-4-3-2-1! Thunderbirds are Go!” as we see the five Thunderbird craft and the launch of the sleek, rocket-like Thunderbird 1.

Then comes the rousing Thunderbirds theme, composed by Barry Gray, played as the members of International Rescue are introduced. You simply had to carry on watching after an intro like that, didn’t you?

Millions did just that. It’s exactly 60 years ago this month, on September 30, 1965, that Thunderbirds made its first dramatic appearance on our television screens, with the episode Trapped in the Sky, shown at 7pm.

The series proved a big hit with viewers at the time and its popularity shows absolutely no sign of waning. The original 32 episodes shown in more than 60 countries worldwide have begun another rerun, on Saturday mornings on the Freeview nostalgia channel Talking Pictures TV.

Thunderbirds has also spawned two film sequels, a live action film adaptation and two television remakes, the most recent in 2015. And tomorrow, to mark its anniversary, two classic, fully restored 4K Ultra High Definition episodes are being screened in a double bill in cinemas across Britain.

To coincide with the screenings, a special exhibition at the Museum of Brands in London is showcasing the groundbreaking merchandise of Thunderbirds, and another classic Gerry Anderson series, Space 1999, with toys, games, comics and books among the memorabilia on show.

So the first question I ask when I meet Jamie Anderson, the proud son of the programme’s visionary creator Gerry Anderson, is why he believes the Thunderbirds phenomenon has endured so long.

“There are a couple of reasons,” he replies. “One is down to the show itself, the combination of the people that made it, and the themes.