Puppet Master
by John O'Connell

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In his terrifying 'The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide' (Reynolds & Hearn £15.99), Chris Bentley gives detailed commentaries on every single episode of every single series the Supermarionation pioneer produced, from 1958's 'The Adventures of Twizzle' through to 'Stingray', 'Thunderbirds', 'Joe 90' and later live-action efforts like 'Space 1999'. There's great trivia, too. Who knew that the first nine episodes of 'Thunderbirds' had already been filmed when ITC boss Lew Grade decided to double the length of each instalment (with the result that hastily shot new footage had to be inserted to bulk them out)? Bentley probably needs professional help, but Anderson devotees won't be able to put this down.


Published in Time Out magazine (April 16th-23rd, 2003)