Thunderbirds Are Go - Again...

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I read with interest in today's i newspaper of the discovery of unseen film footage of the Thunderbirds TV series from sixty-odd years ago, which had been languishing in the shed of a former editor on the show, after his death. Also, I note the death of the actor who voiced Lady Penelope's butler and chauffeur Parker the other day: David Graham. The show aired for two years, between 1964 and 1966 and was staple weekly viewing for those of us boomers born in the mid-fifties; I remember the rush to get back into the house to see the very first episode air: all of us abandoning whatever games were playing in the street outside for the TV - 18" Black & White screen, two channels only.

Those were the days, eh? That lack of choice and general noise made innocent stuff like Thunderbirds a big deal then, though: nothing was available on demand [as if!], so scheduling your week was a thing if you weren't to miss out on your favourite stuff. It focussed the mind rather, and forced one to shuffle things around to make time. I do appreciate the convenience of streaming and podcasts and on-demand media that we enjoy today, but I relish having grown up in a era when nothing could be missed without it being missed for good. Truly an age of 'get it while it's hot', making the moment precious rather than endlessly retrievable second-hand...

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