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More than thirty years after creating the
Supermarionation legend Thunderbirds - and much else since -
Gerry Anderson had moved full circle from puppets to live action and on to
model-animation. Although he had never been able to rediscover the form
which brought him a string of hits in the 1960s, this modest production
enjoyed excellent production values to bring a nicely crafted children's
short to the early evening schedules. Originally screened on Thursdays,
the programme went out as a series of 26 ten-minute episodes, just barely
giving its audience time to get into the story. The script was variable in
quality, but enjoyable enough for kids, and with a slight, self-mocking
irony which gave adults something to pick up on. It was also quite funny,
and for all the right reasons.
Set in outer space, it featured the ultimate unlikely
hero in the bulbous shape of Captain Thrice (batwing ears, bearded,
marsupial-like face, and a nose with a big eye in the centre). Thrice's
sworn enemy was Dr Argon (blue skin, yellow eyes, hawkish nose, and evil
troll face). It was Argon's ambition to eradicate all daylight, and in
order to do this he had to find and destroy the legendary Lavender Castle,
home of all that was good - but nowhere to be found on the map. Captain
Thrice had the advantage of having once visited this sacred location, only
now he can't actually remember where it is, so he and his motley crew
operate on the assumption that, even if they can't find the castle, they
can at least stop Argon getting his hands on it. So, operating from a
space ship shaped and adorned like a village cottage, they travelled
through the Universe thwarting their foe where they could - often
accidentally.
Although by no means an Anderson classic, the programme
was enjoyable. Like much of children's television on the two main network
channels in the 1990s, the programme was badly presented and treated, with
a highly irritating floating sub-screen obscuring the closing titles as
future programming trailers were shown.
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Story by: Pauline Fisk from an original
concept by Rodney Matthews
Screenplay by: Gerry Anderson and
Pauline Fisk
Executive Producer: Craig Hemmings
Producer: Gerry Anderson
Co-Production: Mary Anderson
Director: Chris Taylor
Music by: Crispin Merrell
An Anderson / Cosgrove Hall Production
26 colour 10-minute episodes
In The Beginning
Flower Power
The Twilight Tower
High Moon
The Lost Starfighter
The Black Swat
Double Cross
A Stitch In Time
Bird Of Prey
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Collision Course
Swamp Fever
Raiders of the Planet Zark
The Galacternet
Brightonia On Sea
Traitor
The Collector
Lost In Space
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Cloud Of Chaos
Diamonds Aren't Forever
Galactic Park
Wearizy
Supernova
Interface
Birds Of A Feather
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Episodes 1-17: 7th January – 29th April 1999
Episodes 18-26: 13th January - 9th March 2000
(ITV)
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