Logo as seen during the closing credits on Thunderbirds season 1
AP Films (short for Anderson Provis), later Century 21 Productions, was a multimedia film production company active during the 1960s. Formed by editor Gerry Anderson and cameraman Arthur Provis, the company was notable for its "Supermarionation" puppetry technique and became well known for producing the Thunderbirds television series. Alongside Anderson, the company was also led by Sylvia Anderson, Reg Hill and John Read - Provis would leave in 1959, early on in the company's history.
In 1962, as production on Fireball XL5 was drawing to a close, the company was bought by Associated TeleVision (ATV) and came under the control of Lew Grade. In 1966, the company was renamed Century 21 Productions, and became the principal entity of the wider umbrella company Century 21 Organisation, which additionally housed various publishing and merchandising arms.
Arguably at its peak between 1965 and 1967 (thanks to the popularity of Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mystersons), the company began to decline and the Supermarionation-era ended with The Secret Service in early 1969. The organisation moved on to live-action television production with UFO, before the contracts of the company's senior management all ended and the company was effectively absorbed entirely into ATV. The business entity lay dormant until January 22nd, 1973, when it was liquidated along with the surviving remnants of the Century 21 Organisation.
Productions[]
AP Films[]
- The Adventures of Twizzle (television, 1957-58)
- Torchy the Battery Boy (television, 1960)
- Four Feather Falls (television, 1960)
- Crossroads to Crime (film, 1960)
- Supercar (television, 1961-62)
- Fireball XL5 (television, 1962-63)
- Stingray (television, 1964-65)
- Thunderbirds (television, season 1, 1965-66)
Century 21[]
- Thunderbirds (television, season 2, 1966)
- Thunderbirds Are Go (film, 1966)
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (television, 1967-68)
- Thunderbird 6 (film, 1968)
- Joe 90 (television, 1968-69)
- Doppelganger (film, 1969)
- The Secret Service (television, 1969)
- UFO (television, 1970-1971)
Further Reading[]
- Filmed in Supermarionation (book, third edition)