#CheersGerryAnderson - Celebrating an Incredible Legacy

Thank you Gerry very very much!

Thank you, Mr Anderson.
You got me through all of 2025, and now your shows – Thunderbirds, Stingray, Dick Spanner and all – will get me through 2026, no matter how unfair some things seem.

Gerry Anderson was one of the most ingenious producers to work in children’s television, and his impact on me has been inestimable over the many decades in which he was active. I am a ‘first-generation Anderson kid, (I invented the term!) which means that I was privileged enough to witness all of his 1950s/ 1960s/ 1970s shows when they were first broadcast in the U.K. upon which I entered puberty with Gerry’s 1970s work! I do maintain a fond nostalgia for the pre-‘Supercar’ shows; they were childhood fantasies for the four-year -old me, created in a simplistic/Innocent mode, then BAM! Gerry found his true vocation with his wondrous sci-fi shows beginning in 1961 with ‘Supercar’ followed by ‘Fireball XL5’ and ‘Stingray.From this point on, it felt like Gerry dominated the world of children’s television.His 1960s predictions of the future appear remarkably prescient when viewed today.At the peak of his powers, Gerry achieved a career zenith with his epic 1965 ‘Thunderbirds’ saga.There are many reasons why I consider ‘Thunderbirds’ to be his apex moment in television; not only was it an hour-long presentation (with ads) when broadcast, it was also the first of his children’s shows to be delivered in a fully adult manner.This is important to note, because it meant that adults could also view the show and add to the audience T.V. ratings (to Lew Grade’s deep satisfaction); indeed, on Saturday nights in Autumn 1965, my Mum and Dad watched ‘Thunderbirds’ with me on Prime-time television.Granting children with the benefit of possessing the capacity/sophistication to understand and view adult themes, stories, characters and dialogue was one of Gerry Anderson’s most inspired and insightful moments.His increasingly advantageous ideas combined with ever more sophisticated puppets transformed the whole of his children’s T.V. offerings into a unique genre all of their own. He gave us characters we liked, hated and LOVED, but above all, cared about; the puppets may have had strings, but Gerry gave them ‘flesh and heart’.‘Anderson’ became a brand to be reckoned with, and has now passed into LEGEND.Thank you Gerry, for your brilliant shows, your assiduity in bringing them to the T.V. screen for us all to constantly marvel, and for your formidable imagination! R.I.P.

RIP Gerry. Though for a while I never got to experience any of his shows, I finally got the chance two years ago and now Stingray, Captain Scarlet and Terrahawks are among my favourite shows of all time.

Cheers, Gerry Anderson! You will always be the man who made mine, and everyone’s childhood very special, indeed!