So, after PATRICK MOORE, CHARLES DURNING and JACK KLUGMAN, comes the sad news that GERRY ANDERSON, creator of shows like FIREBALL XL5, THUNDERBIRDS and the indestructible CAPTAIN SCARLET, has gone to that great TV studio in the sky. Gerry more than deserves his place in television history, but I have to confess that I often found watching or listening to him being interviewed over the years to be quite an uncomfortable experience.
The reason for this is that Gerry himself seemed uncomfortable about being associated with kids programmes; appeared frustrated by it - to resent it, in fact, and spoke with apparent reluctance about his involvement in the cult shows which had made him a household name. He always went to great pains to point out that it was never his ambition to produce entertainment for children, and that his shows were merely a showcase to demonstrate that he was capable of far more 'respectable' and prestigious projects, if only given half a chance by any movie moguls who might be watching.
Perhaps he was just painfully shy, but he more often than not came across as being embarrassed by his classic puppet programmes and only too eager to distance himself from them, although never quite able to escape their shadow completely. After all, they were his main (maybe only) claim to fame, so it's understandable if he decided that he might as well try and salvage something from the situation - exploit it (however reluctantly) until something better came along.
At least that's how it seemed (to me) for most of his career. Then something happened, and I can only hazard a guess as to what. In later years, he seemed to finally give in and accept the cards that fate had dealt him; seemed to come to terms with his situation and realise that there was no shame in creating magic and enchantment that kids would fondly remember for the rest of their lives. He began to relax and accept the high regard in which he was held as his due; see that the gratitude expressed by adults whose childhoods he had enriched as genuine expressions of respect and affection, as opposed to fawning flattery by a bunch of geeks and freaks who simply couldn't grow up.
I read his autobiography a couple of years ago and, in my opinion, it didn't always portray him in an entirely favourable light, though he was presumably unaware of the negative aspects he revealed about himself and his personality. However, now is not the moment to dwell on the human failings that all are heir to; rather, it is a time to celebrate the life and achievements of a talented, creative man, whose triumphs touched the hearts and minds of a great many children and adults, and will doubtless continue to do so for a very long time to come.
To paraphrase LADY PENELOPE: "Oh, Gerry... well done!"
In Memoriam: Gerry Anderson - 1929 - 2012.
