“Thunderbirds Are Go”/”Thunderbird 6”

The 1960s was a high spot in British television. The Avengers, The Prisoner, Dr Who, The Saint, great drama and, of course, the series created by Gerry Anderson. Many, most of his at this time were marionettes: Fireball XL5, Supercar, Stingray and Captain Scarlet (kind of, no strings), but the best of all and most beloved was Thunderbirds.

The Tracy family live on, er Tracy Island. They spend their time saving people from dangerous situations, all the time maintaining their secrecy, except when they don’t. We never understood this – weren’t people in danger somewhere all the time, and what did the other rescue services ever do?

The series was good at the start but became dull and all Lady Penelope nonsense by the end. It only ran for 32 episodes, barely two series, but still gets big audiences if it is shown today.