Series One (1965/66)
Series One of Thunderbirds comprised 26 episodes, each running to 50 minutes.
| Ep. # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original Air Date | Production # | Recommended broadcast # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Trapped in the Sky" | Alan Pattillo | Gerry & Sylvia Anderson | 30 September 1965 (1965-09-30) | 1 | 1 |
| The Fireflash on its maiden voyage from London to Tokyo is sabotaged by The Hood and is unable to land. | ||||||
| 2 | "Pit of Peril" | Desmond Saunders | Alan Fennell | 7 October 1965 (1965-10-07) | 2 | 2 |
| A 500-tonne US Army walker (the Sidewinder) falls into a pit and International Rescue are called to rescue the crew. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Perils of Penelope" | Alan Pattillo & Desmond Saunders | Alan Pattillo | 14 October 1965 (1965-10-14) | 12 | 12 |
| Lady Penelope goes on the trail of a kidnapped scientist, only to find herself in mortal danger from the megalomaniac determined to use the expert's work for his own evil ends. | ||||||
| 4 | "Terror in New York City" | David Elliott & David Lane | Alan Fennell | 21 October 1965 (1965-10-21) | 13 | 13 |
| While returning from a mission Thunderbird 2 is attacked and put out of action by an accidental attack by a new high-Speed U.S. Navy strike vessel. when an operation to move the Empire State Building goes wrong, and the building collapses, Jeff Tracy asks the U.S. Navy to allow Thunderbird 4 to hitch a ride onboard the same ship (as it was their fault Thunderbird 2 was unable to transport Thunderbird 4 to the rescue scene) to find an underground river to reach a reporter and his cameraman trapped below the wreckage. | ||||||
| 5 | "Edge of Impact" | Desmond Saunders | Donald Robertson | 28 October 1965 (1965-10-28) | 16 | 16 |
| The Hood sabotages the Red Arrow aircraft programme. One of the planes crashes into the TV Tower in England. International Rescue is summoned to save the engineers inside the tower before it collapses. | ||||||
| 6 | "Day of Disaster" | David Elliott | Dennis Spooner | 4 November 1965 (1965-11-04) | 15 | 15 |
| The Allington Bridge collapses when a space rocket is transported across, trapping the rocket on the riverbed and causing the rocket's automatic countdown to begin. International Rescue is called upon to save the crew before the rocket launches. | ||||||
| 7 | "30 Minutes After Noon" | David Elliott | Alan Fennell | 11 November 1965 (1965-11-11) | 18 | 18 |
| The Erdman Gang has developed an ingenious method of getting their work carried out — an explosive bracelet which can only be removed at the designated target. A secret agent's attempt to infiltrate a scheme backfires as he is left trapped in a plutonium store. International Rescue face a race against time to prevent a massive nuclear explosion. | ||||||
| 8 | "Desperate Intruder" | David Lane | Donald Robertson | 18 November 1965 (1965-11-18) | 17 | 17 |
| Brains and Tin-Tin embark on an expedition to retrieve treasure from Lake Anasta. The Hood has also set his sights on these riches and plans to put both Brains and Tin-Tin in grave peril. | ||||||
| 9 | "End of the Road" | David Lane | Dennis Spooner | 25 November 1965 (1965-11-25) | 14 | 14 |
| International Rescue's identity is jeopardised when Eddie Houseman, a close friend of Tin-Tin, who recently visited the island, puts himself at risk in a bid to save his road-construction company's contract. | ||||||
| 10 | "The Uninvited" | Desmond Saunders | Alan Fennell | 2 December 1965 (1965-12-02) | 5 | 5 |
| While returning home after a mission, Scott is attacked by mysterious fighter aircraft and is shot down. Two archaeologists find him and send him on his way only to become trapped in the Pyramid of Khamandides. | ||||||
| 11 | "Sun Probe" | David Lane | Alan Fennell | 9 December 1965 (1965-12-09) | 4 | 4 |
| The Sun Probe rocket and its crew find themselves on a collision course with the Sun and Thunderbird 3 is called out — but winds up needing to be rescued itself when it becomes trapped in the Sun's gravitational pull. | ||||||
| 12 | "Operation Crash-Dive" | Desmond Saunders | Martin Crump | 16 December 1965 (1965-12-16) | 8 | 8 |
| A series of mysterious Fireflash disappearances leads to Thunderbird 4 being called to save a crew trapped on the seabed. International Rescue then volunteer to aid in diagnosing the mechanical faults in the Fireflash. | ||||||
| 13 | "Vault of Death" | David Elliott | Dennis Spooner | 23 December 1965 (1965-12-23) | 7 | 7 |
| After the Bank of England new security system is installed, one of the employees is accidentally locked in the vault and International Rescue is requested to rescue him before all the air is pumped out. | ||||||
| 14 | "The Mighty Atom" | David Lane | Dennis Spooner | 30 December 1965 (1965-12-30) | 6 | 6 |
| The Hood plans to lure out the Thunderbirds vehicles by means of an emergency at an atomic irrigation plant in the Sahara Desert, subsequently photographing them with a miniature camera, disguised as a mouse. | ||||||
| 15 | "City of Fire" | David Elliott | Alan Fennell | 6 January 1966 (1966-01-06) | 3 | 3 |
| The world's tallest tower catches fire due to an explosion in the car park and International Rescue are called to rescue a family trapped in the basement, and must do so with an experimental cutting gas (oxyhydnite) that knocked Scott and Virgil unconscious in testing. | ||||||
| 16 | "The Impostors" | Desmond Saunders | Dennis Spooner | 13 January 1966 (1966-01-13) | 19 | 19 |
| A gang of criminals masquerade as International Rescue to conceal their theft of top-secret military plans. The worldwide manhunt for the treacherous International Rescue team means that the organisation cannot operate until its name is cleared. | ||||||
| 17 | "The Man From MI.5" | David Lane | Alan Fennell | 20 January 1966 (1966-01-20) | 20 | 20 |
| A lethal organisation steals top-secret plans. Working in conjunction with a British Secret Service agent, Lady Penelope must recover the stolen material to save the world from total destruction. | ||||||
| 18 | "Cry Wolf" | David Elliott | Dennis Spooner | 27 January 1966 (1966-01-27) | 21 | 21 |
| Two Australian boys are playing their favourite game — "International Rescue" — when their "distress" call is picked up by John in Thunderbird 5. After a tour of Tracy Island and being ordered not to use their radio again they return home. The Hood then tricks the boys into an old mine shaft so he can steal secret photographs from their father. This time their distress call is real, but now International Rescue won't believe them. | ||||||
| 19 | "Danger at Ocean Deep" | Desmond Saunders | Donald Robertson | 3 February 1966 (1966-02-03) | 22 | 22 |
| When the Ocean Pioneer tanker mysteriously explodes, Brains sets about investigating the cause. With a little help from Lady Penelope, this is discovered to be a chemical reaction between the cargo of liquid alsterene and OD60 found in the sea. International Rescue set out to save the crew of the ill-fated Ocean Pioneer II. | ||||||
| 20 | "Move - and You're Dead" | Alan Pattillo | Alan Pattillo | 10 February 1966 (1966-02-10) | 9 | 9 |
| After Alan Tracy returns to motor-racing, his rivals decide to remove the competition by placing a bomb on a bridge which will explode if Alan and Grandma try to escape. Some of this episode is told in flashback. | ||||||
| 21 | "The Duchess Assignment" | David Elliott | Martin Crump | 17 February 1966 (1966-02-17) | 23 | 23 |
| The Duchess of Royston has fallen on hard times and her friend Lady Penelope enlists the help of Jeff Tracy. The Duchess and her sole asset — Portrait of a Gazelle, painted by Braquasso — come under threat and it is down to International Rescue to save them both. | ||||||
| 22 | "Brink of Disaster" | David Lane | Alan Fennell | 24 February 1966 (1966-02-24) | 11 | 11 |
| A crooked investor tries to recruit Lady Penelope into aiding his scheme to build a cross-country monorail. When Penny informs Jeff, he investigates, but he, Brains, and Tin-Tin find themselves trapped onboard a new, fully automated monorail train speeding towards a stricken bridge with the now-terrified investor. | ||||||
| 23 | "Attack of the Alligators!" | David Lane | Alan Pattillo | 10 March 1966 (1966-03-10) | 24 | 24 |
| When a new growth hormone is accidentally released into a river in South America, a house is besieged by alligators — now ten times their normal size. International Rescue must subdue the reptiles and save the scientists trapped inside. | ||||||
| 24 | "Martian Invasion" | David Elliott | Alan Fennell | 17 March 1966 (1966-03-17) | 10 | 10 |
| The Hood arranges for a mishap with explosives during the filming of a movie, leaving two of the actors trapped in a cave. When International Rescue arrive to make a rescue attempt, the cameras are still rolling as The Hood makes another attempt to obtain footage of International Rescue in action. | ||||||
| 25 | "The Cham-Cham" | Alan Pattillo | Alan Pattillo | 24 March 1966 (1966-03-24) | 25 | 25 |
| When aircraft are shot down during live broadcasts of a particular tune, the boys at International Rescue suspect foul play. Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope (posing as mysterious singer Wanda Lamour) investigate, and find their lives in danger on an out-of-control ski lift. | ||||||
| 26 | "Security Hazard" | Desmond Saunders | Alan Pattillo | 31 March 1966 (1966-03-31) | 26 | 26 |
| (Clip show episode) — The Tracy family cannot help but reminisce about their many operations after a young boy infiltrates the island. They are nonetheless left with the problem that the boy knows their identity — until Jeff realises they can use the boy's dreams to their advantage. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Thunderbirds Episodes
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