"Thunderbirds Versus the Hood" is the fourth release in Anderson Entertainment's Thunderbirds series, released on Thunderbirds Day, 30th September 2022. It contains the stories The Vanishing Ray and Brains is Dead.
A departure from the previous releases, Thunderbirds Versus the Hood is a boxset release which contains adaptations of two classic comic strips: Lady Penelope's The Vanishing Ray, and Thunderbirds's Brains is Dead, both of which were originally published in TV Century 21. As such, it was the first in the series to be marketed purely as an audio drama, and had no narration.
The release is dedicated to the memory of Matt Zimmerman, who had died in the months leading up to its release.
Synopsis[]
The Vanishing Ray[]
When Lady Penelope gets a strange new invention in the post, MI5 and International Rescue's evil nemesis the Hood soon comes calling... And now it's up to her ladyship and the stalwart Parker to solve the mystery of the vanishing ray!
Brains is Dead[]
International Rescue is rocked by the death of one of their own when Brains is the victim of a seemingly motiveless murder in New York, but before the team have a chance to come to terms with this loss they find themselves facing an all-out attack against Tracy Island. Their oldest enemy is about to make his final most devastating move against them – and among his new allies is a very familiar face...
Cast[]
- Jon Culshaw - Jeff Tracy, Parker, Hiram Blake
- Justin T. Lee - Scott Tracy, John Tracy, The Hood, Kyrano
- Wayne Forester - Brains, Virgil Tracy
- Joe Jameson - Alan Tracy, Gordon Tracy, Steel
- Genevieve Gaunt - Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, Grandma Tracy, Miss Wilshaw
- Andrew Clements - Captain, driver
- Chris Dale - Space-op, assistant, 2nd cop
- Ben Page - Commander, 2nd thug
Crew[]
- Director: Samuel Clemens
- Producer: Andrew Clements
- Executive producers: Jamie Anderson, Nicholas Briggs
- Sound design: Toby Hrycek-Robinson
- Recording engineer: Benji Clifford
- Music: Joe Kraemer
- Cover art: Marcus Stamps
Differences[]
Unlike the previous releases, and as it is based upon comic stories rather than novels, Thunderbirds Versus the Hood can more freely "adapt" its source stories for an audio setting. As such, a number of major differences are present when compared to its original stories.
The Vanishing Ray[]
This story has been firmly ripped out of its original Lady Penelope setting and turned into a Thunderbirds-like story. The most notable change is that it is set after Lady Penelope has become an International Rescue agent, whereas the original story would be Penelope's "initiation" into the organisation.
Brains is Dead[]
Lady Penelope plays a large role in this part, mainly replacing Kyrano's out-of-character involvement in the comic, where she was not present at all in the original.