Stirling Road, Slough Trading Estate

 

Gerry told Lew he would need a bigger studio so Lew said fine – go and find something suitable.  This was soon located half a mile away in another part of the Slough trading estate, in the shadow of the local power station and a sickly whiff of chocolate away from the Mars factory.  Stirling Road was a cul-de-sac with a row of single storey industrial units with an office frontage to the road and a double ‘shed’ arrangement behind.  Each shed was roughly 40ft wide and about 120ft long.

They were brand new in 1962 and seemed perfect.  One double factory unit was acquired.  In the right hand shed, two shooting stages were created for puppets and one other for use as the special effects stage.  The puppet stages were each 40ft x 40ft.  Surprisingly small considering how much had to fit in them.  They were numbered 1 and 2, the SFX stage was stage 3.  The offices at the front and the rest of the space in the left hand shed contained most of the other facilities required – editing rooms, props, puppet making, ‘electrical mouth room’, kitchen, preview theatre, production manager’s office and director’s office.

 

There is a publicity brochure issued by APF in 1964 that boasts about their Stirling Road studios.  It states that there were seven cutting rooms, a large property department, a scene dock, a carpenters’ shop, a paint shop, a dressmaking department, a puppet workshop and a viewing theatre.  It refers to the two production stages, ‘identical in every way’ with mobile bridges for the ten puppeteers.  It says that next to the main stages is a special effects studio in which ‘violent explosions’ regularly take place.  It also mentions a large tank.  Interestingly, it refers to an experimental section where new processes are developed.

The art department with its construction facilities was based in another building a short walk away in Edinburgh Avenue.

 

For Stingray, the special effects stage inevitably had several tanks within it.  Due to lack of space these often had to be set and struck which was very time-consuming.  For sequences involving Stingray on the surface of the sea, a wedge-shaped tank for static shots and a large rectangular tank for moving ones were built with a system which constantly pumped water over the edges into troughs that surrounded them.  With the camera low on the water line, and a painted sky backing on the other side it looked like a real horizon on the sea.  Incidentally, the very realistic skies that featured in all these shows were painted by Derek Meddings, who as well as being expert in special effects was an experienced and very talented matte artist.

In fact, APF had used an exterior tank with an artificial horizon for the shots of Supercar diving into the sea back in 1960.  This arrangement has now become popular with swimming pools in glamorous locations of course where they are known as infinity pools.

The other technique used was to construct a tank that consisted of two large vertical sheets of glass a few centimetres apart.  The tank was 8ft x 4ft and made of half inch plate glass.  The water contained some pond weed, several small fish and an air line to produce bubbles.  The fish were fed just before each take so they moved about rather than hiding in the corners.  The camera looked through the glass and the water in the tank and the Stingray model was ‘flown’ behind the tank, keeping completely dry.  Although this was built by a specialist company, it exploded one lunchtime sending gallons of water and several unfortunate fish all over the studio.  Luckily, nobody was close by when it happened.  A new tank with thicker glass was ordered.  A similar technique had been used for underwater scenes in Supercar at Ipswich Road with a smaller tank and less exotic fish.

 

Arriflex 35mm cameras were used.  Effects shots were usually photographed at very high speeds to make the water look natural on camera – 72 frames per second and sometimes even 120.  (The norm was and still is 24fps.)  This involved using phenomenal levels of light – and therefore heat.

 

As well as far more sophisticated effects shots, the puppets continued to develop.  In Stingray each puppet had several heads (not all at once you understand.)  These were relatively easy to swap and had varying facial expressions – a ‘smiler’, a ‘frowner’, a ‘blinker’ and a neutral.  This gave some opportunity for the director (no longer Gerry – he was only producing now) to give some variety to the puppets’ performances.

The puppets also had teeth purchased from a dental technician in Maidenhead and realistic glass eyes made by a chap called William Shakespeare (no, really) who specialised in making prosthetic eyes for humans.  This was the first time he had been asked to supply them in matching pairs.

39 episodes of Stingray were made from June 1963 into 1964.  It was shot on 35mm Eastmancolor film and was the first complete British TV series to be made in colour.  (Part of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot had been filmed in colour at Walton studios in 1956).  The opening titles claimed that the show was shot in ‘Videcolor’ but this word was a pure invention of Gerry’s just to look impressive.

 

 

 

 

After many months of pre-production, principal photography on Thunderbirds began in September 1964.  Just before Christmas, with nine episodes in various stages of completion, Gerry showed episode 1 to Lew Grade.  He was so impressed that he thought that it was more like a feature film than a half hour TV show.  He told Gerry to increase the length of each episode to an hour – so 50 minutes of material allowing for ad breaks.  The first episodes would therefore require extra material to be shot.  The later scripts were hastily reworked too.  The budget was increased to £40,000 per episode, making Thunderbirds one of the most expensive TV series in the world.

Two sets of identical puppets were created so that the ‘actors’ could be in two places at once – shooting different scenes on both puppet stages.  I’ll bet many a production manager has wished he or she could do that with the cast of EastEnders or Corrie.  In fact, it proved impossible to make the two puppets identical and serious fans of the show can tell one from the other.  (Not me, in case you were wondering.)

 

 

To cope with the additional effects work a second unit was set up under Brian Johnson.  (He left APF after Thunderbirds to work on 2001: A Space Odyssey). Another SFX stage was created at the beginning of 1965 for this second unit.  Peter Hitchcock tells me that there was a model shop with a small SFX stage ‘ in an old building about 8 minutes walk away’.  The art department was based in Edinburgh Avenue which would have been about that distance away – they shared the same building as the small SFX stage.

Later, a third ‘flying unit’ was created led by Peter Wragg.  This was for a while based in a separate building on the trading estate.

 

Peter Wragg was an ex-dancer and as such was thought to have the best sense of balance.  He needed it.  The model craft were suspended on thin wires with electricity flowing through them to trigger the rocket motors.  He stood on a scaffold plank which was cantilevered out from an access tower over the set.  Balanced about 6 feet in the air he held a short length of wood with a couple of cross-members screwed onto it.  To this the thin tungsten wires were attached that supported whichever craft was being flown.  Some were a considerable weight – for example, Thunderbird 2 was about a metre long and weighed several kilos.  The wires were connected to the electric power that fired the Schermuly rockets and sometimes also tiny lights within the model.  When the rockets fired it took a special kind of skill to keep the movement of the craft absolutely smooth.

Meanwhile the whole set was lit with several film lights only a few feet away producing incredible levels of heat.  Ah – the heady days before the Health and Safety Executive put a stop to such fun activities.

 

The first episode was transmitted on Thursday September 30th 1965 on the ITV network – at 7pm.  This was no ordinary kids’ show to be hidden away in the afternoon.  Series 1 would not be finished until a month or two into 1966 – by that time everyone knew they were working on a winner.

 

 

Before the first episode had even been transmitted, Lew Grade ordered APF to make a Thunderbirds feature film (Thunderbirds Are Go) – a very bold and brave decision.  A second film was to be made a year or so later (Thunderbird 6).  This would have two main consequences.  To look acceptable on the big screen the puppets, sets and models would all have to be remade in greater detail.  Also, more room would be required at Stirling Road to accommodate the movie shoot alongside the filming of series two.

 

An additional two buildings were leased to the left of the original one. The one on the far left would become the base for the SFX department whilst the puppet department would move to the middle building, along with some other new facilities such as a staff canteen. The original building kept the editing facilities and viewing theatre, whilst the original 3 stages had the dividing walls removed to form one large one – intended to be used mostly for the two Thunderbirds movies.

Reg Hill, deputy managing director of APF but a designer by trade, devised a system enabling backing cloths to be ‘pulled down’ in the new SFX stages so that various sky backings could be flown in or out depending on the scene being shot.  It was in effect a small ‘fly tower’, built on the end of the building.  This saved loads of time repainting the one backing cloth they had previously used.  Reg had also designed the water tanks for  Stingray  and many other of the features that made the Supermarionation series so distinctive.

 

 

 

Various parts of the company’s equipment were updated around his time, including the Arriflex cameras, which were replaced with Mitchells.  Prowest Electronics who manufactured broadcast equipment for the BBC and other TV companies were based in Maidenhead.  They were asked if they could supply an improved version of the video assist system and developed one that was properly integrated with the camera so it was much better quality.  They called it ‘Addavision’ – it was subsequently marketed as a useful tool to the industry as a whole.  The Avengers was one of the first series to use it at ABPC Elstree Studios.  One advantage was that it was connected to a video tape recorder so shots could be reviewed seconds after they were taken.  This was really useful and saved many expensive retakes.

 

Of course, a number of people worked for Gerry and Sylvia over many years.  They contributed in various ways to the company’s success.  Ben Dearing has written to me with memories of his father…

‘My crazy dad Ezra Dearing worked for Gerry Anderson for many years on all the productions from the outset and lived at Islet Park from 1964 until 2005 when he died at the age of 99.  I was brought up at Islet Park, was regularly taken to the Slough operations and grew up around these series and puppets.  At home too . . . Ezra worked on design, model making and special effects.  He had an extraordinarily long history in British film and TV and worked on everything. . .  (Quatermass, Hammer at Bray, Battle of Britain, Anthony and Cleopatra, etc, etc.) 

Dad built Marina’s sea sled – I pinched it and took it to Holy Trinity Primary School in Cookham to prove he really worked on Stingray.  Nobody believed me of course – it was too small and looked nothing like what they saw on screen!  So I grabbed a Thunderbird One.  That worked. Especially with a Jetex or two.’

 

Around the time of expanding the studios and making Thunderbirds are Go, Gerry decided to change the name of the company.  Aware that with Arthur Provis long gone, ‘AP Films’ seemed to be no longer appropriate he took the name from their comic that was proving highly successful.  Thus they became Century 21 Productions.  (Pronounced ‘two one’ apparently.)

 

 

Let’s picture the scene.  The Century 21 gang know they are making the most successful TV show ever made.  It’s the X-Factor of its day.  Lew Grade goes to America to sell it.  He shows it to the networks one by one.  Two of them love it and immediately offer millions of dollars.  The third plays hard to get but then comes on board.  Lew knows he’s onto a winner so ups the price.  The networks draw breath and two of them say OK but one says no, too much.  The others hear that one has pulled out of the bid and assume that there is something wrong.  So they all pull out.  For once in his life, Lew Grade has screwed up.  He could easily have made a really good deal but got greedy so came away with nothing.  At least, this is what I have read.

 

So – Lew asked Gerry to meet him.  Gerry was making the movie, was six episodes into series two, was loving the adulation of the public thanks to a huge UK success and had major international toy merchandising deals in place.  He was brought into Lew’s office and told in no uncertain terms that Thunderbirds was over.  There would be one more movie (that was a signed deal) but no more TV shows would be made.  Finish the six episodes of series two but that was it.  Gerry and the whole of the Century 21 team were devastated.  Thanks to Lew Grade screwing up the US network sales deal, they would have to move on to another show.

 

 

That other show was Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.  Filming began on January 2nd, 1967.

Let’s be honest – this was not as well received by the British public as Thunderbirds.  That show had got the balance between kids show and something the Mums and Dads also enjoyed exactly right.  Captain Scarlet was aimed at – well, who exactly?  Children, surely, but what age?  The show was dark, violent and nothing like the crash bang wallop of Thunderbirds.  It would have made a very good sci-fi drama series for adults if it had used actors rather than puppets.

Gerry knew this.  He wanted to move on from making children’s television so insisted that the puppets became more lifelike.  They were now proportioned exactly like humans.  The Thunderbirds puppets had larger heads than normal because they had to incorporate the mechanism to make the mouths move.  The Captain Scarlet puppets had the mechanism in the chest so the head could be smaller.  Also, the new electronics made it possible to modulate the mouth with more subtlety – it could half open or stay open for longer on extended vowels – at least, that was the theory.  Unfortunately, the eyes were of course smaller so the very realistic glass eyes of the Thunderbirds puppets were replaced with eyes that looked – well – perhaps dead is a bit harsh but let’s say less ‘sparkling’.  Also, unfortunately, the small heads were more difficult for the puppeteers to control smoothly.  Any movement ironically looked more artificial and less human than before.  So the puppets hardly moved at all – which some critics felt led to even more ‘wooden’ performances.

 

 

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons – to give it its full and correct title – began filming on January 2nd 1967.  32 episodes were made.  The first one was transmitted in September 1967 and received luke-warm reviews.  Good – but not as good as Thunderbirds.  Principal photography was completed in the autumn.

 

 

Almost immediately, the next series – Joe 90 – occupied the puppet stage from November 13th.  This was set in the near future and in theory with fewer demands on the special effects department.  (But surely, that was what the viewers wanted to see?)  The story was about a boy who could use a machine to program his brain to learn special skills.  He had a vehicle – not unlike Supercar – to get about but that was more or less it really.  Nevertheless, this series did pose some new challenges to the SFX dept.  The exterior scenes which were all miniatures had to look even more life-like than ever, as the show was not set in some distant fantastic future. 

During the second half of 1967, the next Thunderbirds movie – Thunderbird 6 – occupied most of the SFX stages and stage 1.  It completed principal photography at the end of the year and was premiered the following summer.  It wasn’t a great success at the box office, despite the crew considering that the production values were the best they achieved in any Thunderbirds film or TV show.

Shooting of Joe 90 wrapped in August 1968, after 30 episodes.  To be honest, this was a pretty low key series and was not widely publicised by the ITV companies.  Often tucked away somewhere quiet in the schedules it never did particularly well.  In fact, it was not bought by all the ITV companies so was only transmitted in some parts of the UK.

Maybe I had grown out of such things by then but I don’t remember seeing a single episode.

 

 

In July 1968, Gerry began to shoot his first major feature film with live actors.  Called Doppelgänger, it was about a parallel planet Earth that was a mirror image of ours, hidden on the far side of the sun.  Live action was shot at Pinewood and the effects were done by Derek Meddings at Stirling Road.  It was not a happy shoot – Gerry was producer, but fell out with the director who had been picked by the company who put up the money.  It was modestly successful – not a great money-spinner for Universal but it persuaded Gerry that he definitely preferred making films or TV series with real actors.

 

 

Now we come to the most obscure of Gerry’s puppet series – The Secret Service.  This is the one hardly anyone has heard of.  Gerry was a great fan of Stanley Unwin – the entertainer who amused audiences on variety shows by talking gobbledygook.  (Actually, I thought he really was rather funny.  Have a look on YouTube if you’ve never heard of him.)  Gerry had the idea of casting him as a vicar who was also a secret agent.  If ever taken to task by villains he would baffle them with his strange and confusing language.  He had a gardener who could be shrunk down to a third normal size and carried around in a suitcase by the vicar so the pair of them could solve crimes and defeat villains.  How Lew Grade ever gave the green light to this show is a mystery (did he ever read a script I wonder?) – but I’m afraid it gets even stranger.

Gerry was still trying to make his puppets look more life-like and was aware that one of the disadvantages was that they could not walk or run, stand up or sit down.  He hit upon the idea of shooting parts of scenes with real actors – including Stanley Unwin – in long shot and then cutting to puppets for the close-ups.  An interesting concept I’m sure you’ll agree.  Of course, with most of the locations being shot in the real world – and no spaceships or things being blown up – there was even less for the SFX department to do on this one.  However, what there was had to look even more realistic as it was intercut with live action sequences.

13 episodes were in various stages of production.  After the first few had been finished he showed one to Lew Grade in December 1968.  Within a few minutes of it appearing on the viewing theatre screen Lew cancelled the series.  He told Gerry to finish the first 13 but that was it.  He wanted no more.  And with that decision, Supermarionation came to an end.  The puppet department closed on January 24th 1969.

 

To see an excellent documentary on the Stirling Road studios, follow this link:  Reuniting at the Home of Thunderbirds: The Supermarionation Crew Share Behind the Scenes Secrets – YouTube