Thunderbirds

Overview

Thunderbirds is a 1960s British science-fiction television series which was produced using a mixed method of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects termed "Supermarionation". The series is set in the 21st century and follows the exploits of International Rescue, a secret organization formed to save people in mortal danger with the help of technologically advanced land, sea, air and space vehicles and equipment, launched from a hidden base on Tracy Island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Episodes

Trapped in the Sky

S01E01 Trapped in the Sky

September 30, 1965 6.8 50 min
The Fireflash, on its maiden flight from London to Tokyo, is sabotaged by the Hood, a criminal who has learned of the formation of International Rescue, and is unable to land. The Hood's attack is...
Pit of Peril

S01E02 Pit of Peril

October 7, 1965 50 min
A 500-ton U.S. Army walker, Sidewinder, falls into a pit during testing and International Rescue are called to save the crew trapped inside.
The Perils of Penelope

S01E03 The Perils of Penelope

October 14, 1965 50 min
Lady Penelope goes on the trail of a kidnapped scientist, only to find herself in mortal danger at the hands of a megalomaniac determined to exploit the expert's work to his advantage.
Terror in New York City

S01E04 Terror in New York City

October 21, 1965 50 min
While returning from a mission, Thunderbird 2 is seriously damaged when it comes under attack from a new, high-speed U.S. Navy strike vessel, the U.S.N. Sentinel. After an operation to move the Empire State Building...
Edge of Impact

S01E05 Edge of Impact

October 28, 1965 50 min
The Hood sabotages the Red Arrow aircraft programme. One of the planes crashes into the TV Tower in England during a brutal rain storm, and International Rescue is summoned to save the engineers inside the...
Day of Disaster

S01E06 Day of Disaster

November 4, 1965 50 min
The Allington Bridge collapses while a space rocket is being transported over it, trapping the rocket on the riverbed and inadvertently initiating its automatic countdown. International Rescue is called upon to save the crew before...
30 Minutes After Noon

S01E07 30 Minutes After Noon

November 11, 1965 6.5 50 min
The Erdman Gang has developed an ingenious technique of having their work carried out – an explosive bracelet that can be removed only at the designated target. A secret agent's attempt to infiltrate the organisation...
Desperate Intruder

S01E08 Desperate Intruder

November 18, 1965 50 min
Brains and Tin-Tin set off on an expedition to retrieve sunken treasure from Lake Anasta. The Hood has also set his sights on the riches and plans to put both Brains and Tin-Tin in grave...
End of the Road

S01E09 End of the Road

November 25, 1965 50 min
International Rescue's security is jeopardised when Tin-Tin's close friend Eddie Houseman, who recently visited Tracy Island, takes drastic action to save his road-construction company's threatened contract by planting explosives to tear open a jungle mountainside,...
The Uninvited

S01E10 The Uninvited

December 2, 1965 50 min
While returning to base, Scott is attacked by mysterious fighter aircraft and shot down over the Sahara. He is discovered by two archaeologists, who send him on his way, only to find themselves entombed within...
Sun Probe

S01E11 Sun Probe

December 9, 1965 50 min
The Sun Probe rocket and its crew are locked in a collision course with the Sun, prompting the launching of Thunderbird 3 – but International Rescue itself requires saving when Thunderbird 3 is unable to...
Operation Crash-Dive

S01E12 Operation Crash-Dive

December 16, 1965 50 min
A series of unexplained Fireflash airliner disappearances sees Thunderbird 4 being called to rescue a crew stranded on the ocean floor. International Rescue then volunteer its services in helping to diagnose the cause of the...
Vault of Death

S01E13 Vault of Death

December 23, 1965 50 min
During the installation of a new, airtight security vault at the Bank of England, one of the employees is accidentally locked inside, and International Rescue must come to his rescue before the air is extracted.
The Mighty Atom

S01E14 The Mighty Atom

December 30, 1965 50 min
The Hood plans to corner the Thunderbirds vehicles by drawing them out to an emergency at an atomic irrigation plant in the Sahara, then photographing them with a miniature camera disguised as a mouse.
City of Fire

S01E15 City of Fire

January 6, 1966 50 min
The world's tallest tower catches fire following an explosion in the car park and International Rescue are called to rescue a family trapped in the basement, which they can accomplish only with an experimental cutting...
The Imposters

S01E16 The Imposters

January 13, 1966 50 min
A gang of criminals masquerade as International Rescue to conceal their theft of top-secret military plans. The ensuing worldwide manhunt for International Rescue leaves the organisation powerless to operate in a rescue situation until its...
The Man from M.I.5

S01E17 The Man from M.I.5

January 20, 1966 50 min
A criminal organisation steals classified plans. Working in conjunction with a British Secret Service agent, Lady Penelope must recover the material to save the world from total destruction.
Cry Wolf

S01E18 Cry Wolf

January 27, 1966 50 min
Two Australian boys are playing their favourite game — "International Rescue" — when their "distress" call is picked up by John Tracy on Thunderbird 5. After a tour of Tracy Island, and a warning not...
Danger at Ocean Deep

S01E19 Danger at Ocean Deep

February 3, 1966 50 min
When the Ocean Pioneer tanker inexplicably explodes, Brains investigates the cause. With some help from Lady Penelope, he discovers it to be a chemical reaction between the cargo of liquid Alsterene and OD60, which is...
Move – And You're Dead

S01E20 Move – And You're Dead

February 10, 1966 50 min
After Alan Tracy returns to motor-racing, his rivals decide to remove the competition by rigging a bridge with a movement-sensitive bomb, which will explode the moment that Alan and Grandma Tracy try to escape. (Some...
The Duchess Assignment

S01E21 The Duchess Assignment

February 17, 1966 50 min
The Duchess of Royston has fallen on hard times, leading her friend Lady Penelope to enlist Jeff's help. The Duchess and her one asset – the painting Portrait of a Gazelle, by Braquasso – fall...
Brink of Disaster

S01E22 Brink of Disaster

February 24, 1966 50 min
An unscrupulous investor attempts to recruit Lady Penelope into funding his automated, cross-country monorail building project. Jeff volunteers to ride the prototype, but he, Brains, and Tin-Tin find themselves trapped onboard, and with no possibility...
Attack of the Alligators!

S01E23 Attack of the Alligators!

March 10, 1966 50 min
When a new growth hormone is accidentally released into a South American river, a house is besieged by alligators – now many times their normal size. International Rescue must subdue the reptiles and save the...
Martian Invasion

S01E24 Martian Invasion

March 17, 1966 50 min
The Hood arranges for a mishap with explosives during a film shoot, leaving two of the actors sealed inside a cave. When International Rescue arrive the ensuing rescue is surreptitiously recorded by the Hood, and...
The Cham-Cham

S01E25 The Cham-Cham

March 24, 1966 50 min
When aircraft are shot down during live broadcasts of a hit song, International Rescue suspects foul play. Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope (posing as the singer Wanda Lamour) investigate, but are left in mortal danger when...
Security Hazard

S01E26 Security Hazard

March 31, 1966 50 min
Clip show episode: the Tracy family cannot help but reminisce about their many successful missions after a young boy infiltrates the island. They are nevertheless burdened by the problem that the boy knows their identity...

Cast

Peter Dyneley
Peter Dyneley
Jeff Tracy
Matt Zimmerman
Matt Zimmerman
Alan Tracy (voice)
Shane Rimmer
Shane Rimmer
Scott Tracy
Ray Barrett
Ray Barrett
John Tracy
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
Lady Penelope Clayton Ward
David Holliday
David Holliday
Virgil Tracy (voice)
David Graham
David Graham
Gordon Tracy / Brains (voice)
Christine Finn
Christine Finn
Tin-Tin Kyrano (voice)

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