More good news today as I hear that Thunderbirds is to return to our screens. Now, I accept that I am probably not in the target age group for this new series, but I am afraid I somewhat excited by the prospect.
Even as a young boy, I was not oblivious to the fact that the strings holding the puppets aloft were highly visible to the naked eye. However, using the ability of someone who also watched professional wrestling, I was able to set aside reality for the purpose of enjoying myself. As I recall, many of the stories were futuristic in their ideas and even prophetic. Does anyone remember the Fireflash episode, a giant nuclear-powered Concorde of a plane which had its landing geared slightly knackered, thus requiring Thunderbirds to bring about an unlikely rescue, with the use of a number of vehicles to catch the ailing plane before it crashed to the ground? I know we haven’t had nuclear powered planes yet – there’s still time – but Concorde did crash a few years ago, hastening its demise, although Virgil Tracy was not present with thunderbird 2.
Tracy Island, where all the boys livid with their father Jeff, did seem an idyllic, though dull, place to live. It seemed to measure about 50 feet round and all it had was a house, a retractable swimming pool and some remarkable machines, all maintained by a genius by the name of Brains. I dread to think how the boys had their fun. There was not exactly a source of willing females to help pass the time but everyone seemed to drink heavily and, best of all, smoke. And everyone smoked, constantly. And it was a children’s programme. I thought nothing of it since everyone smoked in those days and it did not occur to anyone that smoking a substance and inhaling fumes might just health damaging effects!
Every so often, International Rescue (the family firm’s name, unfunded, as I recall, by anyone bar Jeff Tracy) would get a coded radio call and fly off to save the day. Utterly predictable, totally cliche ridden and above all great fun.
Now they’re bringing it back. The whole idea came back as a movie, featuring real people, and it was abysmal, ruined from the start by a woeful version of the theme song by the pre adolescent popular beat combo outfit Busted. I am hoping that the programme-makers stick to the traditions. Okay, we don’t necessarily want to see strings everywhere because the technology has rather moved on since those days, but don’t make it too flash and don’t have complicated stories, like the ones on Doctor Who these days. Just a bad guy who wants to rule, or destroy, the world.
Doubtless, I won’t enjoy it like I used to and the imminence of my bus pass will persuade me to stick with more mature TV shows such as Countryfile and All Star Mr and Mrs, but I will give it a go and hope it will turn out F-A-B.
1 comment
I only discovered yesterday there was a second Thunderbirds movie from the 60s called Thunderbird Six.
Naturally I watched it immediately.
Comments are closed.