Thunderbirds Are Go no strings attached

F.A.B. Tracys return and this time it’s digital.

Thunderbirds are go again.

The 1960’s kids favourite, fondly remembered by millions, started a new multi-million pound TV series last night.

Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike is one of the big-name stars of the 26-part update featuring very 21st century versions of the Tracy Brothers and their International Rescue.

We’ve been speaking to two of the stars of Thunderbirds Are Go.

For David Graham it’s a step back in time as he also provided the voice of chauffeur Parker in the original series. It’s been a 50-year goldmine for David and all came about as a result of the most lucrative lunch of his life.

“I was asked to nail down the part of Parker and creator Gerry Anderson told me he was taking me to a place near the studio for lunch,” reveals David, now 89. “He told me there was an old boy, a wine waiter, and he wanted me to listen to him.

“The man said, ‘Would you like to see the wine list, sir?’ in a very distinctive nasal way and that was the birth of Parker.”

Although the technology has changed hugely, David says it essentially still involves standing at a microphone with a fellow actor, in his case mostly with Pike.

“She was wonderful in Gone Girl, which I saw recently. She’s totally without pretension and we got along famously. She has no starry nonsense about her.”

The pair are joined by Fonejacker’s Kayvan Novak and Game Of Thrones star Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

“Obviously I don’t remember it at first as I was born in 1990,” said Thomas. “But they re-ran it in the ’90s and my dad was a huge fan. He recorded them all on VHS tape and we used to sit and watch them on Saturday mornings.

“It was something really special for me and my dad.”

Unsurprisingly, getting word about the new version was a joy for the 24-year-old.

“I was incredibly excited,” laughs Thomas, who made his first screen appearance as Liam Neeson’s stepson in Love Actually.

“It was a childhood dream come true. I remember the email coming through and being ecstatic when I saw Thunderbirds as the subject matter.

“I was in America and despite it being 2am I had to open it immediately.

“I sat up I didn’t get a bit of sleep and then did the audition.

“Because I was filming at the time, I was straight back to work in the morning, exhausted.

“But I was just so excited about the whole prospect.”

Game Of Thrones is back next week but Thomas’s character Jojen Reed was killed off at the end of the last series.

“Everybody wants to know what’s coming up but not even the directors know what’s going to happen long-term.

“It was a bit harder to keep it secret when I knew I was going to die.

“People kept asking and I did let it slip a couple of times I wasn’t coming back next series.

“I was like, eh, well I’m dead!”