| "Martian Invasion" | |
|---|---|
| Thunderbirds episode | |
| Episode no. | Series 1 Episode 10 |
| Directed by | David Elliott |
| Written by | Alan Fennell |
| Cinematography by | Julien Lugrin |
| Editing by | Peter Elliott |
| Production code | 10 |
| Original air date | 17 March 1966 |
| Guest character voices | |
| |
"Martian Invasion" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Elliott, it was first broadcast on 17 March 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 24th episode of Series One. It is the tenth episode in the official running order.[1]
Set in the 2060s, Thunderbirds follows the missions of International Rescue, a secret organisation that uses technologically advanced rescue vehicles to save human life. The lead characters are ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, founder of International Rescue, and his five adult sons, who pilot the organisation's primary vehicles: the Thunderbird machines. In "Martian Invasion", the Hood, a recurring antagonist of International Rescue, arranges an accident during a movie shoot as part of his latest scheme to film the Thunderbird machines in action and sell their technical secrets to a hostile power.
The episode had its first UK-wide network broadcast on 27 March 1992 on BBC2. The same year, it was adapted into a comic strip which was serialised in issues 24 to 26 of Fleetway Publications' Thunderbirds: The Comic.[1]