Andrew Clements Exposes Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers

Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers is go! Our forthcoming multimedia series tells brand new adventures of the daring heroes of International Rescue, told across comics, novels, audios and more. These officially produced stories promise all of the life-saving adventure and heroism Thunderbirds is famed for, while also being purposefully designed to sit within the retrofuture world of the classic series.

Producer Andrew Clements, who oversees our multimedia narrative efforts and has lived and breathed Thunderbirds for much of his life, explains more on what fans can expect from this thrilling new chapter for Thunderbirds!

Fred McNamara: In a nutshell, how would you describe Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers?

Andrew Clements: Hidden Dangers is a chance for fans to experience the further adventures of International Rescue that occurred off-screen between episodes - to live those missions we never saw, but that we always imagined must have happened.

McNamara: This is Anderson Entertainment's second multi-media effort after Stingray: Deadly Uprising. Why did you want to embrace multimedia narratives to tell new stories of classic Anderson characters?

Clements: Thunderbirds, like other Anderson shows, has such a rich history of multi-media stories going right back to the 1960s. People assume that multimedia narratives are a relatively recent concept, but if you look at things like TV Century 21 comic, the novels of John Theydon, and the various audio-only mini-albums that were available when Thunderbirds was on the air, it’s pretty obvious that the Andersons and their marketing team were ahead of the curve. The real joy of the multimedia narrative is that it can do things that a single medium can’t. Stories can tap into the specific strengths of each medium, whether that’s the sumptuous description afforded by prose, or the eye-popping spectacle of lavishly illustrated comics, we get to utilise the best tools for the job to make each story memorable and enjoyable.

McNamara: How did you come to be involved as producer across these titles, and what might your role entail?

Clements: For Stingray: Deadly Uprising it was sort of thrust upon me unawares, which was probably for the best or else I might have panicked and said no! I was actually in the middle of a model FX shoot for the Blake’s 7 Series 2 Blu-ray release when Jamie Anderson called to talk about Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers. We discussed what worked well for Stingray and, more importantly, what could be improved upon for Thunderbirds.

My role as producer is essentially two-fold; firstly, I devise a rough overall story arc that the project will follow. Then I split that plan into individual sub-stories with notes on which of those might work well for each medium. I do this old-school with cue-cards and sticky-notes spread out on the carpet that I keep shuffling around - which probably makes me look like some sort of conspiracy theorist...

Secondly, I keep a close eye on each story as it comes together, while bearing in mind the overall narrative to make sure that there are no continuity issues and that the narrative flows properly so that fans can follow everything without getting lost. This is particularly important as the writers are free to either pitch their story ideas based on one of my existing prompts, or pitch something entirely original, and if the latter is chosen, it’s critical that the overall narrative remains intact.

McNamara: How would you say Deadly Uprising and Hidden Dangers compare and contrast with one another?

Clements: Both narratives are incredibly true to the worlds of the series they are set in – they have to be in order to be officially recognised as part of the series canon. Some of that is a directive handed down from ITV who, as the rights-holder, quite rightly want to ensure that we don’t take too many creative liberties with the material.

The main difference is that Stingray’s new narrative was very structured, and every story formed a distinct part of the overall narrative. Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers is still a linked story, but the links are more subtle, and each story functions more like a standalone adventure until you start joining the dots later in the narrative. We’re hoping that when fans experience the entire saga they will have a light-bulb moment if they go back and look at the earlier stories and see the seeds of things to come that they may have missed the first time.

McNamara: What does the process of recruiting authors, artists, editors and more look like from your perspective?

Clements: That’s an excellent question. In a worst-case scenario, it’s a bit like juggling cats, who are juggling mice, who are juggling cheese, and the cheese is on fire. Thankfully Hidden Dangers hasn’t been like that at all – quite the reverse!

I’m incredibly fortunate to have some of the best line-producers anyone could ask for; James Swallow, Dan Whitehead, and Chris Thompson. Each of them are responsible for a specific medium, and I have regular meetings with each of them to discuss contributors such as writers, artists etc, and to talk about the general direction of the story.

At the start of the process we’ll brainstorm ideas for who could be a good fit for each role, then it’s down to the line-producers to make the initial contact and request story pitches, sample artwork, or whatever that particular story requires. It’s always really exciting for me to see these elements coming through – especially when it’s something that I’d never have considered beforehand.

McNamara: It's perhaps a tricky thing to convince fans to embrace new stories of beloved characters. How would you say Hidden Dangers honours and expands on the world of Thunderbirds?

Clements: As I alluded to previously, any stories created as part of Hidden Dangers must fall within the scope of what ITV deems appropriate for the series, which helps define what is and what isn’t appropriate. I’ve personally been a fan of the series for well over 30 years (some might say obsessively so, and I won’t argue), so I think it’s fair to say that I scrutinise every aspect of each story with one simple question; “Is this Thunderbirds?” If the answer is no, then I chat with the relevant line-editor to discuss what needs amended. It’s incredibly important to me that fans come away from Hidden Dangers feeling as if they’ve experienced an authentic Thunderbirds adventure.

McNamara: Hidden Dangers currently consists of three unique upcoming releases – how would you say each of these entries are unique from each other?

Clements: That really goes back to what I said before about utilising the strength of each medium. The short story collection, International Rescues, presents the reader with ten wildly different, but equally thrilling tales that can be enjoyed piecemeal or, for the more adventurous reader, in a single sitting.

Our Hidden Dangers comic collection, Tales of Peril, features some really bold, fun stories and a plethora of stunning artwork, with each artist’s style perfectly capturing the feel of the story being told. I’ve actually found it quite difficult to assess the comics for approval because I’m constantly being distracted by the amazing work in every panel.

Burnout is our limited comic series written by Chris Thompson and illustrated by Connor Flanagan. It differs from the tales in the comic collection as it tells a single story over several issues, and is in effect a graphic novel split into four parts. There are exciting cliff-hangers at the end of the first three issues that have to be seen to be believed, but I couldn’t possibly say more at the moment!

McNamara: Following on from these first three releases, where might Hidden Dangers go from there?

Clements: Fans of Anderson Entertainment’s previous output will know that we have a talented cast of actors who have been involved in a range of Thunderbirds full-cast audio dramas. I don’t think it’s giving too much away at this stage to say that Hidden Dangers will be venturing into the audio medium before the story is over.

McNamara: Are there more multimedia narratives planned for other Anderson series?

Clements: I believe a series featuring a certain man in red is celebrating its 60^th anniversary next year, so while I can’t officially confirm or deny anything at this stage, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that we might be venturing into multimedia narratives again in the future.

McNamara: What’s been the best thing so far about bringing these brand-new Thunderbirds adventures to life?

Clements: I don’t think there’s one single best thing, but if I had to narrow it down to a top-three, in no particular order, they would be; the honour and privilege of knowing that in some small way I have added to the legacy of a series I have loved since I was a kid, getting to work with some of the nicest and most talented people in the business, and putting something out there that fans will hopefully enjoy for years to come. It has been FAB!

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