Stingray

Production: GB, 1964
Puppets

Third “supermarionation” by british producers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. After “Supercar” and “Fireball”, they decided to create a show set underwater, in the sea abyss, as full of dangers and hostile aliens as space.

Another hazard was shooting it in colour, looking to sells in countries (like USA, essential market for any TV show) where colour broadcastings were a reality.
Special effects were created, like usual, by Derek Meddings.
”Stingray” was a supersonic submarine and the flagship of “W.A.S.P.” (World Acquanaut Security Patrol), based in the futuristic (the year is 2065) city of Marineville.
Pilot and commander was captain Troy Tempest, the serie’s hero. His co-pilot was cute Phones. Third member of the crew was Marina, a girl coming from an under sea civilization: in fact she could breathe water and was, as a good fish-girl… completely dumb.
Marina was enslaved by evil Titan, king of a wary race living under the sea; in the

first episode, marina saves Troy and Phones from Titan’s prison and joins the crew.
Commander of WASP was Sam Shore, a paralyzed man on a futuristic motorysed wheelchair. He was assisted by his daughter Atlanta, who was keen of Troy, who looked to be keen of Marina…
Evil Titan and his terror fish submarines appeared in several episodes, always scheming against WASP. In an episode they discovered Marineville was under disruption: responsible was a pop singer on tour, and Titan was very glad of that.
In an unusual episode, Stingray was searching for a lost submerged temple which had reappeared in Africa: quite archaeological.
In “The lighthouse dwellers”, an old lighthouse had to be switched off to avoid confonding a near airport’s pilots. But the light continued to be switched on.

Responsible of that an underwater race which made energy from that light. To save them without creating problems to the airport, Stingray gave an underwater lighthouse.
A christmas really to remember for Troy: having told to a boy that he was once launched from the torpedo launcher, was later forced to do that really to escape from an enemy. The episode was, of course, “A Christmas to remember”.
In this show puppets were more real-life than the previous: mantaining their puppet look (with oversized heads respect to bodies), faces were less caricatural (Troy’s face was inspired by actor James Garner).
That was also due to Gerry Anderson's interest for a more adult audience, trying to limit the childish features.

8) The ghost ship
9) Count down
10) Ghost of the sea
11) Emergency Marineville
12) Subterranean sea
13) The Loch Ness monster
14) The invaders
15) Secret of the giant oyster
16) Rapture of the deep
17) Stand by for action
18) The disappearing ship

19) Man from the navy
20) Marineville traitor
21) Tom Thumb Tempest
22) Pink ice
23) The master plan
24) Star of the east
25) An echo of danger
26) Invisibile enemy
27) Deep heat
28) In search of the Tajmanon
29) Titan goes pop

30) Set sail for adventure
31) Tune of danger
32) Rescue from the skies
33) The cool caveman
34) A nut for Marineville
35) Trapped in the dephts
36) Eastern eclipse
37) A Christmas to remember
38) The lighthouse dwellers
39) Aquanaut of the year