Vault of Death (Thunderbirds)

"Vault of Death" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF; later Century 21 Productions) for ITC Entertainment. Written by Dennis Spooner and directed by David Elliott, it was first broadcast on 23 December 1965 on ATV Midlands as the 13th episode of Series One. It is the seventh episode in the official running order.

Set in the 2060s, Thunderbirds follows the missions of International Rescue, a secret organisation which 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 "Vault of Death", International Rescue are called upon to save a Bank of England employee who is trapped inside a maximum-security vault which is slowly being drained of air. As field agent Lady Penelope attempts to get the bank's chairman and key holder to London, their arrival is delayed by Penelope's chauffeur, Parker, who thinks his former cellmate is attempting to break into the bank's vault.

In 1967, Century 21 released an audio adaptation on vinyl EP record (Lady Penelope and Parker, catalogue number MA 118), narrated by Penelope's voice actor, Sylvia Anderson. "Vault of Death" had its first UK‑wide network transmission on 1 November 1991 on BBC2.