Board the Paradox
Our official introduction sets out the quest for Lavender Castle.
Watch the introduction →Stop-motion and computer animation
Lavender Castle
Somewhere in the universe lies a mythical city of peace. Join the crew of the Paradox as they search for Lavender Castle before the destructive Dr. Agon can reach it.
- Created by Rodney Matthews
- 26 episodes
- First broadcast in 1999
Lavender Castle
Where to begin
A few rewarding routes into this world. Choose the one that catches your imagination.
Meet the crew and their world
Discover Captain Thrice, Sproggle, Lyca and their companions.
Meet the characters →From the creator’s archive
Rodney Matthews discusses the designs and characters behind his imaginative world.
Read Rodney’s account →Lavender Castle
Machines
Choose a machine to discover its role, its story and where it can take you next.
The Paradox
Captain Thrice’s unlikely-looking starship carries an equally unusual crew on the search for the legendary city.
- Captain: Thrice
Lavender Castle
Characters
Meet the people at the heart of this world. Open a card and follow their story.
Captain Thrice
The Paradox’s captain leads the quest to find Lavender Castle before Dr. Agon can destroy it.
- Voice: David Holt
Lyca
Lyca’s resourcefulness helps the crew through crises, from dangers aboard ship to threats facing her home planet, Flora.
- Voice: Kate Harbour
Sproggle
The young crew member brings curiosity and vulnerability to the Paradox’s journeys through unfamiliar worlds.
- Voice: David Holt
Roger
Roger adds a pilot’s experience to the crew. His old starfighter, the Firefly, becomes part of their adventures.
- Voice: Rob Rackstraw
Isambard
The Paradox’s engineering problems frequently fall to Isambard, whose work keeps the eccentric ship moving.
- Voice: Rob Rackstraw
Dr. Agon
The crew’s principal adversary pursues Lavender Castle with destruction in mind, repeatedly setting traps for the Paradox.
- Voice: Jimmy Hibbert
Lavender Castle
Places
Explore the headquarters and locations that make this world possible.
Lavender Castle
The legendary city is both the destination and the reason for the journey: a source of extraordinary power that must be protected.
- Sought by: Captain Thrice and Dr. Agon
Watch, listen and discover
A quick introduction
Discover the story, production and distinctive world of Lavender Castle in this official Gerry Anderson introduction.
Watch the introduction →Find services by country, with free and paid options.
Where to watch full episodes →Stories
Go deeper into this world
Fresh perspectives, familiar heroes and adventures beyond the screen.
From the archive
The story of Lavender Castle
Explore the production, the people and the original archive material behind this world.
A quest for a city of light
Some Anderson adventures begin with an emergency call. Lavender Castle begins with a search. Captain Thrice and the crew of the spaceship Paradox journey through space to find a legendary floating city before the sinister Dr. Agon can destroy it.
The result is a fantasy world of strange creatures, unusual machinery and unexpected encounters. Its characters travel towards a place associated with peace and harmony, giving the series a different mood from the military organisations and rescue teams of Gerry's better-known productions.
Rodney Matthews's imagination on screen
Lavender Castle grew from the visual imagination of artist Rodney Matthews and was produced by Gerry Anderson. The collaboration brought Matthews's distinctive creatures and environments into a television world through a mixture of stop-motion animation and computer-generated imagery.
That combination is part of its character. Physical puppets and sets give the adventures a tangible, handcrafted quality, while computer animation opens up the surrounding space. The Paradox belongs as much to an illustrated fantasy as to a conventional science-fiction fleet.
Captain Thrice and the Paradox
The search belongs to a crew rather than a lone hero. Captain Thrice guides the Paradox through its encounters, with companions including Sproggle, Lyca, Roger and Isambard. Dr. Agon's destructive purpose gives their journey its urgency.
Watch for the shapes, textures and personalities of the world as well as the central quest. Much of Lavender Castle's pleasure comes from discovering how each new creature, machine or place fits into its unusual visual language.
A later chapter in Gerry's television career
Lavender Castle first aired in the UK on 7 January 1999. There are 26 ten-minute episodes. Its production brought Gerry together with Cosgrove Hall, with direction by Chris Taylor and music by Crispin Merrell.
Coming after Space Precinct and before New Captain Scarlet, it shows how varied Gerry's later work could be: live-action policing, animated fantasy and a new computer-animated version of one of his best-known creations.
Explore the creative partnership
Gerry's enthusiasm for Rodney Matthews's work continued beyond Lavender Castle. The Anderson Entertainment archive feature includes a discussion of their collaboration and another proposed world, The Andermatt Thunderbolt.
For an account from the artist himself, read Rodney Matthews on the long journey to bringing Lavender Castle to television. Production and episode details are also collected in Fanderson's series guide.
Watch the introduction
Follow the creative thread
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