Thunderbirds
EPISODE GUIDE
(Series One)


Episodes listed in production order with production number in brackets

Regular Voice Cast

Jeff Tracy . . . Peter Dyneley
Scott Tracy . . . Shane Rimmer
Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward . . . Sylvia Anderson
Virgil Tracy . . . David Holliday
Alan Tracy . . . Matt Zimmerman
Brains . . . David Graham
Aloysius 'Nosey' Parker . . . David Graham
Tin-Tin Kyrano . . . Christine Finn
Gordon Tracy . . . David Graham
John Tracy . . . Ray Barrett
Kyrano . . . David Graham
Grandma Tracy . . . Christine Finn
The Hood . . . Ray Barrett



Episode List

    Thunderbird 3
  1. Trapped In The Sky
  2. Pit Of Peril
  3. City Of Fire
  4. Sun Probe
  5. The Uninvited
  6. The Mighty Atom
  7. Vault Of Death
  8. Operation Crash-Dive
  9. Move - And You're Dead
  10. Martian Invasion
  11. Brink Of Disaster
  12. The Perils Of Penelope
  13. Terror In New York City
  14. End Of The Road
  15. Day Of Disaster
  16. Edge Of Impact
  17. Desperate Intruder
  18. 30 Minutes After Noon
  19. The Impostors
  20. The Man From MI.5
  21. Cry Wolf
  22. Danger At Ocean Deep
  23. The Duchess Assignment
  24. Attack Of The Alligators!
  25. The Cham-Cham
  26. Security Hazard


The Perils Of Penelope (#12)

The Perils Of Penelope Written by Alan Pattillo
Directed by Alan Pattillo and Desmond Saunders
Edited by Harry Ledger

Regular Cast:
Jeff, Scott, Penelope, Virgil, Alan, Parker, Tin-Tin, Gordon

Major Equipment:
TB1, TB2 (Pod 6), FAB 1, Monobrake, Anderbad Express Monotrain, Sun Probe

Guest Voice Cast:
Sir Jeremy Hodge Peter Dyneley
Professor Borender David Graham
Dr. Godber Ray Barrett
Albert Matt Zimmerman
Roache David Graham
Waiter David Graham
Colonel Benson David Graham


Professor Borender, creator of a new rocket fuel produced from sea water, used to power the Sun Probe on its historic solar flight, disappears from a monotrain during a journey from Paris to Anderbad. International Rescue's Sir Jeremy Hodge calls in Lady Penelope to help find his friend and they meet in a Parisian café where Penelope narrowly avoids drinking poisoned Pernod. The culprit leaves behind a matchbook emblazoned with a heraldic crest, but when they try to locate the crest in the Heraldic Archive, Penelope and Sir Jeremy are trapped in the basement by the evil Dr. Godber as gas is pumped in. Rescued by Parker in FAB 1, Penelope and Sir Jeremy retrace Borender's steps by taking the express monotrain to Anderbad, but Godber arranges a power failure as the train enters the Anderbad Tunnel and kidnaps them both. Taking them to his tunnel hideout, he tries to force Sir Jeremy and Borender to reveal the secret of their process by tying Penelope to a ladder and lowering her into the path of the Anderbad Express!

Notes
This episode has no on-screen title but is referred to in all production documentation by the title of the shooting script - The Perils Of Penelope. The launch of the Sun Probe at the start of this episode is the same event that was seen in flashback at the start of Sun Probe. The events of that episode occurred one week after the launch, so the events of The Perils Of Penelope must take place immediately before those of Sun Probe. Indeed, The Perils Of Penelope and Sun Probe can be viewed as Thunderbirds' only two-part story, although they have never been broadcast as consecutive episodes.

This is the only episode in which Scott is seen piloting Thunderbird 1 without his International Rescue uniform - when he returns from leave. The Anderbad Express monotrain was previously seen as the Pacific Atlantic monotrain in Brink Of Disaster. Godber's Anderbad Tunnel Control Chart unit is revamped from the Marineville Tower launch tunnel scanner unit seen in Stingray.

The Perils Of Penelope was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album The Perils Of Penelope (MA 114, 1966) narrated by Sylvia Anderson as Lady Penelope. This adaptation was re-released on the Marble Arch/Pye LP TV Favourites Vol. 1 (MAL 771, 1968) and later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram's Thunderbirds Volume 2 audiobook collection (514 553-4, 1992).

Oops!
As it bears down on Penelope's perilous position, the leading car on the Anderbad Express monotrain keeps changing colour, from white and red to silver and blue.

Original UK Airdate: October 14th, 1965 - 7.00pm (ATV Midlands)

First UK Network Broadcast: November 15th, 1991 - 6.00pm (BBC2)

Return to Episode List


Terror In New York City (#13)

Terror In New York City Written by Alan Fennell
Directed by David Elliott and David Lane
Edited by Peter Elliott

Regular Cast:
Jeff, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Brains, Tin-Tin, Gordon, Kyrano, Grandma

Major Equipment:
TB1, TB2 (Pod 6), TB4, Firefly, USN Sentinel

Guest Voice Cast:
Ned Cook Matt Zimmerman
Joe David Graham
Sentinel Commander Ray Barrett
First Officer Clayton David Graham
Scanners Shane Rimmer
1st Policeman - Site Control Ray Barrett
2nd Policeman - Site Control David Graham
Police Patrol David Graham
Newsreader Ray Barrett
Washington Shane Rimmer
Garner David Graham
TV Compere Ray Barrett


Returning from a rescue operation at an oil well fire, Thunderbird 2 strays into a Naval test area and is attacked by missiles launched from the USN Sentinel. Virgil pilots the damaged Thunderbird 2 to a crash-landing on Tracy Island and although he is not badly injured, Thunderbird 2 will be out of action for weeks. From his sick bed, Virgil watches a television report from New York on an ingenious operation to move the Empire State Building for redevelopment of the surrounding area. Suddenly, the ground gives way beneath the building and as it comes crashing down, television reporter Ned Cook and his cameraman, Joe, fall into a deep cavern. The Empire State Building collapses over the hole and the men are trapped with water seeping into their hollow from an uncharted underground river. Thunderbird 4 is their only hope of rescue, but with Thunderbird 2 out of commission there seems to be no way to get the submarine to New York in time!

Notes
The red scaffolding supporting the damaged Thunderbird 2 in the Tracy Island hangar reappears only a few minutes later as part of the Empire State Building atomic gantry tractor. It was previously seen as the Sun Probe rocket gantry in Sun Probe and The Perils Of Penelope. Among the members of the audience at The Ned Cook Show are Dr. Godber from The Perils Of Penelope and film producer Bletcher from Martian Invasion.

Terror In New York City was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbird 4 (MA 108, 1966) narrated by David Graham as Gordon Tracy. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram's Thunderbirds audiobook collection (514 385-4, 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the audio adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on November 26th, 1990. The episode was also adapted as a comic strip by Alan Fennell and Keith Page in Thunderbirds: The Comic (issues 9-11, 1992), and collected in the graphic album Thunderbirds In Action (Ravette Books 1992).

Oops!
The back of cameraman Joe's head flies off as he falls into the cavern. As Thunderbird 4 is shaken by the shockwave from the collapse of the Fulmer Finance building, water can be seen running down the outside of the aquarium positioned in front of the model set. At The Ned Cook Show, Dr. Godber is initially seen sitting in front of Bletcher with at least three rows of seats behind him, but he then appears two rows from the back sat in front of Jeff.

Original UK Airdate: October 21st, 1965 - 7.00pm (ATV Midlands)

First UK Network Broadcast: November 27th, 1991 - 6.00pm (BBC2)

Return to Episode List


End Of The Road (#14)

End Of The Road Written by Dennis Spooner
Directed by David Lane
Edited by Harry MacDonald

Regular Cast:
Jeff, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Brains, Tin-Tin, Gordon, John, Kyrano, Grandma

Major Equipment:
TB1, TB2, TB5, Road Construction Vehicle, Explosives Tractor, Helijet

Guest Voice Cast:
Eddie Houseman Ray Barrett
Bob Gray David Graham
Cheng David Graham
J.B. Lester Ray Barrett
Chuck Taylor Matt Zimmerman
Engineer David Graham


The Gray & Houseman Construction Company are building a road through a mountain range in South-East Asia using an amazing road building vehicle, but they have to complete their contract before the monsoon season. Eddie Houseman successfully blasts a pathway through the mountains but, while he is visiting his old friend Tin-Tin Kyrano on Tracy Island, the mountain range starts to crumble into the pathway and his business partner Bob Gray realises that it will not survive the monsoon. Eddie immediately returns to the site and recklessly sets off in an explosives tractor to plant charges on an unstable peak which will cause it to fall away from the road. With the peak about to collapse, Eddie fires the charges while still too close and the blast leaves his tractor teetering on the edge of the mountain trail. But there's worse to come: he still has a case of unstable nutomic charges aboard and if he goes over the edge, he will be blown sky high!

Notes
The model of the Gray & Houseman Road Construction Vehicle is given a new coat of yellow paint for its reappearance in the series as the Road Construction Vehicle in Atlantic Inferno. Eddie's explosives tractor is later revamped to appear as an International Rescue fire-fighter truck in the opening scenes of Security Hazard. The front section of the tractor is identical to that of the International Rescue Transmitter Truck seen in Sun Probe (and later in Cry Wolf), albeit a different colour. Project manager Bob Gray is seen again as Cravitz in Atlantic Inferno. The framed portrait of Eddie that Tin-Tin keeps on her dressing table later turns up on a bench in the Williams homestead in Cry Wolf. Brains appears only in a non-speaking role, playing Gordon at chess.

End Of The Road was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbird 2 (MA 109, 1966) narrated by David Graham as Brains. This adaptation was re-released on the Century 21 LP International Rescue (LA 3, 1966) and issued on cassette as part of PolyGram's Thunderbirds audiobook collection (514 385-4, 1992). With a new introduction by Gerry Anderson, the adaptation was first broadcast on BBC Radio 5 at 8.05pm on November 12th, 1990.

Oops!
The raindrops on the faces of Eddie Houseman and his colleagues during the storm are disproportionately large.

Original UK Airdate: November 25th, 1965 - 7.00pm (ATV Midlands)

First UK Network Broadcast: January 10th, 1992 - 6.00pm (BBC2)

Return to Episode List


Day Of Disaster (#15)

Day Of Disaster Written by Dennis Spooner
Directed by David Elliott
Edited by Harry Ledger

Regular Cast:
Jeff, Scott, Penelope, Virgil, Alan, Brains, Parker, Tin-Tin, Gordon, John, Grandma

Major Equipment:
TB1, TB2 (Pod 4), TB4, TB5, FAB 1, Martian Space Probe

Guest Voice Cast:
Allington Bridge Controller Ray Barrett
Dave Clayton David Graham
Kirby Ray Barrett
Chuck David Graham
Bill Craddock Matt Zimmerman
Frank David Graham
Professor Wingrove Peter Dyneley
NTBS Reporter Peter Dyneley
2nd NTBS Reporter Matt Zimmerman
Policeman David Graham
Dr. R.G. Korda Ray Barrett
Crane Chief Peter Dyneley


A Martian Space Probe rocket is being transported to its launch site over the Allington Suspension Bridge when the suspension cables snap and the bridge collapses, tipping the MSP from its transport vehicle into the Allington River. The rocket lands on the river bed in an upright launch position, covered in debris from the bridge. The impact sets off the automatic launch countdown which will blow the rocket to pieces, killing two engineers who are trapped in the command module. Brains is visiting Lady Penelope and they both watch the disaster taking place on television. They rush to the bridge in FAB 1 and while Lady Penelope and Parker arrange a diversion, Brains makes his way to the bridge control centre. However, the Bridge Controller refuses to acknowledge the need for more sophisticated rescue equipment so Brains contacts John on his personal intercall wrist communicator and directs the International Rescue operation himself...

Notes
The music accompanying the journey of the MSP is the track 'March Of The Oysters', originally composed by Barry Gray for the Stingray episode Secret Of The Giant Oyster. The piece is also heard in 30 Minutes After Noon, The Impostors and The Cham-Cham. Dave Clayton was previously seen as a reporter in The Mighty Atom. He reappears later in the series as Eddie Kerr in The Impostors and Chip Morrison's father in Security Hazard.

During the edible transmitter incident, Jeff's wall map of the Tracy Villa reveals that the house contains six bedrooms, two guest rooms, laboratory and workshop in addition to the lounge, patio and Thunderbird 1 bay. Dr. R.G. Korda has a statue in his office that is identical to one in The Hood's temple. Korda is named after the psychiatrist Dr. Roger Corder, the lead character in the popular ABC television series The Human Jungle which originally aired in the UK between March 1963 and May 1965. Corder was played in the series by Herbert Lom, later seen as Dr. Kurt Hassler in Gerry Anderson's Doppelgänger (1968) feature film.

Day Of Disaster was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Thunderbirds (MA 121, 1967) narrated by David Graham as Gordon Tracy.

Original UK Airdate: November 4th, 1965 - 7.00pm (ATV Midlands)

First UK Network Broadcast: December 6th, 1991 - 6.00pm (BBC2)

Return to Episode List


Edge Of Impact (#16)

Edge Of Impact Written by Donald Robertson
Directed by Desmond Saunders
Edited by Peter Elliott

Regular Cast:
Jeff, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Brains, Tin-Tin, Gordon, The Hood

Major Equipment:
TB1, TB2 (Pod 3), Booster Mortar, Low-altitude Escape Harnesses, Remote Camera, Braman, Red Arrow 1, Red Arrow 2, TX 204 Target-carrying Aircraft

Guest Voice Cast:
Colonel Tim Casey David Graham
Commander Norman Peter Dyneley
General Bron David Graham
Goddard Matt Zimmerman
Jim David Graham
Stan Ray Barrett
Race David Graham
Control Tower Lieutenant Ray Barrett
Captain Matt Zimmerman
1st Policeman David Graham
2nd Policeman Ray Barrett
Police Radio Christine Finn


The Hood is hired by General Bron to sabotage the new Red Arrow fighter plane, ensuring that the plane crashes into the launch site on its test flight. World Space Control project supervisor Colonel Tim Casey is replaced for the test programme on Red Arrow 2, so he decides to pay an unexpected call on his old friend Jeff Tracy at Tracy Island. Brains suspects that the Red Arrow was sabotaged and provides Red Arrow 2 pilot Goddard with a diversion detector before he returns to base, but The Hood plants a homing device on an international television relay tower so that when Red Arrow 2 makes its test flight, it is drawn off course. Goddard ejects safely but the Red Arrow crashes into the tower, trapping a pair of operatives, Jim and Stan, in the control cabin. The men call International Rescue as the tower disintegrates, but with Colonel Casey still on the island, Jeff cannot risk launching Thunderbirds 1 and 2...

Notes
This is the only occasion in which we see The Hood acting with motives that do not involve International Rescue. He gives his codename here as '671' when he contacts General Bron. Jeff's comment about their unexpected visitors being "some more of Tin-Tin's admirers" refers to the events of End Of The Road. In a startling prediction of the future, the television relay tower is seen to be owned by British Telecommunications Ltd: the formation of the real-life British Telecommunications (aka BT) did not take place until 1980, 16 years after this episode was made.

The TX 204 target-carrying aircraft originally seen in Trapped In The Sky appears briefly in an establishing shot of the airfield. A WASP Spearhead bomber from Stingray is also visible in the background. Tim Casey previously appeared as a bank executive in the opening scenes of Vault Of Death. The Hood's North Pole Laundry truck is revamped from Ned Cook's broadcast truck seen in Terror In New York City. Braman from Sun Probe can be seen in Brains's laboratory.

Oops!
Tim Casey is a Colonel, but Scott refers to him as a General in one scene.

Original UK Airdate: October 28th, 1965 - 7.00pm (ATV Midlands)

First UK Network Broadcast: November 29th, 1991 - 6.00pm (BBC2)

Return to Episode List


Desperate Intruder (#17)

Desperate Intruder Written by Donald Robertson
Directed by David Lane
Edited by Harry MacDonald

Regular Cast:
Jeff, Scott, Virgil, Brains, Tin-Tin, Gordon, John, Kyrano, Grandma, The Hood

Major Equipment:
TB1, TB2 (Pods 4 and 5), TB4, Desert Jeep, Transporter Vehicle, 3E Submarine, Hydrostatic Hoist, Helijet

Guest Voice Cast:
Professor Blakely Peter Dyneley
Hassan Ali David Graham


Brains and Tin-Tin mount an expedition to find treasure in a temple on the bed of Lake Anasta in the Middle East, but The Hood learns of their plans through his psychic link with Kyrano. Ferried to the desert in Thunderbird 2, Brains and Tin-Tin make the final leg of their journey in a desert jeep towing a pair of caravans, rendezvousing with archaeologist Professor Blakely before completing the journey. Arriving at Lake Anasta, Brains and Tin-Tin use scuba gear to dive in and take a first look at the lost temple. Brains takes a rock sample from the central column for later examination but The Hood, observing from a mini-submarine hidden in the lake, believes that they have found the treasure already. That night, disguised as a Bedouin tribesman, he steals into the expedition caravans and hypnotises the three team members. The next morning, Brains regains consciousness to find himself buried up to his neck in the desert sand...

Notes
In a nicely understated piece of continuity, Tin-Tin has an Air Terrainean flight bag (presumably acquired during her trip on the Fireflash in Trapped In The Sky) with her on board Thunderbird 2 as the team flies out to the Middle East. Tin-Tin points out the Pyramids during the flight: her next visit there is seen in Thunderbird 6 (1968). Brains's desert jeep is revamped from the archaeologists' jeep seen in The Uninvited. Tin-Tin wears the same diving outfit that she sported in Edge Of Impact. This episode has the smallest guest cast of all of the Thunderbirds episodes, with only two characters other than the regular cast.

Desperate Intruder was adapted for audio on the Century 21 Mini-Album Brains and Tin-Tin (MA 119, 1966) narrated by Christine Finn as Tin-Tin. This adaptation was later issued on cassette as part of PolyGram's Thunderbirds Volume 2 audiobook collection (514 553-4, 1992). The episode was adapted for audio again on Penguin Audiobooks' Thunderbirds - 3 (ISBN 0141803371, 2001) audiocassette collection with additional narration by William Roberts.

Oops!
When Brains falls under The Hood's influence, he collapses and between shots his glasses simply disappear. They are subsequently shown to have fallen off but the action is not seen on screen: one moment the glasses are on his face and the next they have vanished.

Original UK Airdate: November 18th, 1965 - 7.00pm (ATV Midlands)

First UK Network Broadcast: January 3rd, 1992 - 6.00pm (BBC2)

Return to Episode List


Episodes 1 to 5
Episodes 6 to 11
Episodes 18 to 23
Episodes 24 to 26
Series Two

Production Index

Fanderson Home Page

Fanderson
Fanderson

Fanderson - The Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society is a non-profit making organisation
endorsed by Anderson Entertainment Ltd., Gerry Anderson Productions plc and ITC Entertainment Group Ltd.

The contents of this site are copyright © 2004 Fanderson
and may not be reproduced by electronic means or otherwise without permission.
Site written and designed by Chris Bentley - email: chris@fanderson.org.uk
Page posted: April 22nd, 1997 / Updated: April 20th, 2004
Fanderson