Author Archives: Jack Knoll

The Anderson Close-Up Quiz

How well do you really know your favourite Gerry Anderson shows? The objective of this quiz is simple – try and guess what these are all images of. But there’s a twist! Brains’ computer messed up some of the images and magnified them far too much. Get to work identifying them and let us knowContinue reading “The Anderson Close-Up Quiz”

Thunderbirds – 13. Terror In New York City

There’s no doubt that for most Thunderbirds fans, Terror In New York City is a classic. I first saw it as part of the Countdown to Disaster VHS compilation feature alongside Atlantic Inferno. Needless to say it was a tape that I watched as often as I could. The episode delivers not just one, but two standout moments which push the format of the series to the limit, giving us two of the most catastrophic and dramatic disasters ever seen in Thunderbirds.

Thunderbirds – 12. The Perils of Penelope

If there was ever a case for Lady Penelope being the real star of Thunderbirds, this episode would be exhibit A. The Tracys take a backseat as Penelope and her bit of crumpet, Sir Jeremy Hodge, get caught up in an adventure full of sleuthing and danger!

Thunderbirds – Extending The First Eleven

For those of you that don’t know, every week I have been writing in-depth reviews of each episode of the original Thunderbirds series. During these reviews I have been closely studying what appears on screen and highlighting bits and pieces which point to how the episode was produced, and which parts worked well or didn’t work so well. Part of that process has involved analysing one aspect in particular which relates to the first eleven episodes to go into production.

Thunderbirds – 11. Brink of Disaster

There’s a general stereotype about Thunderbirds that the word ‘automatic’ should translate to the word ‘lethal’ by default. Brink of Disaster is the prime candidate for that being true. This episode brings us high stakes, with members of International Rescue in danger once again, and some enjoyable characters in the form of Warren Grafton and his crooked gang of businessmen. But there’s also something rather unremarkable about this episode which I want to try and pin down over the course of this review…

Joe 90 – WIN’s Top Agents

Over the course of the Joe 90 series, WIN is engaged in espionage-cracking missions all over the world. Their Most Special Agent, 9 year-old Joe 90, is on the case in every episode but the World Intelligence Network also has a number of other operatives who work on various assignments. Here’s a list of all of WIN’s personnel that appeared throughout the series.

Thunderbirds – 10. Martian Invasion

Martian Invasion is a bizarre mix of a fairly ordinary rescue of two film actors trapped in a cave combined with what could have been one of the most important moments in the series – International Rescue’s capture of The Hood. How does this exciting opportunity play out? Let’s take a look.