Thunderbirds: Thundering to the rescue

Thunderbirds is remade for a new generation

Thunderbirds Are Go debuts on TV2 next Sunday. This remake of the classic 1960s series is a co-production between Britain's ITV and Wellington-based Pukeko Pictures. In the new animated series, Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike is the voice of character Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. Lady Penelope lives a dual life - in the public eye she's part of British high society but this is only a front. The real Lady Penelope is a behind-the-scenes fixer for International Rescue.

Rosamund Pike is the voice of Lady Penelope. Photo / AP

How do you feel about bringing Lady Penelope to a new generation?
I'm excited to bring Lady Penelope's wry wit and taste for adventure to a new generation. Exploring the scenes with David Graham [who voices Aloysius Parker] has been an absolute delight. The scripts are modern, very fresh and very funny. We're all eagerly anticipating our next stint in the recording studio.

Can you tell us a bit about your character?
Lady Penelope is the daughter of Lord Creighton-Ward, a political figure who obviously has important standing in society. She seems - to the outside world - as a flighty it-girl but she is far from it. Her education, background and her father's network of high-powered contacts opens all the social doors she needs them to, but she has found a way to use these keys for more interesting things than merely furthering her own standing in society. She has teamed up with International Rescue, who use her as their operative in London. Lady Penelope often plays up the frivolous elements of who she is - a girl who loves clothes, pink cars, little dogs - to blindside people, and conceal what she is really up to at any given point - usually breaking in somewhere she shouldn't be, extracting information from people, finding out secrets in the most dangerous of situations. She has a great ally in Parker, her driver and bodyguard. I like to think that Lady P perhaps met Parker in prison when she was doing prison visits as part of her charity work.

Now that Parker has served his time, Penelope often disapprovingly alludes to his "misspent youth" but you sense that she also rather enjoys the fact that she runs with someone who has been on the wrong side of the law - his safe-breaking, lock-breaking and, of course, get-away driving skills stand them in good stead.

How did you become involved in the series?
It was an easy "yes" as soon as ITV asked me to voice Lady Penelope. It was a huge compliment and I knew it would be an exciting adventure.

Thunderbirds Are Go. Photo / Supplied

What was it like working with David Graham who was in the original cast?
David Graham is charming and funny - his Parker is iconic and the story behind his creation of the character and how he found the voice in a waiter in an East End restaurant is delicious. I love working with him, and the bond between Parker and Penelope and the humour that is batted between them is fun to play. David is a gentleman and I am extremely fond of him.

I am also so looking forward to exploring more Parker/Penelope dynamics in the next series.

Why do you think Thunderbirds has such an enduring appeal?
Thunderbirds empowers young people in an exciting way. International Rescue is made up of five boys and a girl and then, of course, there is Lady Penelope. They are all entirely self-reliant young people who are seen as trustworthy and heroic, who can handle themselves and their extraordinary crafts in the most challenging situations.

Neither the Tracy brothers, nor Kayo nor Penelope - for one reason or another - have parents who are present, which at times casts a shadow over the series, but it is also a fantasy for young people to be considered capable enough to handle situations without adult supervision at all times. The story of every episode is unique, and the ingenuity needed to solve mysteries and save people from frightening situations shows how much young people can achieve when empowered in this exciting way. Plus they have the best toys in the world - cars, planes, submarines, spaceships, which defy any dreamed-up designs and can do all the stuff and more of your wildest dreams.

Sylvia Anderson stars in an episode as Great Aunt Sylvia. What was it like working with the original Lady Penelope?
The day Sylvia Anderson came into play Great Aunt Sylvia was exciting. I think we both gave our versions of "Home, Parker" just for fun! She and David have wonderful stories about the early days of recording and how they battled with un-soundproofed studios. I think they were using an old hotel.

How do you think Lady Penelope has been brought up to date for a modern audience?
I am trying to make her a modern girl who is a fun loving, intelligent party girl, not an aristocratic lady who seems removed. The more she is of the here and now, the more free she is to go anywhere and infiltrate whatever scene she needs to help. Her power to disarm people is essential. It is very important she feels like someone who has authority and dignity as well as that nebulous celebrity status that her title brings her. She has a good sense of humour, she is strong and canny and she enjoys living on the dangerous side of life. Though, of course, she also enjoys a nice cup of tea.

Thunderbirds Are Go premieres on TV2 next Sunday at 7pm.