"Actor: Peter Dyneley"

• Thunderbirds Complete Series Digistack--9-Disc Box Set | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £23.99   |  Saving you £101.00 (421.01%)   |  RRP £124.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. In this box set: all 32 episodes on eight discs, plus a bonus DVD featuring "The Thunderbirds Companion", an action-packed compilation which features the very best Thunderbirds rescues and scenes and tells the whole story behind Gerry Anderson's legendary action adventure series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Gerry Anderson, David Graham (the voice of Parker, Brains and Kyrano), Thunderbirds directors Alan Patillo and Bob Bell, and puppeteer John Blundall. --Mark Walker

• Ivanhoe - The Complete Series | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £7.25   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Simply Media are delighted to announce the release of BBC's Ivanhoe: The Complete Series. Originally shown on BBC One in 1970 as ten episodes, the complete series is now available on DVD for the first time 18th September 2017. Remembered fondly by those who used to watch the Sunday tea-time series, BBC's Ivanhoe is a faithful and captivating adaptation of the classic novel by Sir Walter Scott. Set in the romanticised world of Medieval Britain, filled with knights, chivalry, grand tournaments and sieges, where dispossessed Saxons are pitted against their Norman overlords. Scott's novel became a celebrated influence on modern-day popular perceptions of iconic British characters such as Richard the Lionheart, King John and Robin Hood. Adapted by acclaimed author and screenwriter Alexander Baron (City from the Plough) and directed by renowned BBC sci-fi director/producer David Maloney (Doctor Who / Blake's 7) the series proved to be a firm family favourite, and an easily accessible venture into Scott's intricate novel. Ivanhoe, a noble 12th century knight, returns home after being banished to the Holy Land by his Father for wanting to marry against his wishes. He comes back England after fighting alongside Richard the Lionheart in the crusades, only to find his country under the domination of corrupt King John, the true King's tyrannical brother. Ivanhoe must fight not only against King John, but also to keep his beloved Lady Rowena safe from the clutches of his arch nemesis, Brian de Bois Gilbert. The series stars actor and singer Eric Flynn (Empire of the Sun) in the title role as Ivanhoe. Flynn is also backed-up by a fantastic supporting cast, including his alluring and forbidden love interest Rowena played by Clare Jenkins (Doctor Who), the formidable Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert played by Anthony Bate (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)), and an appearance from Peter Dyneley, the voice of Jeff Tracy in Thunderbirds.

• Thunderbirds Box Set (9 discs) | DVD | (13/11/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £124.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.In this box set: All 32 episodes on eight discs, plus a bonus DVD featuring "The Thunderbirds Companion", an exclusive documentary with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. --Mark Walker

• The Lost Worlds Of Gerry Anderson | DVD | (30/03/2015) from £11.98   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An alien being chooses two teenagers to assist him in his mission to make the world a better place... A spaceship on a scientific mission is flung into the far reaches of outer space... An ex-NYPD cop fights organised crime on a distant planet... ...these are The Lost Worlds of Gerry Anderson. Creator of the legendary Thunderbirds Gerry Anderson scored incredible successes throughout the 1960s and '70s with Captain Scarlet UFO Space: 1999 and other series which appealed to both children and adults alike. Not all his ideas however went to a full series and this set contains the 1970s pilots for both The Investigator and The Day After Tomorrow as well as the 1986 pilot for Space Police which was eventually reworked as Space Precinct nearly a decade later. Alongside these rare and much sought after programmes this collector's set also includes: You've Never Seen This - Gerry's directorial debut from 1955. Here Comes Kandy - a colour puppet pilot made by Gerry's company Pentagon Films in 1956. Image galleries for all three '70s and '80s pilots. New transfer of remaining film elements for Space Police alongside the 'Reloaded' 1992 edit and test footage. Dick Spanner PI - an unscreened episode with accompanying image gallery. Blue Skies Ahead and an accompanying Blue Cars advert made by Gerry in partnership with Nicholas Parsons

• Thunderbirds Are Go - The Movie | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.26   |  Saving you £8.73 (120.25%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Thunderbirds Are Go followed the remarkable success of the Thunderbirds television series, bringing the three-dimensional puppet animation adventures of International Rescue to the big screen. Set in the 21st century, there is no attempt to explain the background story: as in the TV show International Rescue is a private family organisation who use hi-tech craft to rescue anyone in peril. Here it is the first manned flight to Mars which is in danger, as International Rescue foils a sabotage attempt at the launch, then race to avert disaster when the spaceship returns to earth. What could have made a 50-minute TV episode is expanded to feature length with Martian "rock monsters" and a surreal dream-sequence involving Alan Tracy, Lady Penelope and "Cliff Richard Jnr" & the Shadows, with a new song performed by the real Cliff and the Shadows. In the cinemas this was competing against another British children's TV SF spin-off, the equally colourful Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150AD, and would be followed by Thunderbird 6 (1968). Yet apart from more complex model work, a bigger orchestra and even bigger explosions, on TV this plays like a widescreen double-length episode. On the DVD: The mono sound is powerful, with Barry Gray's stirring music suffering intermittent distortion. Presented in anamorphic widescreen the picture is very good, with strong colours and only minimal grain, though the print does show occasional damage. Unfortunately the original extremely wide 2.74:1 Techniscope image is cropped to more conventional 2.35:1, to the extent that the careful compositions are noticeably damaged, which director David Lane refers to in his joint commentary with producer Sylvia Anderson (who also played Lady Penelope). 35 years after the event their commentary is packed with details of the filming process and full of information about the many problems of and solutions to making an animated feature. Both Anderson fans and budding animators will find this a real education. The original, rather battered, trailer is included, as are galleries of behind the scenes photos, promotional artwork and posters. Altogether it's rather FABulous. --Gary S Dalkin

• Deadly Record | DVD | (29/06/2015) from £5.84   |  Saving you £4.15 (71.06%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Hammer icon Barbara Shelley stars alongside cult actor Lee Patterson in a brilliantly taut and compelling thriller from the late '50s. Deadly Record is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements, in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.When pilot Trevor Hamilton touches down at London Airport, his wife Jenny is not there to meet him. Their marriage is on the point of collapse, and when Jenny is found dead, Hamilton becomes Suspect Number One. With the police searching for enough evidence to arrest him, Hamilton desperately interviews everyone in Jenny's social circle to find the real murderer!SPECIAL FEATURE: Original Theatrical Trailer

• Thunderbirds Are GO - The Movie | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £14.45   |  Saving you £5.54 (38.34%)   |  RRP £19.99

  THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO! Blast off into more action and more adventure with the first ever feature-length film starring the International Rescue team! Millionaire ex-astronaut, Jeff Tracy, his five stalwart sons, Brains, the inventor of the Thunderbird crafts and the fabulous secret agent Lady Penelope launch into action in this Supermarionation classic from the mind of the iconic visionary Gerry Anderson!

• Thunderbirds | Blu Ray | (15/09/2008) from £27.08   |  Saving you £7.91 (29.21%)   |  RRP £34.99

  When evil threatens International Rescue blasts-off to sort things out. Somewhere in the Pacific the rescue organisation is always on the lookout for trouble. The founder and co-ordinator of the group is astronaut Jeff Tracy whose sons serve as pilots of the group's five super-secret craft - the Thunderbirds. As the Tracys work for the good of mankind they must try to stop the villainy of The Hood who is determined to undermine the organisation and learn the secrets of the Thunderbirds aircraft. Thunderbirds delivers high-flying action and adventure through the imaginative use of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation and the special effects of Academy Award' winner Derek Meddings.

• The Strange Awakening | DVD | (27/07/2015) from £12.98   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Having found global fame as RKO's tenth Tarzan American actor Lex Barker established a long and successful career in Europe that began in 1957 with this classic tale of greed deception and murder. Co-starring Italian actress Lisa Gastoni and directed by B-movie stalwart Montgomery Tully Strange Awakening casts Barker as a man who loses his memory but gains a large inheritance… along with a sinister new 'family'! Also known as Female Fiends Strange Awakening is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Motoring in the South of France Peter Chance is attacked and left unconscious. On recovering he has no memory either of his past or who he is and is shocked to be told that he is the heir to two million dollars. As he slowly regains his health his suspicions are aroused by the women who claim to be his mother sister and wife. When police call to investigate the death of his father Chance realises that he too is a suspect and begins his own investigation... Features: Original Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery

• Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird Six | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.32

  Stand by for another action-packed adventure from the amazing international rescue team! Thunderbirds Are Go: The excitement begins as Zero X a 21st Century spacecraft is leaving the earth's atmosphere bound for Mars with five men on board. The craft is suddenly blasted by a mysterious explosion. Sabotage! Can the Tracy team uncover the perpetrators and save the next launch? Thunderbird Six: The trouble begins when rescue team member Alan Tracy sets out on a holida

• Thunderbirds: Volume 4 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £7.01   |  Saving you £8.98 (56.20%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR--[explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax]--and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a)the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here. As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audience's affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. On this DVD: The four episodes are: "Vault of Death", "The Mighty Atom", "City of Fire" and "The Imposters". Amazon.com

• Thunderbirds: Volume 5 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £9.17   |  Saving you £6.82 (74.37%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.On this DVD: The four episodes are: "The Man from MI5", "Cry Wolf", "Danger at Ocean Deep" and "Move and You're Dead".

• Thunderbirds: Volume 2 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £4.90   |  Saving you £11.09 (226.33%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.On this DVD: The four episodes are: "Edge of Impact", "Day of Disaster", Thirty Minutes After Noon" and "Desperate Intruder".

• Thunderbird 6: The Movie | DVD | (09/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Thunderbird 6 was the second feature spin-off from the hit Gerry Anderson puppet-animation TV series Thunderbirds, and revolved around a new addition to the line-up of International Rescue's five emergency craft. The plot sees Lady Penelope, Alan, Tin-Tin and Parker as the only passengers on the maiden, round-the-world flight of a futuristic airship, which is hijacked in a bid to capture Thunderbirds 1 and 2. From the moment Alan arrives on a Bond-style jetpack, the film veers away from the TV show into espionage adventure territory, and while the only people International Rescue rescue are their own members, they kill a fair number of baddies. The global tour means there are more locations than ever, and though the story takes a long time developing, the Die Hard-on-an-airship finale delivers the most explosive set piece of Gerry Anderson's career. As for Thunderbird 6, opinion remains divided as to whether it's an ingenious twist or a disappointing gimmick, but the movie's blend of model and live-action footage results in two superbly staged stunt sequences. Predecessor Thunderbirds Are Go (1968) is also available, and the Andersons would make one further feature film, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969). On the DVD: The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 ratio image is sharp, full of detail and boasting well-saturated colours, only the briefest moments of damage and some graininess revealing the age of the print. The film was shot in ultra-wide Techniscope, and there are moments were it is very obvious that parts of the original 2.74:1 picture have been cropped at the sides. The mono sound is powerful with no hint of distortion. Extras are the original trailer, galleries of behind the scenes photos and promotional artwork, though the highlight is the highly informative commentary by Sylvia Anderson and director David Lane where they note how they made this film and worked on Captain Scarlet simultaneously.--Gary S Dalkin

• Thunderbirds 6 - The Movie | Blu Ray | (15/06/2015) from £12.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (53.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The International Rescue team is back in another action packed adventure! The combined efforts of the entire team is at full stretch, they'll need to be on top form with cunning assistance of Lady Penelope and Parker to defeat the ring of terrorist who've targeted International Rescue for destruction! The 2015 remake of the TV series is back on UK screens now, this enduring classic is presented on BluRay for the first ever in the UK.

• Thunderbirds: Volume 1 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £5.46   |  Saving you £10.53 (192.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here. As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nailbitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. On this DVD: International Rescue's very first adventure provides a template for all the rest: in "Trapped in the Sky" an experimental new aircraft becomes the target of an evil Bond-style megalomaniac who wants to get his hands on all the neat pieces of kit operated by the Tracey siblings. The show introduces, in fetishistic detail, the recurring set-pieces: Thunderbird 1 taking off from the roll-back swimming pool, which pod will Thunderbird 2 use this week--the mole or the submarine perhaps?--and so on. Nostalgia fans will be pleased to learn that despite digital remastering the puppet strings are still in evidence, and no amount of high-tech restoration could remove the clunky expository dialogue: Stewardess: "It's the maiden flight of the new atomic-powered Fireflash." Passenger: "Isn't that the new aircraft that flies six times the speed of sound?" Stewardess: "That's right, but don't worry: it's perfectly safe." [Cut to: interior, Fireflash landing gear, a device clearly labelled "Auto-Bomb Detonator Unit"] Sinister bad guy (talking to himself for no readily apparent reason): "Perfect. Enough explosives to smash the Atomic Reactor." In the second episode, "Pit of Peril", an absurdly impractical US Army vehicle falls into the eponymous pit, necessitating use of pod five, the mole. Joy! Lady Penelope indulges in some James-Bond-style counter-espionage measures in the third episode, "The Perils of Penelope", while Parker indulges some of his famous Eliza Dolittle-isms; although he is trumped by the Cary Grant sound-a-like character Sir Jeremy Hodge (or 'odge as Parker would have it), whose response to a crisis is, "I say, open the door, we're British!". Then it's back to the action for the fourth episode, "Terror in New York City", in which poor Virgil is shot down by the US Navy in Thunderbird 2 before the boys must rescue an unscrupulous newshound from the wreckage of the Empire State Building (featuring the first appearance of their very own yellow submarine, Thunderbird 4) --Mark Walker

• Romeo And Juliet | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £4.27   |  Saving you £8.72 (204.22%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's tragic story of young impetuous love thwarted by a bitter Veronese family feud. Romeo heir of the Montague family attends a masquerade dance at the home of the Capulets where he meets Juliet the Capulets' daughter. It is love at first sight. Their love is torn asunder by the feud between their families. It is only after the double suicide of the young lovers that their long divided kinsmen are reconciled in sorrow.

• Thunderbirds: Volume 3 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.On this DVD: The four episodes are: "End of the Road", "The Uninvited", "Sun Probe" and "Operation Crash Dive".

• Thunderbirds: Volume 8 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-5.59 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR--[explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax]--and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a)the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here. As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audience's affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. On this DVD: The four episodes are: "Alias Mr. Hackenbacker", "Lord Parker's 'Oliday", "Ricochet" and "Give or Take a Million". Amazon.com

• Thunderbirds: Volume 6 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £9.96   |  Saving you £9.02 (129.41%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR--[explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax]--and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a)the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here. As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audience's affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. On this DVD: The four episodes are: "The Duchess Assignment", "Brink of Disaster", "Attack of the Alligators!" and "Martian Invasion". Amazon.com