Gerry Anderson, creator of Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, etc. Dies Aged 83

[WillPS]

Very, very sad news. Gerry Anderson was responsible for assembling a team who created hundreds of individual programmes which captivated children spanning several generations, before you go in to the grown ups and the live action programming.

The success of his productions is pretty much incomparable to anybody else's before or since.

Rest In Peace, Gerry.

 

[Johnuk123]

Sad news, he was only on the telly a few months ago.

 

[Ivo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-20845407

This has ruined my Christmas :cry: If I had a childhood hero, it was Gerry Anderson.

If I listed my favourite children's shows, including those I have come to like as an adult, three of the top 20 would be AP creations, including my all-time #1 (Thunderbirds). If my parents needed me to do something when I was 7 or so the easiest way was to pretend that the Tracy family were on TV (usually Bravo). I even met his former wife Sylvia at one point, although I have no memory of doing so (I was only 4).

What does this mean for the apparent new series... is this the end?

Whatever happens, I hope his family are OK, and best wishes to everyone.

RIP Gerry

 

[gazthomas]

Sad, but 83 isn't that bad an innings. RIP.

 

[317666]

A real shame, the likes of Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds were my favourite shows as a kid (and I'd still prefer to watch them now rather than tripe like X-Factor thank you very much!). RIP.

 

[LE Greys]

I quite agree. Thunderbirds was one of the many things that got me interested in engineering and space - remember how the Tracey brothers were named after five of the Mercury 7 (I always wondered what happened to Wally and Deke). I have old exercise books full of primative technical drawings attempting to turn some of the machines into something that could actually work. I always thought it went rather off the rails after he switched to live action, Space 1999 was just too weird, but still definitely a lot more watchable than some of the stuff we have today. Gerry Anderson definitely brightened up my childhood. RIP.

 

[Condor7]

............and of course nice to know that rescue locomotives are still referred to as Thunderbirds, showing just how far reaching across so many generations his genius was.

 

[317666]

............and of course nice to know that rescue locomotives are still referred to as Thunderbirds, showing just how far reaching across so many generations his genius was.

On that note, it's a real shame the 57/3s are having/have had their Thunderbirds nameplates and branding removed!

 

[WillPS]

What does this mean for the apparent new series... is this the end?

Which new series? Thunderbirds (CGI) was shelved completely not long after it surfaced. The UFO movie (which I'm excited for) and Space:2099 are still in development.

The CGI Scarlet series wasn't fantastic. Gerry was a fantastic innovator but he's been unable to find that sweet spot he and his teams at AP Films and Century 21 thrived upon since. For one thing - the charm of the series' is broken somewhat by the ability in CGI to 'just do' anything; every movement (and explosion!) you saw in the original series was a real explosion (if a very small one!).