THUNDERBIRDS are go and coming back to its spiritual home as part of the iconic show's 50th anniversary.

Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds was originally written, produced and filmed at SEGRO’s Slough Trading Estate between 1964 and 1966. Now as part of the show’s 50th anniversary celebrations the Thunderbirds team has returned to its original Stirling Road home to produce three new, but retro-style, episodes.

The Thunderbirds 1965 project has raised more than £150,000 - three quarters of the amount needed - through an online Kickstarter scheme to create the new episodes - the project was created by Stephen La Riviere and supported by ITV, Sylvia Anderson, and the Gerry Anderson estate as represented by his son Jamie Anderson.

The project makes use of audio recordings first released in 1966 which featured the series’ original voice cast as well as contemporary music and sound effects. Thunderbirds 1965 will see Mr La Rivière and company film recreated puppets and sets using all of the classic Supermarionation techniques and combine this with the original audio recordings to create three brand new video episodes in the distinctive Thunderbirds style.

Stephen La Rivière, producer of Thunderbirds 1965, said: “Technology has moved on in five decades, but our goal is to produce an unashamedly retro episode made with many of the same Supermarionation techniques used to bring the puppets and models to life in the 1960s.

"So in my mind it made sense to return to the show’s original home in Slough to inspire us in the same way it did the original production team."

Jamie Anderson – son of the late Gerry Anderson - said: “Knowing that Thunderbirds will return to the Slough Trading Estate – its spiritual home – fills me with pride, and I cannot wait to see these new episodes being shot on Stirling Road, which was the site of the original studio building where the classic series was filmed.”

The special anniversary production will be made by the team behind Filmed in Supermarionation – the critically-acclaimed documentary about Thunderbirds released last year.

Paul Lewis, SEGRO’s regional director for the Thames Valley, said: “It is really exciting to welcome Thunderbirds back to their original home and to be able to help them celebrate their 50th anniversary.

“We pride ourselves on working closely with our customers and to understand their business aspirations so we were very happy not only to be able to give a home to this exciting project but to re-engage with an historic client."

To get involved in the Thunderbirds1965 Kickstarter project, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1558089494/thunderbirds-1965-new-episodes-from-1960s-recordin Those who donate can receive specially created Thunderbirds merchandise, from being inducted into the Thunderbirds Hall of Fame to receiving a limited edition DVD of the finished episodes.