Like many film back-room boys, my friend David Elliott, who has died aged 92, was not a household name, although he had seven decades worth of credits. Many thousands, however, will remember the happy childhood images he created as a director on the classic 1960s puppet TV series Thunderbirds, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.
David first met Gerry Anderson while they were both working on feature films in the 50s. When Anderson went on to become a producer of puppet series for the fledgling medium of television, he brought David over to picture edit. A back-breaking schedule saw him cut one episode of The Adventures of Twizzle (1957-58) a day. The work paid off and soon a marionette empire was born.
David then started directing, shooting puppet stars as if they were film stars. Each production brought greater worldwide success. Four Feather Falls (1960), Supercar (1961-62), Fireball XL5 (1962-63), Stingray (1964-65) and Thunderbirds (1965-66) entertained and pushed the boundaries of TV. At one point, Anderson’s production company AP Films was the largest consumer of colour film, when TV was still black and white. It was a far-sighted decision that ensured new audiences for their work for decades.
David was born in Slough (then part of Buckinghamshire, now in Berkshire), into a family of movie professionals, the son of Max, a film editor, and Edith (nee Singleton). He left school at 14 and through the 40s and 50s worked as an editor on films starring top names such as Dirk Bogarde and Victor Mature (the source of many decidedly immature dinner party anecdotes). In 1952, he found work as second assistant editor on a war film, Appointment in London, and a best friend in the form of Anderson.
Eventually, David left Thunderbirds in 1966, after falling out with Anderson over their successful sound effects company (many of their recordings are still heard today). He joined the BBC as an editor, where he got further cult productions under his belt with Adam Adamant Lives! and Doctor Who.
The bulk of the rest of his career lay in documentaries: he was sought out by directors keen to employ someone who could make the best of any footage presented. One editing mishap involving the reversal of a birth was soon forgiven. After switching to digital, he edited episodes of the Nick Berry drama Harbour Lights, before retiring in 2001.
An unexpected renaissance came when David directed a special anniversary episode of Thunderbirds in 2015. Further work included an episode of Endeavour for ITV in 2019, which he and I co-directed, and in 2021 Nebula-75, made for Japanese TV. Shortly before his death he said that his only regret was that he would not work again.
He married Averil Hinge in 1954. She died in 2001 and their daughter, Frances, also predeceased him. He is survived by his son, James, and two grandchildren, Georgina and Mark.
