Thunderbirds is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It was made between 1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry combined with scale model special effects sequences. Two series, totalling thirty-two 50-minute episodes, were filmed; production ended with the completion of the sixth episode of the second series after Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, failed in his bid to sell the programme to American network television.
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Stourhead House, an 18th-century Palladian building, inspired the look of Creighton-Ward Mansion.
Some of the aircraft sound effects were created by recording the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatics display team in flight.
Gerry Anderson planned the title sequence.
Gerald Alexander Anderson was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s productions filmed with "Supermarionation".
Anderson in 2009
A selection of Gerry Anderson marionettes seen at the National Media Museum, Bradford.
