Stingray

Stingray was the first of the Anderson's Supermarionation series to be filmed in colour (contrary to what you may read elsewhere, it wasn't the first UK TV series made in colour) and, as with most of their shows up to that date, one of the stars was a high-tech vehicle — the blue and yellow submarine, Stingray.

Commanded by Captain Troy Tempest of WASP (World Aquanaut Security Patrol), the atomic-powered submarine was capable of immense speeds and, armed with powerful Sting Missiles, was the perfect underwater defence against the villainous Titan and the Aquaphibians.

Accompanying Troy Tempest on his underwater adventures was Phones, Stingray's hydrophone operator. Other notable characters included Commander Shore, chief of WASP, and Marina, the mute mermaid from the kingdon of Pacifica.

The series ran for just thirty-nine episodes but, like Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, the fact that it is still being re-run some forty years after it was made is a testament to its inventiveness and old-fashioned storytelling.

Unusually, the release of Stingray on DVD led to the production of a fortieth episode...in a manner of speaking.

The Reunion Party was a proposed clip-show for which the linking material had been filmed during the 1960s, but which was never assembled. This unused footage was eventually included on the UK DVD release, and, finally, in January 2008, the completed programme, with the relevant clips inserted in the correct places, was broadcast on BBC Four, as part of an evening of programmes celebrating the career of Gerry Anderson.