Thunderbirds Are Go is a science fiction television programme produced by ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures. It uses a combination of computer-generated animation and live-action models. It is a remake of the series Thunderbirds created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson which follows the exploits of International Rescue (IR), a rescue organisation run by the Tracy family out of their secret island base in the Pacific Ocean. They use technologically-advanced craft for land, sea, air and space rescues in their operations, the most important of which are a set of vehicles called the Thunderbirds, piloted by the five Tracy brothers.
Premise[]
Set in the year 2060, Thunderbirds Are Go follows the exploits of the Tracy brothers - Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon, and John - who form the backbone of International Rescue (IR): a life-saving organisation that operates from a hidden base in the Southern Pacific Ocean, and who save people from disasters and dangerous situations using technologically advanced crafts for land, sea, air and space rescue, the most prominent of these being five vehicles called "Thunderbirds", each one operated by one of the brothers. In addition to the brothers, IR also includes additional members who offer assistance and support: Chief of Security Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano, who conducts covert and security operations through the use of a specialised Thunderbird with stealth capabilities; engineer Brains, who provides technological and mechanical support both at the base and in the field; Grandma Tracy, the brothers' maternal support who tends to their home needs; and London operatives Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, an English aristocrat, and Aloysius "Nosey" Parker, a chauffeur and former thief, who conduct investigative and espionage work when required.
Although most rescues involve contending with disaster caused by unforeseen incidents or the actions of criminals, a number are orchestrated by IR's main adversary known only as "The Hood" - a British criminal mastermind who despises the organisation and seeks to often steal their technology while conducting crimes to make him wealthy. Prior to the premiere episode of the programme, the Hood is known to IR and is responsible for the loss of the brothers' father, Jeff Tracy, the founder of IR and a close friend of Colonel Casey, the head of the Global Defence Force (GDF). In the second series, the programme introduced a second villain called "The Mechanic," who causes havoc and eventually helps to break out the Hood, after he is arrested by the GDF at the end of the first series, only to later turn on him in order to break free from his control, whereupon he later surrenders, on condition that Brains helps him secure his freedom. In the third series, a pair of villains called the "Chaos Crew" - formed of siblings Havoc and Fuse - join with the Hood to cause world-wide chaos, and become a considerable problem for both the GDF and IR.
Much of the episodes focus on rescue operations, many of which include elements from the original series - an example includes a remake of the original series premiere episode with a modern take on its plot. Although all episodes mainly include unique characters who have only one appearance, several created for Thunderbirds Are Go make reoccurring appearances, often with them being put into new situations they need rescuing from, though overarching storylines for each series focused mainly on the prominent villains for that series and the actions they undertake. Throughout the programme, the loss of Jeff to his sons plays a key element in a number of stories, both in relics found by the brothers, the various lessons they recall him teaching them, and the people who knew him best. The third and final series eventually included a final story arc focused on Jeff, in which IR discover him to be alive, rather than dead as presumed, but trapped in deep space. Amid a few standard rescues, the next few episodes focused on the Tracy family developing the means to reach and rescue him, culminating in the brothers eventually bringing him home in the 'Zero-XL', a spacecraft assembled around the five main Thunderbirds.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Rasmus Hardiker as Scott Tracy and Alan Tracy
- David Menkin as Virgil Tracy and Gordon Tracy
- Thomas Brodie-Sangster as John Tracy
- Angel Coulby as Kayo Kyrano
- Kayvan Novak as Brains
- Rosamund Pike as Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward
- David Graham as Parker
Recurring[]
- Sandra Dickinson as Grandma Tracy
- Andres Williams as The Hood
- Adjoa Andoh as Colonel Casey
- Teresa Gallagher as EOS
- Chris Jarman as The Mechanic (Series 2–3)
- Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Havoc (Series 3)
- Craig Stein as Fuse (Series 3)
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- Marc Silk as Captain Wayne Rigby (Series 3)
- Kayvan Novak as Ned Tedford
- Rhys Darby as Langstrom Fishler
- Jack Whitehall as Francois Lemaire
- Taj Atwal as Madeline Lemaire
- Teresa Gallagher as Professor Moffat
- Rich Hall as Captain Lee Taylor
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- Notes
- Kayvan Novak, Rosamund Pike and Teresa Gallagher also voice various guest characters.
- Archive audio of Peter Dyneley, voice actor of Jeff Tracy in the original Thunderbirds series, announcing the 5–1 countdown from the title sequence is featured in the remake's titles and during the Thunderbirds' launch sequences.
- David Graham also voiced Parker in the original Thunderbirds series.