During the evening of Monday 4th January, crew and Kickstarter backers gathered at the London Institute of Contemporary Arts to witness the three new classic episodes created by the Thunderbirds 1965 Team.
Greeted by Thunderbirds 1, 2, and 4 as well as The Hood and various other puppet heads, attendees had the chance to take photos as well as share a drink with fellow fans and crew from the production. In attendance were original Thunderbirds director David Elliott and original puppeteer Mary Turner, both of whom lent their talents to the episode ‘The Stately Homes Robberies.’
After a brief introduction by Stephen La Rivière, Andrew T. Smith, and Justin T. Lee, viewers were whisked straight into ‘Introducing Thunderbirds.’ A simple but fun episode which takes place prior to the events of Trapped in the Sky as Lady Penelope and Parker make their first visit to Tracy Island where Jeff demonstrates all of the Thunderbird craft. The sets and costumes were just as impressive as one would expect and were obviously created with love and attention to detail, as was the soundtrack. The final scene of the episode was rather touching, but there was little time to contemplate it before viewers were treated to ‘The Abominable Snowman.’
‘The Abominable Snowman’ is more of a classic Thunderbirds story, full of action and the Tracy brothers saving lives. Once again, this episode featured many beautiful costumes and sets, as well as some excellent uses of real human hand (and feet!) inserts synonymous with the original series. This was an action packed episode that so easily fits the classic Thunderbirds style.
After a short break, backers and crew reassembled in the theatre for the final episode: ‘The Stately Homes Robberies.’ Immediately viewers were treated to scenes which had been filmed in a recognisably David Elliott style. With explosions, dress shopping, and some rather marvellous lines from Lady Penelope, there was something for everyone in this episode. The sets were impressive, as were the puppets made specifically for the new characters. It was a wonderful end to the screenings, and something which backers can look forward to watching again and again when their DVDs and Blu-Rays arrive.
Stephen La Rivière, Andrew T. Smith, and Justin T. Lee took to the stage again and ended the evening with a Q&A session. Receiving much praise for their hard work and talents, they described the process by which Thunderbirds 1965 came to be fruition, and how the filming and production of began. The end result is truly something to look forward to, whether you are a backer eagerly awaiting your DVD/Blu-ray or you were lucky enough to attend the screening and want to see them again.
Although many doubted its possibility, the crew behind Thunderbirds 1965 have successfully captured the magic of the original Thunderbirds series, and we hope you will all agree when the DVDs and Blu-rays are ready to be released to backers.
Photography by James Fielding
Thanks to Katherine Hackbart
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