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1974 - Thunderbirds - The Stage Show
Stage Three
15th April 1974 to
April 1975
A stage puppet
show which was conceived and performed by series puppeteers
Christine Glanville and Rowena White with the official permission
of Century 21.
They formed a company called Stage Three and toured U.K. theatres
with the show.
1983
- Thunderbirds 2086
( Science Rescue
Team Technovoyager ) ( Kagaku Kyuujo-Ta Technovoyager
)
Japanese origination
U.S. version produced by Robert Mandell
24 x 30 minute episodes
This was a Japanese
animated series, subjected to voice-over and released by ITC
in English-speaking countries as Thunderbirds 2086.
It used the Thunderbirds format with neither the knowledge nor
involvement of either Gerry Anderson or Century 21.
The International Rescue team consisted of some 17 craft and
even used some of the music composed by Barry Gray for the original
series.
It was shown on the PRISM cable network in the U.S. and was
released in the U.K. in 1986.
1984
- Thunderbirds F.A.B.
Mime Theatre Project
A stage show devised
by Andrew Dawson and Gavin Robertson, it contained characters
from both Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, all characters,
and even vehicles,
being played by the two actors. It toured the U.K. in 1985
and subsequently went to Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S.A.
and Australia before returning to the U.K. in 1989 where
it began its run at The Apollo theatre.
1987
- Children In Need - 'Parker In Need'
BBC
Radio 2
Written
and directed by Dirk Maggs
Voice
artists Shane Rimmer, Matt Zimmerman and David Graham were involved
in this humorous, episodic story broadcast on 24th to 27th November
1987
in support of the BBC Television Children In Need appeal. The
storyline found Scott and Alan Tracy rescuing Parker from the
BBC record library where he had
become trapped while trying to make a secret anonymous donation
to the appeal on behalf of Lady Penelope.
1991
- Thunderbirds F.A.B. - The Next Generation
Produced
by and starring Paul Kent and Wayne Forester
This
was a more elaborate version of the original stage show and
also included characters from Stingray. It was revived in 1995
by Paul Kent,
this time with Tristan Sharps, eventually going on tour with
Richard James accompanying Paul Kent.
1995
- Turbocharged Thunderbirds
Polygram
/ Bohbot
 
Created
by Robert A.Tercek and Sally DeSipio
13 episodes
Following
its acquisition of ITC, Polygram decided to follow up on the
ITC cut-down episodes and went into co-production with Bohbot
to produce this series.
The show was live action mixed with re-voiced original footage
and featured Roxette and Tripp, two teenagers who find themselves
in a parallel universe peopled
by puppet-like figures. They help the Tracy family to fight
their enemy, The Hood, and his evil controller The Atrocimator.
Understandably, Gerry Anderson had his
name removed from the credits. The series was shown on U.S.
syndicated television but has, mercifully, never found its way
to these shores.
1990 - Return To The Forbidden Planet
by Bob Carlton
Video Special
Effects - Gerry Anderson
A long-running musical stage show with video special effects
created, and subsequently updated, by Gerry Anderson. Interesting
concepts here....
a spoof take-off of the 1956 sci-fi classic film 'Forbidden
Planet', a musical score that is essentially rock'n'roll, a
leading character who has the same name
as the Captain of 'Stingray', and effects by the great man.
Somehow it all works on stage - a huge success.
Scientific Survey Flight Nine headed by Captain Tempest are
joined by a new female Science Officer, Gloria, who abandons
ship when the spacecraft is caught in an asteroid
storm. The ship crash-lands on an uncharted planet called D'illyria.
A face appears on their video screen, that Captain Tempest recognises
as Prospero, a scientist who
defected 15 years previously. Prospero convinces them that he
was the victim of an enemy plot and, believing this, Tempest
invites him aboard the ship. He arrives with a
robot called Ariel and his beautiful teenage daughter, Miranda,
who has never seen a human apart from her father and is immediately
attracted to Tempest.
Ariel reports that the Science Officer is on her way to the
ship and also tells Tempest about Prospero's great invention,
Telegenisis, a process that can create matter
simply through thought. Prospero is unhappy about Ariel revealing
his secrets, and even more so at Miranda's attraction to Tempest,
telling her she must choose between
them. Miranda says that if she has to make a choice it will
be Tempest. Prospero cannot control his anger and he takes a
test tube marked X Factor, the basis of
Telegenesis, drinks it and collapses. The Science Officer returns,
pursued by a dreadful monster created from Prospero's drugged
brain.
The air-lock opens to admit Gloria but she is followed by the
monster.
A fight ensues and Gloria is rescued by Ariel who blows fire
at the monster which explodes. She is eventually brought before
Prospero where it is revealed that he is the
husband she betrayed. Prospero condemns her for this and the
destruction of something that could have eradicated conflict,
famine and disease on Earth.
While Gloria is confused by her feelings for Prospero, whom
she loves but has sworn to destroy, Ariel returns having repaired
the damage to the ship. As he reports to Tempest a
sexy-looking Miranda, who thinks that she should try a more
obvious approach to attract Tempest. He rejects her again and
Ariel consoles her, telling her that what she really needs
is a Robot man. The ship's cook enters with the stolen X Factor
and, seeing Miranda kissing Ariel, attacks him. Ariel wins,
and swallows the stolen formula.
The monster is re-created and is heard outside. Gloria enters
and tells Prospero that he is a sinful man whose brain has become
a force for evil as it is this that has created
the terrible monster from the id, his subconscious mind.
Forced to recognise the truth of this Prospero goes off to commit
suicide, in a final gesture of love and sacrifice. As the ship
prepares for take-off Tempest comforts Miranda,
declaring his love for her. On taking off there is a massive
rumble as the planet begins to disintegrate. Ariel explains
that just as Prospero could create monsters,
he also created D'illyria and, with his death, the planet created
from his mind must also die.
2003
- Firestorm
Anderson Entertainment
26 episodes of 30 minutes - April 6th, 2003 -
September 27th, 2003
Based on an original idea by Gerry Anderson and John Needham Directed
by Kenji Terada
It is the year 2104 AD. The terrible
war is over and world peace seems imminent. Only one thing threatens
to disrupt the peace; the criminal organization who's power
and actions are spread worldwide... The Black Orchid. A team
of specialists from around the world called Storm Force is created.
The best of the best is Storm Force 9,
a six member team led by Sam Scott. Equipped with advanced vehicles
and weapons, their code name is Firestorm.
A Mixture of cel and CGI computer animation, Firestorm debuted
on Japanese TV in April of 2003.
Anderson created the series but did not produce it - he removed
his name from the episodes.
2004
- Thunderbirds - The Movie
Universal
Pictures and StudioCanal Present A Working Title Production
   
Produced
by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner & Mark Huffam
Directed by Jonathan Frakes
Returning
to Tracy island after successfully rescuing trapped workers
from a collapsing oil super-rig in the Gulf of Alaska, the Tracys
are joined by Jeff's youngest son Alan and Fermat,
son of International Rescue's brilliant inventor Professor Hiram
'Brains' Hackenbacker, who are home from boarding school for
the holidays. When Thunderbird 5 is badly damaged
by an apparent meteor strike and John, on duty on board as space
monitor, is injured, Jeff races to assist in Thunderbird 3 together
with Scott, Virgil and Gordon.
The 'accident' has, however, actually been engineered by master
criminal 'The Hood' who has tracked Thunderbird 1 from the super-rig
to Tracy Island in his stealth submarine.
Invading the island base with his assistants, Transom and Mullion,
The Hood takes control of International Rescue in order to use
their equipment to rob the ten biggest banks
in the world. He remotely shuts down power on Thunderbird 5,
trapping the Tracys on board and setting the satellite on a
spiralling course to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
However, he has not counted on the ingenuity of Alan, Fermat
and Tin-Tin who are still at large and will do anything to thwart
The Hood's plans and save the Tracy family.
A live action movie based on
the original series.
Gerry Anderson was not invited to contribute to the production
which is why Universal &co. managed to get away with wasting
an
opportunity to produce something really special, resulting in
a bit of a dodo of a film as far as the box office was concerned.
Having said that, it isn't all bad, Star Trek's
Jonathan Frakes doing a half decent job directing and making
a cameo appearance. The hardware was magnificent. A lot of it
was produced life size by
Ford Motors who displayed it at the 2003 Motor Show at the NEC
and it really was very impressive.
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