The display makes homage to one of the most famous exports from the Slough Trading Estate, second only to the Mars Bar! The product in question being the series of puppet based TV and Film shows from AP Films, that became 21^st Century TV. The most famous of all being Thunderbirds. The puppets moved their mouths in synch with the soundtrack using a patented technique called ‘SuperMarionation”

AP Films was formed in 1957 by the director Gerry Anderson and the cine-photographer Arthur Provis, hence the ‘A’ and ‘P’ in AP Films. Together they produced the series ‘The Adventures of Twizzle’ that was all about a boy who could stretch his body to resolve various challenges. This was followed by ‘Torchy the Battery Boy. Both were originally filmed at Islet House on the river at Maidenhead.

Arthur Provis left the company in 1959 that gave Gerry Anderson the opportunity to explore new ideas that started with the cowboy series ‘Four Feather Falls’. This featured many stars of the day who gave their voices to the puppets.

The house was proving to be cumbersome for filming and Gerry Anderson moved production in 1960 to a spare factory unit in Ipswich Road on the Estate. This is the same building where the company Protyre are now based.

Between 1960 and 1963 the company produced shows including ‘Four Feather Falls’, ‘Supercar’ and ‘Fireball XL5’, all from Ipswich Road:

The company then had a change of name in 1963 following investment by Lou Grade, (the TV magnate) along with a move on the Estate to Sterling Road. This was a new unit that allowed filming on a larger scale. Following the success of Fireball XL5 a new show evolved. This featured a sleek and nimble submarine based out of ‘Marineville’ called ‘Stingray’.

Following Stingray, Gerry Anderson hit on his most successful series based on the puppet ‘Tracy’ family who formed an ‘International Recue’ team under the programe name of Thunderbirds. The success led to a full feature film that received mixed reviews. Garry Anderson’s wife Sylvia influenced the cool styling and voice to the UK based Thunderbirds special agent, known as ‘Lady Penelope’. Many may remember her pink six wheel Rolls Royce’ that was full of gadgets and driven by ‘Parker’. her butler.

The film crew made the most realistic effects that included huge explosions that could be witnessed from the adjacent road and buildings. They seemed to like blowing things up but at a cost as the sets took ages to construct and had to be used in one take.

Thunderbirds has since experienced re-inventions of the programmes that included the filming of three lost episodes by son Jamie Anderson that were only captured as an audio recording. He used the original Sterling Road building and some of the original team There has been an animated version of the show that maintained the same quirks of the original series including the use of an orange squeezer used as part of Thunderbird 1’s hanger as seen in the original shows.

More shows followed from the Sterling Road studios with the creation of Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Space 1999. Gerry Anderson sadly passed away in December 2012 where his son Jamie has continued to continue in his father’s footsteps.New Paragraph