Security Hazard

"Security Hazard" is the 26th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. The final episode of Series One, it was written by Alan Pattillo, directed by Desmond Saunders, and first broadcast on 31 March 1966 on ATV Midlands. It had its first UK‑wide network transmission on 10 April 1992 on BBC2.

Set in the 2060s, Thunderbirds follows the missions of International Rescue, a secret organisation that uses technologically advanced rescue vehicles to save human life. The lead characters are ex‑astronaut Jeff Tracy, founder of International Rescue, and his five adult sons, who pilot the organisation's primary vehicles: the Thunderbird machines. In the clip show "Security Hazard", a young boy stows away on Thunderbird 2 during a rescue operation and the Tracys unwittingly fly him back to base. While the family work out how to get the boy home, International Rescue's secrecy is further jeopardised as the boy coaxes his hosts into describing past missions, which are recounted as flashbacks.

"Security Hazard" was devised as a clip show for reasons of economy: as "Attack of the Alligators!" and "The Cham-Cham" had gone over‑budget and over‑schedule, the writing team reworked the next episode to feature a large amount of recycled footage, thus limiting the need for new scenes and making up for the extra time and money spent on the previous two instalments. It was APF's second clip show, preceded by Stingray's "Aquanaut of the Year". APF's next two series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Joe 90, also ended with clip shows ("The Inquisition" and "The Birthday").