List of Thunderbirds episodes

This is an episode guide for the Gerry Anderson television series Thunderbirds made between 1965 and 1966 (although production began in 1964, as indicated by the copyright date) for the British production company ITC Entertainment, and first broadcast on ATV Midlands. Episodes are listed in the original ATV Midlands broadcast order, which is identical to the order of home release.

All 32 episodes were released in a region 1 DVD box set on 30 July 2002.^[1] Later a digitally remastered 40th Anniversary Edition region 1 DVD box set was released on 22 January 2008.^[2]

Series One (1965–66)

Series One of Thunderbirds comprised 26 episodes, each running to 50 minutes.

Ep. #	Title	Director(s)[3]	Writer(s)[3]	Original Air Date[3]	Production #[4]	Recommended broadcast #[3]
1	"Trapped in the Sky"	Alan Pattillo	Gerry & Sylvia Anderson	30 September 1965 (1965-09-30)	1	1
The Hood, a mysterious Malaysian criminal who possesses strange telekinetic power, has learned of the creation of International Rescue, and the Fireflash, on its maiden flight from London to Tokyo, is sabotaged by him to draw the Thunderbirds out. With the Fireflash unable to land, International Rescue must emerge for the organisation's first mission. (This is the only episode in which the Fireflash does not appear in the closing credits.)
2	"Pit of Peril"	Desmond Saunders	Alan Fennell	7 October 1965 (1965-10-07)	2	2
In the African jungle, the US Army is testing a new all-terrain Sidewinder vehicle when the ground gives way and it falls into a blazing pit with a three man crew trapped inside – 300 feet below ground. Lieutenant Mead, a member of the relief crew, is lowered into the pit from a helijet to assess the situation; he is badly burned but able to report the condition of the vehicle. A second man, Sergeant Reynolds, tries to attach a line to one of the Sidewinder's legs to haul it upright, but he too is badly burned and the line slips off during the attempt. General Peters calls in International Rescue and Scott, Virgil and Brains are soon speeding to the scene in Thunderbirds 1 and 2. Thunderbird 1's remote camera reveals that the pit was once an open-cast mine used as a military equipment dump after World War II. A crust of earth has formed over the top and the International Rescue team realise that they must remove the remainder of the crust before the 500-ton Sidewinder can be dragged up the side of the pit. Virgil is lowered into the pit to lay explosive charges, while Scott uses the mole to recover Virgil. Brains Detonates the charges and they successfully clear the crust over the pit. Virgil takes control of two Recovery Vehicles with magnetic lines. The electromagnets are fired at the Sidewinder and the Recovery Vehicles haul it up the side of the pit. The first attempt fails but the second succeeds and the Sidewinder is pulled up to the surface.
3	"The Perils of Penelope"	Alan Pattillo & Desmond Saunders	Alan Pattillo	14 October 1965 (1965-10-14)	12	12
Lady Penelope goes on the trail of a kidnapped scientist, only to find herself in mortal danger from the megalomaniac determined to use the expert's work for his own evil ends.
4	"Terror in New York City"	David Elliott & David Lane	Alan Fennell	21 October 1965 (1965-10-21)	13	13
Thunderbird 2 is put out of action by a high-speed Navy warship firing anti-air missiles after the Navy warship mistakenly identifies the Thunderbird craft as a hostile aircraft. Thunderbird Two takes a hit, injuring Virgil, who nonetheless is able to nurse the damaged craft back to base. While Virgil recovers and Thunderbird Two is fitted to a repair gantry, the Tracy family watch a broadcast of an operation to move the Empire State Building. The project begins successfully but suddenly the building collapses due to subsidence around the building. Thunderbird 4 must hitch a ride onboard the Navy ship to find an underground river to reach a reporter and his cameraman — two men who had attempted to videotape Thunderbird 1 without permission — trapped below the wreckage.
5	"Edge of Impact"	Desmond Saunders	Donald Robertson	28 October 1965 (1965-10-28)	16	16
The Hood sabotages the new "Red Arrow" fighter aircraft program and its head of development – an old Air Force friend of Jeff Tracy – is dismissed and pays a visit to Tracy Island. During his visit the program continues and a second prototype crashes into a gigantic telerelay tower in England. International Rescue must save the engineers inside the tower before it collapses, all the while hiding their true identity while having to contend with powerful winds and driving rain at the tower.
6	"Day of Disaster"	David Elliott	Dennis Spooner	4 November 1965 (1965-11-04)	15	15
The Allington Bridge collapses when a space rocket is transported across, causing the rocket's automatic countdown to begin. When conventional rescue methods fail it is up to International Rescue to save the engineers inside the rocket before the countdown ends and the rocket launches from the riverbed.
7	"30 Minutes After Noon"	David Elliott	Alan Fennell	11 November 1965 (1965-11-11)	18	18
The Erdman Gang, an international criminal organisation, has developed an ingenious method of getting their work carried out — an explosive bracelet which can only be removed at the designated target. A secret agent's attempt to infiltrate a scheme backfires as he is left trapped in a plutonium store. International Rescue face a race against time to prevent a massive nuclear explosion.
8	"Desperate Intruder"	David Lane	Donald Robertson	18 November 1965 (1965-11-18)	17	17
Brains and Tin-Tin embark on an expedition to retrieve treasure from Lake Anasta. The Hood has also set his sights on these riches and plans to put both Brains and Tin-Tin in grave peril.
9	"End of the Road"	David Lane	Dennis Spooner	25 November 1965 (1965-11-25)	14	14
International Rescue's identity is jeopardised when a close friend of Tin-Tin, who recently visited the island, puts himself at risk in a bid to save his road-construction company's contract.
10	"The Uninvited"	Desmond Saunders	Alan Fennell	2 December 1965 (1965-12-02)	5	5
While returning home after a mission, Scott is attacked by mysterious fightercraft and is shot down. Two archaeologists find him and send him on his way only to become trapped in the Pyramid of Khamandides.
11	"Sun Probe"	David Lane	Alan Fennell	9 December 1965 (1965-12-09)	4	4
A spaceship and its crew find themselves on a collision course with the Sun and Thunderbird 3 is called out — but winds up needing to be rescued itself when it becomes trapped in the Sun's gravitational pull.
12	"Operation Crash-Dive"	Desmond Saunders	Martin Crump	16 December 1965 (1965-12-16)	8	8
A series of Fireflash disappearances leads to Thunderbird 4 being called to save a crew trapped on the seabed. International Rescue then volunteer to aid in diagnosing the mechanical faults in the Fireflash.
13	"Vault of Death"	David Elliott	Dennis Spooner	23 December 1965 (1965-12-23)	7	7
Safecracker Parker demonstrates his ability to break into the main vault at the Bank of England, the vault being only protected by an ancient combination lock. This causes the bank's board to design an entirely new vault with electric controls and a massive impenetrable door. An employee at the Bank of England is accidentally locked in the new vault and must be rescued before all the air is pumped out, a task made more complicated by International Rescue's inability to use the Mole due to the underground cables around the bank. The rescue is eventually made, but Parker then proceeds to pick the new lock with one of Lady Penelope's hairpins.
14	"The Mighty Atom"	David Lane	Dennis Spooner	30 December 1965 (1965-12-30)	6	6
The Hood plans to lure out the Thunderbirds vehicles by means of an emergency at an atomic irrigation plant in the Sahara Desert, subsequently photographing them with a disguised miniature camera. (This is the only episode to feature all the Thunderbird craft.)
15	"City of Fire"	David Elliott	Alan Fennell	6 January 1966 (1966-01-06)	3	3
The world's tallest tower catches fire due to an explosion in the car park and International Rescue are called to rescue a family trapped in the basement, and must do so with an experimental cutting gas that knocked Scott and Virgil unconscious in testing.
16	"The Impostors"	Desmond Saunders	Dennis Spooner	13 January 1966 (1966-01-13)	19	19
A gang of criminals masquerade as International Rescue to conceal their theft of top-secret military plans. The worldwide manhunt for the treacherous International Rescue team means that the organisation cannot operate until its name is cleared, a task made more difficult when one of the men involved in the search is accidentally launched into space with only three hours of air left. (This is the only episode in which the real Thunderbird 2 does not appear.)
17	"The Man From MI.5"	David Lane	Alan Fennell	20 January 1966 (1966-01-20)	20	20
A lethal organisation steals top-secret plans. Working in conjunction with a British Secret Service agent, Lady Penelope must recover the stolen material to save the world from total destruction.
18	"Cry Wolf"	David Elliott	Dennis Spooner	27 January 1966 (1966-01-27)	21	21
Two Australian boys are playing their favourite game — "International Rescue" — when their "distress" call is picked up by John in Thunderbird 5. After a tour of Tracy Island and being ordered not to use their radio again they return home. The Hood then tricks the boys into an old mine shaft so he can steal secret photographs from the boys' father. This time their distress call is real, but now International Rescue won't believe them.
19	"Danger at Ocean Deep"	Desmond Saunders	Donald Robertson	3 February 1966 (1966-02-03)	22	22
When the Ocean Pioneer tanker mysteriously explodes, Brains sets about investigating the cause. With a little help from Lady Penelope, this is discovered to be a chemical reaction between the cargo of liquid alsterene and OD60 found in the sea. International Rescue set out to save the crew of the ill-fated Ocean Pioneer II. This is the only episode in which John is seen to take part in the rescue.
20	"Move - and You're Dead"	Alan Pattillo	Alan Pattillo	10 February 1966 (1966-02-10)	9	9
After Alan Tracy returns to motor-racing, his rivals decide to remove the competition by placing a bomb on a bridge which will explode if Alan and Grandma try to escape. Some of this episode is told in flashback.
21	"The Duchess Assignment"	David Elliott	Martin Crump	17 February 1966 (1966-02-17)	23	23
The Duchess of Royston has fallen on hard times and her friend Lady Penelope enlists the help of Jeff Tracy. The Duchess and her sole asset — Portrait of a Gazelle, painted by Braquasso — come under threat and it is down to International Rescue to save them both.
22	"Brink of Disaster"	David Lane	Alan Fennell	24 February 1966 (1966-02-24)	11	11
A crooked investor tries to recruit Lady Penelope into aiding his scheme to build a cross-country monorail. When Penny informs Jeff, he investigates, but he, Brains, and Tin-Tin find themselves trapped onboard a new, fully automated monorail train speeding towards a stricken bridge with the now-terrified investor.
23	"Attack of the Alligators!"	David Lane	Alan Pattillo	10 March 1966 (1966-03-10)	24	24
When a new growth hormone is accidentally released into a South American river, a house is besieged by alligators — now ten times their original size (filmed using live young crocodiles). Can International Rescue subdue the reptiles and save the people trapped inside before it is too late?
24	"Martian Invasion"	David Elliott	Alan Fennell	17 March 1966 (1966-03-17)	10	10
The Hood arranges for a mishap with explosives during the filming of a movie, leaving two of the actors trapped in a cave. When International Rescue arrive to make a rescue attempt, the cameras are still rolling as The Hood makes another attempt to obtain footage of International Rescue in action.
25	"The Cham-Cham"	Alan Pattillo	Alan Pattillo	24 March 1966 (1966-03-24)	25	25
When aircraft are shot down during live broadcasts of a particular tune, the boys at International Rescue suspect foul play. Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope (posing as mysterious singer Wanda Lamour) investigate, and find their lives in danger on an out-of-control ski lift.
26	"Security Hazard"	Desmond Saunders	Alan Pattillo	31 March 1966 (1966-03-31)	26	26
(Clip show episode) — The Tracy family cannot help but reminisce about their many operations after a young boy infiltrates the island. They are nonetheless left with the problem that the boy knows their identity — until Jeff realises they can use the boy's dreams to their advantage.

Series Two (1966)

Only six 50-minute episodes were produced for Series Two of Thunderbirds.

Ep. #	Title	Director[3]	Writer[3]	Original Air Date[3]	Production #[4]	Recommended broadcast #[3]
1	"Atlantic Inferno"	Desmond Saunders	Alan Fennell	2 October 1966 (1966-10-02)	1	1
World Navy trials of atomic torpedoes inadvertently threaten the lives of the crew of the large offshore Seascape rig. Jeff, having been invited by Lady Penelope to join her on holiday in Australia, puts Scott in charge of IR and Alan at the helm of Thunderbird 1.
2	"Path of Destruction"	David Elliott	Donald Robertson	9 October 1966 (1966-10-09)	2	2
A new invention — the Crablogger (a largely automated logging machine which converts wood into fuel) — threatens to cause mayhem if it collides with a dam under construction after its crew collapses from food poisoning.
3	"Alias Mr. Hackenbacker"	Desmond Saunders	Alan Pattillo	16 October 1966 (1966-10-16)	3	3
The Skythrust, designed by Brains, falls into the hands of fashion madmen who take over the plane in order to steal a new French design from François Lemaire.
4	"Lord Parker's 'Oliday"	Brian Burgess	Tony Barwick	23 October 1966 (1966-10-23)	4	4
A malfunctioning solar reflector threatens an alpine town where Lady Penelope and Parker are on vacation.
5	"Ricochet"	Brian Burgess	Tony Barwick	6 November 1966 (1966-11-06)	5	5
A manned telecommunications satellite (which broadcasts a music program of which Tin-Tin is a huge fan) is disrupted by the detonation of a rogue unmanned space rocket and is set on collision course with a Middle Eastern oil refinery.
6	"Give or Take a Million"	Desmond Saunders	Alan Pattillo	25 December 1966 (1966-12-25)	6	6
As Christmas festivities are being prepared at both Tracy Island and a local children's hospital which is expanding to include a new radiation therapy wing, a pair of criminals attempt to rob a high-tech vault filled with gold and $1,000,000 in money.

Feature films

After the series ended, two Supermarionation Thunderbirds films were produced.

Film #	Title	Director	Writers	Release date
1	"Thunderbirds Are Go"	David Lane	Gerry & Sylvia Anderson	15 December 1966 (1966-12-15)
The new spacecraft, Zero-X is destined for Mars carrying a crew of five astronauts. But when the craft experiences a critical mechanical fault shortly after takeoff, the crew are forced to eject to safety while the multi-million dollar spacecraft crashes into the ocean. Two years later, an investigation committee releases the official report on the crash, concluding that the cause of the crash was sabotage. While the mission is put on hold, the committee decides that extra security measures would be required for a re-launch. After some debate, they decide to call on the services of International Rescue. The Thunderbirds, with the help of London Agent, Lady Penelope, make sure the second launching attempt is successful. Once the craft lands on Mars, the crew begin to explore the planet and collect rock samples, but when they encounter unexpected problems, they are forced to return to Earth sooner than planned. On the journey back to Earth, the crew encounter more problems when one of the lift bodies (remote controlled landing supports) fails and collides with the rear of the craft, damaging the escape unit circuit (EUC). With the crew unable to escape, it is again up to International Rescue to save the astronauts and a nearby town from disaster!
2	"Thunderbird 6"	David Lane	Gerry & Sylvia Anderson	29 July 1968 (1968-07-29)
Jeff Tracy wants Brains to design a new Thunderbird vehicle, a project that means he will miss the maiden round-the-world flight of a high-technology jet-assisted airship known as Sky Ship One. Alan, Tin-Tin, Lady Penelope, and Parker are invited to the ship's maiden flight and fly a rebuilt World War I vintage Tiger biplane before taking in the new airship. The International Rescue members are treated to a rich, expansive tour of the globe, unaware that the crew, consisting of assassins who have murdered the real crew and who are working for a criminal they identify as "Black Phantom" (in reality The Hood), are surreptitiously recording Lady Penelope's conversations to cobble together a fraudulent distress call to an abandoned airbase in the north African desert. When the ship begins returning to London the assassins finally get enough tape to send the fake message, but the International Rescue members have figured out the plan and get off a warning to Jeff Tracy in time to prevent Thunderbirds One and Two from being seized. The assassins are then attacked but in the ensuing gunfight they take Tin-Tin hostage - and the ship's gravity drive is damaged to where Sky Ship One crashes atop the command relay tower of a missile base. With the ship precariously balanced atop the giant tower, International Rescue must use the Tiger to rescue the trapped crew and the others. But the rescue attempt doesn't go according to plan when the assassins hijack the Tiger, just before Sky Ship One finally collapses off the tower and crashes into the missile base, destroying it while the Tiger flies out of control.

Compilation films

Between 1980 and 1982, three compilation films were produced for which a number of the original episodes were re-edited and modified for home VHS release.

Film #	Title	Compilation	Year	Length
1	"Thunderbirds to the Rescue"	"Trapped in the Sky", "Operation Crash-Dive"	1980	95 mins approx.
2	"Thunderbirds in Outer Space"	"Sun Probe", "Ricochet"	1981	92 mins approx.
3	"Countdown to Disaster"	"Terror in New York City", "Atlantic Inferno"	1982	91 mins approx.

References

1. ^ "Thunderbirds Megaset (Complete 12 Volume Set) (1965)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Thunderbirds-Megaset-Complete-12-Set/dp/B000068M9Q/. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
2. ^ "Thunderbirds 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition Megaset". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Thunderbirds-40th-Anniversary-Collectors-Megaset/dp/B000P6R5T8/. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Bentley, Chris (2005) [2000]. The Complete Book of Thunderbirds (2 ed.). London: Carlton Books. ISBN 1-84222-405-0. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Thunderbirds Episode Guide". Fanderson.org.uk. http://www.fanderson.org.uk/epguides/thunderbirdseg.html. 

External links

• List of Thunderbirds episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• List of Thunderbirds episodes at TV.com
• List of Thunderbirds episodes (Series One) at Fanderson.org.uk
• List of Thunderbirds episodes (Series Two) at Fanderson.org.uk
• List of Thunderbirds episodes at CliveBanks.co.uk
• "The Secretive Bus": a tongue-in-cheek episode guide at TheVervoid.com