In 1959, musical maestro Barry Gray approached Gerry Anderson and the AP Films team with a concept for a television series set in the Wild West. AP Films had recently started developing the technique that would later become known as Supermarionation to produce puppets with automatic electronic lip sync. Having worked for several years under the control of children’s author Roberta Leigh on The Adventures of Twizzle and the first series of Torchy The Battery Boy, Barry Gray’s Western series was the stepping stone for AP Films to become television producers in their own right.
Author Archives: Jack Knoll
VIDEO: Building the TechnBoyger Plastic Model Kit | Thunderbirds 2086
Join me, a first-time model builder, as I tackle the TechnoBoyger Plastic Model Kit from Moderoid, featuring iconic vehicles from the forgotten 1980s anime series ‘Thunderbirds 2086.’
The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity REVIEW
Appreciating the timeline surrounding The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity and its inherent ties with Space: 1999 make for some interesting food for thought. The first season of Space: 1999 was shot between November 1973 and February 1975. It was a long and expensive shoot, the fruits of which would not be screened until September 1975. ITC more desperately than ever wanted to make its money back from a US network sale. The fate of the series, and seemingly Gerry’s future prospects would be measured on its American reception. Always looking forward and keen to improve, Anderson already knew that some changes to Space: 1999’s format were needed for the second season even before the first had been transmitted. He requested that script writer Johnny Byrne conduct an analysis of the first season to find its strengths and weaknesses.
LIVE STREAM: Battle of the Thunderbirds Craft
There’s something major going down on Tracy Island. On Friday, February 16, 2024 at 7:00 PM GMT, I’ll be hosting and participating in a debate over on the official Gerry Anderson channels across YouTube, Facebook, X (Twitter), and beyond. We’re settling an age-old argument between Thunderbirds fans – which is truly the greatest of the International Rescue craft?
Cor. A look back at 2023.
Want a taste of everything you might have missed on Security Hazard this year? Yes, even the chunky bits that smell a bit off but are still within their sell-by date. Come on, there’s loads to get through because I’ve actually been quite busy for the past 12 months…
The Secret Service – 13. More Haste Less Speed
This is the big one. Not just the finale of The Secret Service but the end of an amazing decade for the crew of Century 21 Films in Slough perfecting the techniques of Supermarionation filmmaking. Once this episode was in the can, the puppet stages on Stirling Road closed for good on January 24th 1969 … until Thunderbirds returned to the trading estate in 2015 for the production of three episodes to celebrate its 50th anniversary, but that’s another story.
The Secret Service – 12. May-Day, May-Day!
There’s a quite a bit to like about May-Day, May-Day!, and yet this is always the episode of The Secret Service I have the hardest time remembering anything about. That could be because it’s sandwiched between what are arguably two of the series’ standout episodes, School For Spies and More Haste, Less Speed. Or, it could be because the story is quite a run-of-the-mill assassination plot. Or, it could be that I’m getting forgetful in my old age.
The Secret Service – 11. School For Spies
On paper, School For Spies is an episode with no downsides. Father Unwin is up against a gang of crooks who also happen to be using the priesthood as their cover for sabotaging military equipment. One man of the cloth fighting many. It’s an intriguing dynamic. A version of BISHOP that works for the forces of evil. What could be juicier than that?! The head honcho is known as the Archdeacon for goodness sake! Talk about drama. So why was I left with a slight feeling of disappointment when the credits rolled on School For Spies? More precisely, why did I finish the episode feeling like I didn’t quite get it?
The Secret Service – 10. The Cure
When I was a youngster at the age of about 10, and I saw The Secret Service for the first time, The Cure was my favourite episode. I couldn’t get enough of it. I thought it was the funniest thing since sliced carrots.
The Secret Service – 9. Recall To Service
Ever seen the Captain Scarlet episode Point 783? The one about a runaway unmanned tank attacking the wrong building thanks to a rogue military officer messing with the program? Yeah we’re treading on dangerously similar territory here with Recall To Service. I think that’s okay though. Mainly because I rather prefer the way the plot is tackled here in The Secret Service. I find Point 783 a touch dry because it’s an early episode of Scarlet and the show is still finding its feet. In comparison, I think Recall To Service is The Secret Service really firing on all cylinders.
Security Hazard 