Cult English television show created by
Gerry Anderson in
the sixties using
supermarionation. Each episode basically follows the same formula:
- some character(s) get into a life-threating situation somewhere in the world
- International Rescue come to the rescue, aided by their hi-tech vehicles
International Rescue is a secretive organisation that resides on the fictional Tracy Island, run by Jeff Tracy and his sons, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John, and Brains, the inventor of the rescue equipment. Each son is the operator of one of five vehicles, used in the rescue operations (pilot in brackets):
- Thunderbird 1 (Scott): rocket, first Thunderbird on the scene to assess the situation
- Thunderbird 2 (Virgil): equipment mover, used to get rescue equpment to the scene. Carries one of five pods containing specialised rescue equipment/vehicles to the scene
- Thunderbird 3 (Alan): spaceship, used to get to Thunderbird 5
- Thunderbird 4 (Gordon): submarine, used for aquatic rescue operations. Often carried in Pod of 4 Thunderbird 2 to the scene of the rescue
- Thunderbird 5 (John): space station orbiting earth, monitors radio frequencies for distress calls