THUNDERBIRDS
ARE GO!
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THUNDERBIRDS ARE BACK. THUNDERBIRDS
ARE GO, IS BACK ON THE TELLY THAT'S ITV AT 5PM ON A SATURDAY.
J
ust as the puppets were
state of the art in the ‘60s,
a combination of fantastic
and very real sets combined
with CGI. It looks great and includes
international superstars like
Rosamund Pike and the original
Parker, David Graham.
So let’s recap for those who may
not remember Gerry and Sylvia
Anderson’s original. Whenever
disaster strikes, International Rescue
answers the call! From their hidden
island base in the south Pacific, the
five Tracy Brothers pilot remarkable,
cutting-edge Thunderbird vehicles
from the depths of the oceans to the
highest reaches of space all for one
purpose: to help others in need.
International Rescue’s identities
may not be widely known, but their
heroism is legendary. Even the devious
schemes of mysterious international
criminal ‘The Hood’ can’t weaken their
resolve, or stop them from battling the
dangers of the year 2060.
Supported by mechanical genius
Brains, stealthy operative Kayo,
their jet-setting London agent Lady
Penelope and her loyal driver Parker,
Scott, Gordon, Virgil, John and Alan
Tracy live for these three words:
Thunderbirds Are Go!
David Graham, on
Parker the droll,
unflappable Cockney
bloke who always
refers to Lady
Penelope as “m’lady.”
Why do you think the character
remains so popular?
It just appealed to people. It was a
fairly small part originally, and it just
grew and became Gerry Anderson’s
favourite character. Parker just
seemed to resonate
with people, and I
hope he still does. I
think people like that
Parker’s a reformed
character and Lady
Penelope keeps him
on the straight and
narrow.
What’s it like working with
Rosamund Pike as Lady
Penelope?
It’s great. Rosamund is lovely to
work with and she’s very good. I
feel like we’ve just left off where we
began. I did see Gone Girl too, it was
wonderful, she was the best thing
in it!
Has the character changed at all?
I think he’s just his old self, his old
charming villainous self.
I never thought it It was easy to do
Parker’s voice again, it’s in my vocal
DNA.
How did you become involved
in the original Thunderbirds
series?
I met Gerry Anderson just on a TV
film, we just got talking and he
said he was hoping to make
children’s programmes
and needed some voices,
and that’s how it started.
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