Like before with Joe 90, the only new puppets that were created especially for the series featured slightly bigger heads, which would also apply for The Secret Service. Many would criticize the later puppets for displaying less character to the faces because the puppet heads were so small is that they all looked the same. A further problem was for the puppeteers, who had to work with the puppets. Because they were more life-like the movements had to be even more convincing when the puppets did actually move as it was so difficult to walk the puppets. The puppets themselves were also smaller so it was harder to move the puppets as well.
Of the restricted puppets newly created, there was Mrs. Appleby designed by Christine Glanville, who she based off her own mother. Glanville had already designed the puppets for Titan, X20 and Atlanta (Stingray), Scott, Alan and Tin-Tin (Thunderbirds), Captain Black and all the Angels bar Destiny (Captain Scarlet). She died in 1999 aged 74, she was dedicated to inThe Brains Behind Thunderbirds and The Thunderbirds Companion in 2000, two very similar documentaries made by the Carlton International Media released on VHS/DVD along with the newly remastered episodes of the series. The BISHOP was also one of the few puppets to be created especially for the series. The final character to be sculpted was Father Unwin himself, bearing much resemblance to the real actor, sculpted by Mary Turner. She worked as a puppet supervisor and co-coordinator throughout her time with SUPERMARIONATION. She also gave much assistance to the book 21st Century Visions, as well as bringing puppets to life once again with special documentaries like The Thunderbirds Companion, Captain Scarlet S.I.G (2001), Filmed In SUPERMARIONATION (2014) the Thunderbirds 1965 episode The Stately Homes Robberies (2015), as well as being interviewed for those programs and some other documentaries like Retrometabolism: The Story Of Captain Scarlet (2018). She appeared in an episode of Antiques Roadshow in 2019 where she values the amount of puppets Rhapsody Angels, Colonel White, Captain Scarlet and Lady Penelope.
Of the other puppets, they revamped from earlier shows. Agent Blake was the same puppet as Captain Scarlet with dyed brown hair and a pair of glasses. Matthew had first appeared as Dr. Mitchell in the Captain Scarlet episode Treble Cross, and would go onto making more appearances in Joe 90, such as the opening episode The Most Special Agent where he plays the local farmer at the end of the episode, in fact, he was voiced by Gary Files there as well with the same rural accent. Captain Blue also makes two appearances, who was the only puppet other than Scarlet who wasn't reused in Joe 90. Captain Black makes one appearance, Colonel White twice, Captain Ochre six, Captain Magenta four, Captain Grey four and Dr. Fawn twice. All of the revamp puppets had been used time and time again in Joe 90, with the programs becoming more and more expensive to make, the puppet team really only had to work off what they only really could have and afford.
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The Secret Service: The Vault
Non-FictionThe Secret Service was a 1960s British children's TV series created by Gerry Anderson and the team of Century 21 studios in Slough, from the makers of Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999. This was the final of his television series to feat...
