Live orchestra Thunderbirds concert held in Birmingham

For the first time ever, fans of Thunderbirds and Stingray will get the chance to enjoy the music from classic series - played live by an orchestra.

The iconic puppets have been brought to Symphony Hall in Birmingham for a unique concert.

Attendees can look forward to hearing every piece of music composed for Gerry Anderson's shows, from the earliest - the Adventures of Twizzle - all the way through to Terrahawks.

The show takes place on Saturday.

Anderson and his wife Sylvia created some of the best-loved television series of the 1960s and 70s.

At first using puppets, and later with real actors, their shows presented a futuristic world which were filmed with high production values which had a cinematic feel.

A big part of their success was the music.

Barry Gray composed iconic themes that still evoke childhood memories for millions of people.

Gerry's son Jamie, who is now the managing director of Anderson Entertainment, has brought some of his father's models to Symphony Hall where they're preparing for Saturday's concert.

He admits that they're a bit battered and broken after years of being transported around, and adds "Parker looks a bit tipsy", as the aforementioned butler and driver of Lady Penelope in Thunderbirds can no longer sit straight in the drivers' seat of her ladyship's pink Rolls-Royce, registration plate FAB1.

None of that matters, though, because there's a look of delight on his face as he looks out from the stage towards the auditorium, saying: "There's a bit of the shape of Thunderbird 5 to the place."

He is really excited about the concert.

"Just the thought that in a few days' time this place is going to be filled with over a thousand fans of Anderson productions, and they're just going to relive six decades of Anderson themes all in one night, I mean I'm equally nervous and excited I think."

Richard Harvey will conduct the orchestra. He also composed the theme to the Andersons' 1980s TV series Terrahawks.

Speaking from his south London studio while he was sequencing the trumpet synthesiser parts, he described the music in all of the Gerry Anderson produced series as being an integral part to the shows and their legacy.

He said: "Just looking through the scores, hearing it all again, prepping for the show , it's just brought it all back. It's just been fantastic. When the baton comes down on the Thunderbirds March every little hair on my neck will be standing up."

Some of the themes are regarded as classics - especially the Stingray theme and the Thunderbirds March. There were also songs, like the theme to Fireball XL5 which will be performed too.

The actor and impressionist Jon Culshaw, who voices Parker in the modern update of Thunderbirds, will host the show.

Birmingham plays an important part in the history of Anderson productions as puppeteer John Blundell was born and worked in the city.

He went on to create a number of the characters in several of the shows, including Parker. The special effects were created in Handsworth at the Grosvenor road studios by husband and wife team John and Jean Taylor.

Jez Collins, the founder of the Birmingham Music Archive, regards their work as being as important as that of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire at the BBC radiophonic workshop.

The audience on Saturday is expected to be pan-generational, with people aged from five to 75 coming to enjoy the music which they first heard when the original shows aired, when they were re-run or when the modern re-boots were launched.

"I think it's going to be a very special thing, personally, and rather selfishly to hear all that stuff," says Jamie.

"Because obviously I'm a very proud son, and knowing all that stuff was achieved by one man and that man was my dad.

"To have it all performed on one night and to have all these people come and enjoy it is a very special thing."

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