Thunderbirds Are Go (TV series)

Thunderbirds Are Go is a CGI TV series made by ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures, with effects by Weta Workshop. It is an adaptation of the original Thunderbirdsseries.[1] It premiered on 4 April 2015.[2] The majority of the main characters from the 1960s series have returned, including the five Tracy brothers (Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon, and Alan), Brains, Lady Penelope and Parker, Grandma Tracy, The Hood and Tintin (renamed Kayo), as well as a new addition to the franchise, a female character named Colonel Casey[3] (Jeff's friend, Colonel Tim Casey appears in original series episode "Edge of Impact".); Jeff, the father of the Tracy brothers, is mentioned only by name and references by the others, and revealed to be missing following a plane crash suspected to be engineered by the Hood, though whether he is dead or not is unknown. His voice is heard in the show's introduction. The main cast includes Rosamund Pike, Thomas Sangster, Rasmus Hardiker, David Menkin,Kayvan Novak, Angel Coulby and David Graham,[4] with Graham returning to reprise his original role as Aloysius Parker, Penelope's chauffeur.[5]

The series director is David Scott, while the episode director is Theo Baynton.[6] It will be written by Rob Hoegee and executive produced by Estelle Hughes, Giles Ridge, Richard Taylor, and Andrew Smith.[7] Ben and Nick Foster will compose the music.[8] The editor is Anthony Cox.[9] Instead of puppets, the whole show uses a mixture of both CGI for the characters and vehicles, and live action model sets, with both the characters and Thunderbirds being given crisp, revamped looks to them, including Tracy Island, while retaining notable aspects from the original series.[10] Also during the first episode, it was revealed a new Thunderbird craft would feature, Thunderbird 'Shadow' (aka Thunderbird 'S') will be piloted by new character Kayo.[11]

On 18 December 2014, it was announced that the show had been picked up for a second series consisting of another 26 episodes that would air "over 2016 and 2017".[12]

Contents

 * 1 Cast
 * 1.1 Main
 * 1.2 Guest stars
 * 2 Episodes
 * 2.1 Series 1
 * 2.2 Series 2
 * 3 Reception
 * 4 App
 * 5 Home media
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

Cast[edit]
Prior to the premiere, ITV announced the following cast for the show:[13]

Main[edit]

 * David Graham as Aloysius Parker
 * Sandra Dickinson as Grandma Tracy[15]
 * Andres Williams as The Hood
 * Adjoa Andoh as Colonel Casey
 * Peter Dyneley - Countdown voice (Archived audio, uncredited)

Guest stars[edit]

 * Sylvia Anderson as Great Aunt Sylvia[16]

Series 1[edit]
The premiere episode of the show was broadcast on ITV, during the Easter Weekend, on 4 April at 5pm, with it repeated on CITV on April 5 at 3pm, and a further repeat the following week, in two parts. After that, beginning with the episode called "The Space Race", the show would be broadcast from 11 April at 8am on the ITV and CITV channels every Saturday.

Series 2[edit]
A second series will be broadcast across 2016 and 2017.

Reception[edit]
Despite some negative reactions from older fans or some fans of the original version, a large majority of fans and critics reacted very positively[citation needed][19][20][21][22][23] claiming the show was clearly made to attract a new generation of fans instead of appealing to nostalgia, however ITV's decision to air episodes at 8am BST (other than the pilot, which aired at 5pm) sparked a negative fan reaction and has been heavily criticised by journalists as well, claiming that moving it from the original series' 5pm slot would alienate the adult viewership it gained from the first episode, with many also feeling the series could match the success of the BBC remake of Doctor Who in 2005 if kept at its 5pm slot. [24]

App[edit]
There will be an official Thunderbirds app launching in October 2015 to accompany the second series of the show.[25]

Home media[edit]
UK ITV Studios Home Entertainment will release the episodes sometime after the first series fully premieres.