Thunderbirds are… 4K!

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Who needs the TARDIS to travel in time? All I need is an episode of Thunderbirds to instantly transport me back to the 60s!

In fact, it was just after my 9th birthday that I first got acquainted with the Tracy Family and all their high-tech kit (ahh, so that’s where I get my obsession from!).

Fast-forward 60 years (yes, 60!) and this year, in 2025, something very special happened. Well, two special events actually!

Special Event 1 – Thunderbirds in Blu-Ray

First, a new DVD collection to celebrate 60 years. This was made possible through a Kickstarter campaign and the co-operation of ITV Studios 👍👍

To celebrate the anniversary, all 32 episodes have been digitally restored, and for the first time, available on Blu-Ray DVD. At almost £90, it’s probably going to be on a lot of Christmas Lists!

And it’s all packaged with lots (and lots) of extras to give this iconic series a really premium and exclusive feel.

But wait! a Thunderbirds DVD in Blu-Ray? Blu-Ray? That’s so last century! Everyone knows that if you want the ultimate in picture and sound quality, then UHD/4K is the best there is. And although you can’t BUY these newly restored Thunderbirds episodes in UHD/4K, selected cinemas are showing two episodes in this ultimate format. So, with four times the pixels, that means an even better picture, plus they’ve also dabbled with the audio mix too – apparently, it’s now in 5.1 Surround Sound! Nice!! 👍. Cue ‘Special Event 2’.

Special Event 2 – Thunderbirds in 4K

For fans of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s most ambitious series, today, things get even better for fans! Around the UK in selected cinemas, they’re showing two episodes back-to-back on the big screen – and that’s a first! OK, there have been Thunderbird FILMS in the past – Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968), but this is the very first time – anywhere in the world – that two selected TV episodes are being shown in cinemas. But the biggest news of all is that they are being shown in UHD/4K! It literally doesn’t get any better than that. 👍👍

Not EVERY cinema chain was showing this very special presentation – certainly not our nearest and newest Cineworld (which was a bit of a surprise). However, our current fave – The Savoy in nearby(ish) Corby (together with 200 others around the UK) – was! Tickets were duly booked on Thursday, 28 August, before they all sold out.

So, what’s being shown? Well, it HAS to be the very first episode from 1965, doesn’t it? – Trapped in the Sky.

Synopsis – Trapped In the Sky (50mins)
Master criminal, the Hood, plants a bomb on board the new atomic-powered airliner, Fireflash, before it departs on its maiden flight. Unable to land for fear of setting off the bomb, the crew and passengers’ only hope of survival lies with International Rescue.

…and the second? Largely regarded as the most exciting Thunderbirds episode ever made – Terror in New York City.

Synopsis – Terror In New York City (50mins)
After Thunderbird 2 is heavily damaged in a mistaken attack, it leaves the team seemingly without a swift means to transport any rescue gear to New York City to save a news crew trapped underneath the collapsed Empire State Building.

Off we went for the 3pm-only performance. We were fully expecting (hoping?) that some attendees will dress for the occasion. Sadly, our pink Rolls-Royce wasn’t available! 😁

We’re going in! See you on the other side.

Official Trailer

Sadly, no-one dressed up, but it was good to see ‘children’ of all ages there. We took our seats in the luxury recliners and waited for the start. Sadly, it all went wrong from there! Most serious of all, they showed it all in the wrong screen ratio, so the top, bottom, and sides were chopped off. Initially, we thought it was a temporary blip, but the issue continued for the whole two-hour performance 🙁🙁🙁🙁

A few of us briefly left our seats and had a chat with the staff, but it turned out that the cinema had been sent the wrong print – and the more we watched and listened, the more shortcomings we noticed. The sound was only coming out of the FRONT speaker (so no ‘5.1 Surround Sound’ then!) and on a closer look at the image, it certainly wasn’t UHD/4K – in fact, it didn’t even look Blu-Ray to me! Later, the Cinema concluded that they must have sent the wrong version. How embarrassing for them!! 🫢

So, overall, it was an enjoyable event, but out of all of us (especially given the hype) I was VERY disappointed with the technical shortfalls. That aside, it was worth reminding ourselves that these episodes were from 60 years ago, and although the script creaked a bit in places, it had held up remarkably well! Surely that’s a reminder of how much more sophisticated this series was, compared with most other kids’ programmes of the day.

As we left, still feeling somewhat disappointed (where I was all set to have a moan at ‘management’ 🤬) we witnessed a superb piece of pro-active customer service! 👍👍. The Duty Manager diverted everyone who’d been there to another part of the cinema and immediately issued full refunds – we didn’t need to ask! We haven’t seen that sort of responsiveness in many years, and it rescued the very negative experience towards something more positive.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

OK, I’m still a bit miffed that I didn’t get to see it in all its 4K gloriousness, but that’s now in the past. The cinema did remind us that they hoped to acquire the correct print in time for the second and final showing next Thursday (6pm) but by then, we’ll be in Margate for my Birthday.

FAB? Well, not quite!😮