Thunderbirds (TV series) by ITV, Sylvia Anderson and the estate of Gerry Anderson. "Thunderbirds" has influenced TV programmes, films and various other media. The puppet comedy of the film "" was directly inspired by the idiosyncrasies of "Thunderbirds"-era Supermarionation techniques. Allusion and homage are also evident in "Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave", "" and "Spaced", as well as the character design of "". The BBC sketch comedy "Not Only... But Also" included a segment titled "Superthunderstingcar" – a parody of "Thunderbirds", "Supercar" and "Stingray". IR's life-saving mission inspired the founding of the volunteer International Rescue Corps, originally made up of a group
Gerry Anderson made as an affectionate "Thunderbirds" pastiche (with Anderson co-producing), and by Lady Penelope and Parker appearing in a successful series of UK advertisements for Swinton Insurance. In 1991 Gerry asked journalist and author Simon Archer to write his biography, following an interview by the latter for a series of articles for "Century 21" magazine. In September that year in the UK, BBC2 began a repeat showing of "Thunderbirds", which rivalled the success of its original run a generation before. This was also surprisingly the series' network television premiere, having never been shown nationally by ITV. It became so popular in