Alan Pattillo has died

We’re very sorry to learn of the passing of Alan Pattillo who died on 16th January 2020. He was 90. He had been living with Parkinson’s for over a decade having retired from the industry in the late 1990s. He directed the opening episode of Thunderbirds – Trapped in the Sky – setting the template for International Rescue’s adventures but had made his mark much earlier – directing seven episodes of Four Feather Falls (featuring the late Nicholas Parsons) during which time he brought a new directorial style to the puppet series which would become a key element of the Supermarionation formula.

He went on to direct 13 episodes of Supercar, 11 episodes each of Fireball XL5 and Stingray, as well as three other episodes of Thunderbirds and two episodes of Terrahawks and was script editor for 25 of Thunderbirds’ 32 episodes. He was also the writer of one of Thunderbirds’ best-known episodes – Attack of the Alligators.

Donations in his memory can be made to Parkinson’s UK.