Thunderbirds exhibition arrives at museum
BBCA exhibition featuring an original Lady Penelope puppet from Thunderbirds and other studio models and artwork will open at a museum at the weekend.
The 54321 FAB! exhibition will run at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum from 4 July until 6 September.
Displays feature memorabilia from a variety of 1960s science-fiction shows created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, including Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Stingray.
Chris, one of the curators, said they had wanted to present merchandise from a range of the programmes, including original puppets.
"We've got original puppets, we've got puppets that have been recreated to the same stands of the original and we've got replica studio models as well and artwork," he said.
The exhibition, which is free to enter, also features models of iconic vehicles from the shows such as Fireball XL5 and the Thunderbirds craft.
Chris said the display also included books, records, toys and original props with the aim to "trigger memories for people who come along".
'Puppet has no legs'
One cabinet includes an original Captain Scarlet puppet, which he said was "very very rare", alongside a Smiler head, which had since been restored using original moulds and materials.
The studio would have used about six Captain Scarlet puppets with different heads for different expressions, he explained.
Lady Penelope was also an under-controlled puppet, he added, instead of one operated by strings.
"Our Lady Penelope puppet has no legs," he said.
Thunderbirds revolved around International Rescue, an emergency service run by the Tracy family and often assisted by Lady Penelope - voiced by Sylvia Anderson, who died in 2016.
Marc Silk, from Solihull, who voiced Captain Wayne Rigby in Thunderbirds Are Go! described the exhibition as "everything all in one".
"In the end, I'm a fan," he said. "I'm a big fan of these shows, these are the shows that I grew up with, loving and adoring and they're timeless.
"It's action heroes, explosions, massive vehicle, rockets, incredible music. These voice actors, I was glued to these shows as a kid, I was so influenced by the voice actors that performed these but also the special effects guys and the model makers."
Silk said to see original puppet heads from Thunderbirds was "bonkers".
"These shows were made before I was born and I'm still hooked on them," he said.
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