Thunderbirds

Born on 14 April 1996, 30 year-old Scott is the eldest of the Tracy boys. A cool character, he is usually the first at an incident scene and quick to take control. When his father is absent, he assumes command of International Rescue. Scott pilots Thunderbird 1 and is named after Scott Carpenter.

Inventor of all International Rescue's high tech gadgetry, Brains lives up to his learned moniker. Although not a family member, he is held in high regard by the Tracy clan and is a perfectionist in all his work.

Born 12 March 2005, Alan Tracy used to be a champion racing driver before joining International Rescue. Named after Alan Shepherd, he pilots Thunderbird 3 and occasionally Thunderbird 5. He is interested in archaeology and is the youngest member of the family.

Twenty-two year old Gordon is the joker in the pack. A former Olympic swimming champion and skilled aquanaut, he is the ideal captain of Thunderbird 4, International Rescue's high tech submarine. Named after Gordon Cooper, his strength and tenacity make him a natural leader.

Born August 15 1999, named after Virgil Grissom, he is a gifted pianist and artist. A graduate of the Denver School of Advanced Technology, Virgil has all the manual dexterity to skillfully pilot Thunderbird 2, International Rescue's heavy-duty transporter and rescue craft.

An English aristocrat, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is an integral part of International Rescue's undercover operations. Despite her looks and status, Lady Penelope is a cool character, ready to tackle any villain who threatens world peace. Always in the company of her chauffeur, Parker, Lady Penelope puts glamour intoThunderbirds!

The Hood plants a bomb on airliner Fireflash on its maiden voyage from London to Tokyo. But International Rescue are ready for their first operation. They deploy Thunderbird 1 and 2 in an attempt to rescue the plane, and more importantly its passengers.

While testing a new state-of-the-art military vehicle in the African Jungle a US Army crew fall into a cavernous pit. Army attempts to rescue the crew fall flat, leaving only one chance. Call on the International Rescue team.

A fire breaks out in the newly opened Thompson Tower maxi-mall and the sprinkler system fails to operate. Unkown to the mall's security team a family are trapped behind sealed fire doors, that cannot be breached by normal equipment.Once on the scene Scott and Virgil Tracy are forced to deploy their experimental oxhydnite cutters with potentially disastrous results.

The Sun Probe, an experimental space rocket is launched into space to gather material from the sun. But on the return voyage the rockets boosters fail and the Solarnauts find themselves being dragged towards the sun's surface. Brains hypothesises that a huge radio beam is needed to knock them off course. Thunderbirds 2 and 3 attempt to put Brains' theories into practice.

Whilst returning to base in Thunderbird 1 Scott Tracy is attacked by a squad of mystery jet fighters. He crash lands in the sand dunes of the Sahara desert. He is saved by two archaeologists, and eventually collected by his International Rescue colleagues. But when the two archaelogists become locked inside the walls of the pyramid of Khamandides it's time for Scott and the rest of the Thunderbirds team to return the favour.

The Hood steals a state-of-the-art atomic camera, which is disguised as a mouse and can take x-ray photos with pin-point accuracy. He creates a fire at a water irregation plant in the Sahara desert in an attempt to lure the Thunderbirds to the rescue scene, where he intends to photograph the insides of International Rescue's vehicles. The Hood creates more havoc than even he intended.

Lady Penelope and Brains are invited to try and break into a state-of-the-art vault inside The Bank of England by the ank's president. But when one of the bank's employees is accidentally locked in the vault all of the oxygen is filtered out leaving the man in danger of suffocation. To make matters worse Parker has reason to believe that an old acquaintance of his might simultaneously be trying to break into the bank.

Alan and Grandma find themselves in a tight spot. They're trapped on the girders of a suspension bridge with a sonic wave generator. Sounds innocent enough, but if the sonic wave generator registers movement it will detonate the bomb strapped to the bottom of the bridge. While Scott, Virgil and Brains fly to the rescue Alan explains to Grandma how they got in the situation in the first place.

The Hood persuades film director Goldheimer to help him make a film about two police officers being attacted by flying saucers. He pretends the footabge is real in an attempt to trick International Rescue into attending the scene of the attack, where he will once again turn the cameras on the Thunderbirds. But as ususal The Hood goes too far; while filming continues he actually brings down a mountain with explosives and puts his two unwitting actors in mortal danger.

Lady Penelope is paid a visit by a businessman called Warren Grafton, who is looking for investment in his monotrain project. Lady penelope smells a rat so asks Jeff Tracy to investigate. Jeff pays Grafton a visit, posing as an investor and is treated to a ride on the partially completed monotrain. Grafton ensures complete saftey, but Jeff notices some engineering faux pas' on his brief inspection. Unsurprisingly the monotrain is set for a collision course with disaster.

When Professor Borender, creator of a revolutionary rocket fuel dissapears whilst aboard a train Lady Penelope is called in by International Rescue to investigate. Penelope soon finds herself locked in a world of political espionage in the heart of Paris. But wherever Penelope goes Parker is never far behind.

Whilst recovering from a crash landing Virgil watches TV from Tracy Island as a bold move to relocate the Empire State building to a nearby area goes horribly wrong. The whole building comes crashing down on a journalist and his cameraman. With Thunderbird 2 out of commission how will Virgil lead the rescue?

Construction tycoon Eddie Houseman is building a road through a mountainous region of South-east Asia. Everything goes as planned until monsoon season arrives and the ground starts to grumble. But Eddie's not the kind of guy to let a bit of rain put him off. He sets off in a tractor with an explosives to bring down the mountain and attempts to finish the job. Combine the monsoon with Eddie's itchy trigger finger and the International Rescue team have a big problem on their hands.

Whilst being transported across a suspension bridge an experimntal space probe plunges into a vast river with two engineers trapped inside. Even worse, the impact sets off a self destruct mechanism inside the probe. Brains and Penelope watch the events on TV and hatch a plan to bypass the authorities and save the engineers.

The test version of the new Red Arrow jet fighter crash lands after The Hood sabotages the project. Despite the best efforts of Brains the second test flight also results in a crash landing. This time the plane hits a television tower, and although the pilot ejects safely the operatives inside the tower are trapped. The air force call on the only team for the job - International Rescue.

Brains leads an expedition to a temple in the middle east where he believes there might be buried treasure. But where there's the hint of treasure there's The Hood. He follows Brains' team and tries to sabotage the expedition in any way possible.

When a bomb explodes in an office block and the elevator is sent tumbling into a subteranean pit Thunderbirds 1 and 2 are sent to assist in the rescue operation.

International Rescue are forced to shut down their operations when a fake organisation claiming to be IR steals secret documents from an Aeronautical centre. Jeff Tracy reaches out to global International Rescue agents in an attempt to uncover the identity of the fraudsters.

When secret government papers go missing a mysterious MI5 agent called Bonson contacts International Rescue and warns them of imininent apocalypse. Lone agent lady Penelope is sent is to recover the missing papers which reveal shocking truths about a nuclear device.

Two young boys, Tony and Bobb, call on International Rescue with their walkie-talkies. Scott Tracy takes the boys back to Tracy Island and gives them a guided tour; teaching them about the International Rescue set-up and why it's so dangerous for the boys to play pranks. But when the boys are lured into a disused tin mine by The Hood they must use their walkie-talkies to call International Rescue once again, but this time it's no prank.

After Ocean Pioneer 1, a state-of-the-art automated tanker, explodes for no apparent reason the International Rescue team are called in to investigate. On the eve Ocean Pioneer 2's first roll-out on the high seas Brains scrutinises the local marine biology in search of a reason for the explosion and finds some rather fishy evidence.

One night in casino Lady Penelope runs into her friend the Duchess of Royston. It seems the Duchess has fallen on hard times and is gambling the last of her money on the roulette table. When the Duchess travels to New York to loan out her last valuable possession, an invaluable painting she is kidnapped by two gangsters. Will Penelope be able to help her old friend?

An experimental new food adative is accidentally flushed out of a laboratory and seeps into the nearby river, where its chaotic side effects make three alligators grow to an enormous size. Scientists, fleeing the super-sized beasts, hole up in a house and pray for rescue.

After a number of planes are shot down by mysterious fighter jets with seemingly no motive Jeff Tracy investigates. He finds a connection between the attacks and a band called the Cass Carnaby Five, who are currently performing at a ski resort. Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope head to the alps and infiltrate the band.

A young boy called Chip infiltrates Tracy island, but he isn't as innocent as he appears. As each one of the Tracy brother spends time alone with Chip they find themselves revealing secrets relating to the International Rescue organisation. Not even Jeff Tracy is immune. Who is Chip and how is he planning on using the secrets he has discovered?

Whilst testing experimental torpedoes in the Atlantic the World Navy raptures the ocean floor, causing a devastating release of natural gasses. Scott sends Thunderbird 4 to the rescue, much to the fury of Jeff. But when the ignited gas leak brings down a nearby oil rig there's no time for arguments.

When the crew of nuclear powered tree felling truck come down with food poisoning the vehicle becomes out of control. If the truck impacts with any nearby building the nuclear reactor at its core could explode, wiping out everything in the local vacinity. The only way the reactor can be shutdown is from inside. Will the International Rescue team be able to breach the cabin of a moving truck?

Brains, under the titular alias, designs a revolutionary new airline jet. The safest airliner in the skies. On it's maiden voyage between London and Paris a fashion designer friend of Lady Penelope reveals some of their latest work in a fashion show. All seems to be going well until the designers assistant hijacks the plane and orders the captain to reset the course for the Sahara desert.

Parker and Lady Penelope visit the mediterranean village of Monte Bianco to witness the turning on of a huge solar panelled dish which will provide electricity for the entire village. But at night the dish is struck by lightening and knocked out of position. Penelope soon realises that the new positioning of the dish will unleash a solar inferno onto the village.

When a satellite malfunctions in space a missile is deployed to destroy it. But unbeknown to the space agency a pirate TV statellite, with DJ Rick O'Shea on board, is in the same vacinity and is sent hurtling back to earth by the explosion. O'Shea uses his transmitter to call on International Rescue.

It's Christmas and a department store has arranged for a rocket to be fired over an orphanage and release presents for all of the children. But a couple of crooks, planning on breaking into the bank next door to the department store, end up getting stuck inside the rocket.