It was a very mixed audience, ranging from grey-haired pensioners to young children squirming in their seats, that gathered at the Odeon Covent Garden last Saturday lunchtime to watch a special screening of two episodes of ‘Fireball XL5′, the 1963 Gerry Anderson production which preceded his ever-popular ‘Thunderbirds’.
Having watched the programme as a young child, it was fascinating to view it again through adult eyes and despite the fact that the puppets’ heads wobbled and the strings were often visible, there was plenty to admire - in particular the meticulously created spacecraft and amazing explosions.
The shows reflected a time when the infancy of space travel was offering fascinating opportunities and spy stories were all the rage; glamorous Dr Venus with her exotic accent and ‘leopardskin’ jacket would have easily fitted into a James Bond movie of the same era!
They also offered a perspective on a more innocent, less self-conscious age. The cinema rocked with laughter when Commander Zero appeared smoking a cigarette - in a children’s programme! - while the footage of XL5 crashing into Space City Tower was uncomfortably reminiscent of 9/11 (but not to worry, in this instance it was all a bad dream…).
Anderson himself appeared for a Q&A after the screening with some entertaining anecdotes. It was fascinating to hear that the origins of his success lay in his lifelong obsession with air and space travel (having lost a pilot brother in the war) rather than puppetry and how he would loiter if he arrived early for start-of-the-day meetings with ABC’s Lew Grade, because he knew that Grade prided himself on being the first person to arrive in the office!
All round, it was a very entertaining lunchtime. Despite its lack of sophistication in this age of CGI, the fast-paced action and novel plots of ‘Fireball XL5′ should ensure that Anderson’s expressed wish that the entire family will sit down and enjoy the newly released series together comes true.

Did you watch ‘Fireball XL5′ in the Sixties? Which was your favourite Gerry Anderson show? Share your memoeis here: