Gerry Anderson, 'Thunderbirds' creator with a Bond connection, has died

As well as inventing the fantastic puppetry technology "Supermarionation" and putting it to use in the hit shows "Stingray", "Joe 90" and probably most famously "Thunderbirds", Gerry Anderson also pitched a story idea or two to Harry Salzman and Cubby Broccoli, producers of the Bond films.

In the early 1970s Anderson was asked to provide a treatment of Ian Fleming's novel, "Moonraker". He worked with his usual script editor Anthony Barwick to create an outlandish plot. The partnership created a seventy page draft which featured a supertanker, a villain named Zodiak and identical triplets Tic, Tac and Toe. The treatment was turned down and Eon Productions decided to move ahead with Sean Connery in "Diamonds Are Forever" instead.

Some of his ideas bore similarity to those used in the final shooting script of 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me", and for a while Anderson considered suing the production company, EON. The matter was ultimately settled out of court with Anderson selling the rejected treatment to the Broccoli family for �3,000.

Even though Anderson and 007's producers only briefly and ultimately unsatisfactorily crossed paths, the special effects wizard of "Thunderbirds", Derek Meddings, went on to aid the Bond productions of the early 1970s - notably staging the explosion of Dr. Kananga, in "Live And Let Die".

Beyond Bond, Anderson reunited the "Thunderbirds" for two feature length adventures - "Thunderbirds Are Go" and "Thunderbird 6" - as well as creating and producing "Space Precinct" a live action, big budget TV series that aired during 1994 and '95 and attracted Bond alumni such as Alan Hume and John Glen.

Two years ago Anderson was diagnosed with dementia and spent his time raising awareness of the illness and funds to further research the disease. Anderson passed away this week aged 83.

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