Steve Adams talks to Jamie Anderson about the indestructible appeal of his late father Gerry Anderson’s pioneering puppet-based TV shows, whose iconic music will be celebrated in a one-off concert in Birmingham next month.

Gerry Anderson’s FAB-ulous sci-fi TV series first captured the imaginations of children and their parents in the 1950s and ’60s, gaining cult status as they grew bigger and more elaborate, before he graduated from the ‘supermarionation’ of the likes of Stingray and Captain Scarlet to live action shows such as UFO and Space: 1999 in the 1970s. 

The series all featured heroic characters, fabulous vehicles and ground-breaking special effects, but they’re equally remembered for their iconic theme tunes, from the marching band splendour of Thunderbirds to the funky Northern Soul of Joe 90.

The bulk of the shows’ themes and incidental music was created by celebrated composer Barry Gray, but Stand By For Action!, a one-off concert taking place at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall next month, will feature compositions that span Anderson’s near 50-year career, from The Adventures Of Twizzle (1957) to New Captain Scarlet (2005) and all points inbetween. It’s an event that his son, Jamie - managing director of Anderson Entertainment as well as a producer, writer and director in his own right - is clearly thrilled about. 

“It's a world first and I couldn’t be more excited!” he gushes. “For one night only, we’re bringing together a 55-piece orchestra to play every theme from every Gerry Anderson show from 1957 to 2005, with a few iconic incidental pieces, suites and surprises along the way. Richard Harvey (Terrahawks) is conducting, and Crispin Merrell (Space Precinct, Lavender Castle, New Captain Scarlet) will be our pianist for the night. So we’re not only celebrating the work of the fabulous Barry Gray, but all the composers who worked with Dad across the decades. Having two of them on stage is a really lovely thing, and I’m honoured that Richard and Crispin have agreed to join us.”

Barry Gray’s iconic themes and distinctive incidental music were a key ingredient in most of the shows, but his team-up with Gerry was little more than a glorious fluke, according to Jamie.

“As with many of these things, the successful partnership was born out of chance really, scoring the earliest puppet show in the late 1950s. But they clearly enjoyed working together and it ended up being the perfect match - where Barry was able to create huge soundscapes for ‘small’ shows with increasingly large budgets. It was a match made in heaven but forged by chance.”

The concert at Symphony Hall pays tribute to that partnership and has been a labour of love for Anderson junior, who admits he’s wanted to put together a celebration of all of his father’s shows for a long time.
“It's one of Anderson Entertainment's missions - to bring together all of the shows under the Anderson name. So often they’re treated separately, but for me they all live together.”

The show will be hosted by comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw, who has voiced characters - including Lady Penelope’s legendary butler, Parker - for Thunderbirds’ audio books and is a huge fan of the Anderson world.

“He’s incredibly enthusiastic about the concert and is getting very involved in how the night runs,” says Jamie. “I know he’ll do a wonderful job.” 

Alongside the music, the show will feature new and restored film footage that Jamie hopes will appeal to new and casual fans as much as Anderson obsessives.

“It’s sure to be a nostalgic treat for everyone, but may well introduce fans to shows they’re less familiar with, or even possibly don’t know yet. It’ll be a journey of discovery for us all.

“We also intend to show newly colourised material, recently discovered archive, as well as material from the upcoming documentary about Dad's life - Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted - which premieres on Britbox on 14 April, Gerry Anderson Day, a couple of days before the concert.”

Although Jamie is far too young to have enjoyed the shows in their heyday, he’s clearly a proud son and huge fan of his father’s work. But despite being so close to it all, he has no problem, or hesitation, in picking favourites.

“Virgil and Thunderbird 2 are my clear stand-outs. Virgil was cool, heroic, an artist and musician, and he did all of the heavy lifting with TB2, which had the best gadgets! But Terrahawks was my first Anderson love. It was quirky and cool with great visual effects, and I watched it until my VHS tapes wore out in the early 1990s.”

That latter series tends to be derided by some Anderson fans, but all the shows have an enduring appeal that Jamie puts down to his father’s stories of hope and belief in heroes - as well as how many of the apparently fanciful ideas have subsequently come to pass.

“So much of the sci-fi we see today is dystopian, but Anderson series tended to be utopian - looking forward to a better future. Yes, there were negative influences - you can’t have drama without it - but the outlook was positive.

“And so much of what they created on those shows has become real. Just look at Elon Musk’s latest rockets - they bear a striking resemblance to Fireball XL5, don’t they? Add to that video conferencing, orbital satellites, travelling to Mars, facial recognition and so much more - Dad and his teams created things that inspired people to change the world, and while doing so created heroic characters using amazing vehicles and tools to make the world a better place. Those are values that have stuck around and continue to resonate.”

Those values are something Jamie tries to keep in mind as curator of his father’s incredible legacy, admitting that there’s always pressure to do it justice. 

“He worked incredibly hard to create things which millions grew up on and continue to love today, so I don’t want to damage that reputation or mess it up! Everything we do is with fans in mind, trying to feed their enjoyment and love of these timeless shows. We see the positive effect of this every day, and the feedback on our recent publications and projects suggests we’re doing the right thing. I hope Dad would be proud.”

And the most exciting thing is that new content is still being created, from 50th anniversary episodes of Thunderbirds in 2020 and a Space: 1999 audio show (starring Mark Bonnar), to the upcoming CGI-meets-puppet series Firestorm. 

“Obviously it's fantastic to see legacy extension projects like the Space: 1999 audios and the Thunderbirds anniversary episodes, but I’ve always got an eye on the future - that’s what Dad did after all. For me it all comes from the same place - an ‘Anderson spirit’ if you will - but if we really want to keep it alive for the next century - and I do - then we need to find ways to bring new audiences into the Anderson fold. We’ve got a fantastic slate of projects in various stages of commissioning and financing right now that will do just that. I can’t wait to share those with the world.”

Stand By For Action! shows at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on Saturday 16 April