Desmond Saunders
Directing
Biography
Desmond "Des" Saunders (24 June 1926– 21 April 2018) was a British television director and film editor. He had a long association with producer Gerry Anderson, having served as a director for the series Supercar (1961–62), Stingray (1964–65), Thunderbirds (1965–66), Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967–68), Joe 90 (1968–69) and Terrahawks (1983–86). Saunders was also production controller for Joe 90 and co-wrote one of the episodes, "Lone-Handed 90". He briefly worked as a production supervisor for The Secret Service (1969). Elsewhere in television, Saunders had both production and post-production roles for The Protectors (1972–73). His film editing credits are: RX for Murder (1958), A Woman's Temptation (1959), Escort for Hire (1960), Compelled (1960), Tarnished Heroes and So Evil, So Young (both 1961) and Voyage of the Damned (1976). He was sound editor for Floods of Fear (1959). While working on puppet series for Anderson, the A.P. Films team received constant requests to make the puppets more real. Once, Saunders chose all of the male puppets and put little penises on them. When the girls came in during the morning, there was, as Saunders describes, "the most terrible uproar". In response, he said: "Well, you know, you gotta bring them to life somehow, haven't you?". He died on 21 April 2018 at the age of 91.
Known For

Thunderbirds is a 1960s British science-fiction television series which was produced using a mixed method of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects termed "Supermarionation". The series is set in the 21st century and follows the exploits of International Rescue, a secret organization formed to save people in mortal danger with the help of technologically advanced land, sea, air and space vehicles and equipment, launched from a hidden base on Tracy Island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Thunderbirds

Captain Scarlet heads up an international intelligence agency as they battle against the Mysterons, an alien species from Mars that vows vengeance after a misunderstanding with humans.
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

In 2064, Captain Troy Tempest of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol and his crew explore the oceans in their combat submarine Stingray, encountering friendly and hostile undersea aliens.
Stingray

Gerry Anderson & Christopher Burr's Terrahawks, simply referred to as Terrahawks, was a 1980s British science fiction television series produced by Anderson Burr Pictures and created by the production team of Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr. The show was Anderson's first in over a decade to utilize puppets for its characters, and also his last. Anderson's previous puppet-laden TV series included Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Set in the year 2020, the series followed the adventures of the Terrahawks, a taskforce responsible for protecting Earth from invasion by a group of extraterrestrial androids and aliens led by Zelda. Like Anderson's previous puppet series, futuristic vehicles and technology featured prominently in each episode.
Terrahawks

Joe 90 is a 1960s British science-fiction television series following the adventures of a nine-year-old child, Joe McClaine, who starts a double life as a schoolboy-turned-spy when his scientist father invents a device capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and experience from one human brain to another. Equipped with the skills of the foremost academic and military minds, Joe is recruited by the World Intelligence Network and, becoming its "Most Special Agent", pursues the ideal of world peace and saving human life.
Joe 90

Follows the adventures of Mike Mercury and the test crew at Black Rock Laboratory in the Nevada Desert in 1962, as they test out Supercar, a prototype vehicle capable of traveling on land, can dive underwater, and can fly through the air.
Supercar

A luxury liner carries Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany in a desperate fight for survival.
Voyage of the Damned

Prior to Stingray, Gerry Anderson produced three series in black and white - their only colour representation being a small number of on-set stills taken during production. Using these as a basis, key episodes of Four Feather Falls, Supercar and Fireball XL5 have been colourised from High Definition remasters using state-of-the-art software, enabling fans to see their favourite shows in a whole new way!
Presented in Supercolorisation

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s hit series is stunningly re-imagined for its 50th anniversary, combining the original voice tracks with classic filmmaking techniques.
Thunderbirds: The Anniversary Episodes

A behind-the-scenes look at Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy film, 'Labyrinth', featuring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly.
Inside the Labyrinth

A young girl is framed for a robbery and sent to a harsh reform school, where she becomes the target of a vicious warden.
So Evil, So Young

The definitive documentary about the iconic television series developed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their production companies (AP Films and Century 21 Pictures). Supermarionation was a revolutionary technique used in all their programmes throughout the 1960s including Stingray, Captain Scarlet and, most famously, Thunderbirds.
Filmed in Supermarionation

A compilation of four episodes from the Supermarionation series Stingray. When aquatic aliens plot to take over the planet, the world aquanaut security patrol are called in to battle the aliens.
Invaders from the Deep

Shortly before the International Rescue Team begins full-scale operation, Lady Penelope, invited by Jeff Tracy, arrives at Tracy Island and discovers the amazing technology hidden on the island, as well as Thunderbirds 1 to 5. International Rescue soon receive a call from a yeti on Mount Everest pleading for rescue, with Penelope sent to investigate. All the while, a series of robberies plagues British Stately Homes.
Thunderbirds 55/GOGO

'Stand by for Action' takes an in depth look at the career of the legendary Gerry Anderson, creator of Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO, Space 1999 and many many more. Features interviews with the people who brought his ideas to life as well as Anderson himself.
Stand by for Action

A compilation of two episodes from the Supermarionation series Thunderbirds. A new super satellite has gone into orbit. Permanently manned, it is now in space to help humanity as the monitor station always on the alert to spot trouble, receive messages for help and set in motion the world's most exciting organisation, International Rescue...
Thunderbirds to the Rescue

Astronauts on a mission to Mars attack the city of the Mysterons, a race of aliens with the ability to create duplicates of beings and objects. In revenge, the Mysterons declare war on humanity.
Captain Scarlet vs. The Mysterons
An elderly spinster plans a perfect robbery in Soho.
A Taste of Money

The year is 2020, and Mars has been invaded by the evil android Zelda, who plans the total destruction of the human race; on Earth, an elite fighting force, the Terrahawks, stands ready at its secret base to counter Zelda's first attack.
Terrahawks: Expect the Unexpected

A compilation of the best of Supermarionation in High Definition. Sit back and enjoy some rare treats on a journey through Supermarionationland. Parker, Lady Penelope and Brains are your hosts, introducing some of the very best episodes from the Supermarionation archive as well as news items, commercial breaks with tie-in adverts and much more. Stand By For Action! - Four Feather Falls: Gunfight on Main Street - Supercar: False Alarm - Fireball XL5: Space City Special - Stingray: Pilot - Thunderbirds: Terror in New York City - Captain Scarlet: The Mysterons - Joe 90: Hi-Jacked - The Secret Service: More Haste, Less Speed