Media release: 20 August 2026

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Exhibition closes 6 September 2026

  • 54321FAB! is on at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum 4 July until 6 September 2026
  • Exhibition includes original puppets, models, art and memorabilia
  • Includes family Action Station for hands-on fun
  • Free entry

There’s just two weeks left to catch the amazing exhibition 54321 FAB! at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum. The exhibition has been incredibly popular. With more than 12,000 visitors in July alone, organisers say it is set to break records by the end of the summer.

The exhibition is a fabulous display of original puppets, models, art and memorabilia from the much-loved 1960s TV shows of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. 

Visitors have been flocking to Worcester from all over the country to revisit their childhood favourites including Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, Stingray and more.

Original puppets including Lady Penelope and Joe 90 have been painstakingly restored to their original condition as filmed in the 1960s. Other characters which no longer exist in their original form, such as the heroic Thunderbirds pilots, have been rebuilt from original moulds and materials to create new working replica puppets. The exhibition also features models of iconic vehicles such as Fireball XL5, Stingray and the Thunderbirds craft.

Original comic and production design art is also in the exhibition, whilst a huge collection of 1960s toys and memorabilia take visitors on a FAB trip down memory lane.

Families are enjoying hands-on fun at the WASP – Worcester Aquanaut Severn Patrol action station – where they can create their own puppet show and dress up as characters from the TV shows.

One visitor to the exhibition commented: “It was a trip down memory lane and brought a massive smile and recollections of my childhood, exploring and explaining to my grandsons how futuristic these iconic shows were and still are to many. We all had a great time and the boys said how much they had enjoyed the experience.”

There is still a FAB programme of events celebrating the exhibition including a spotlight talks by Marc Silk, the voice of Global Defence Force agent Captain Wayne Rigby in Thunderbirds Are Go! as well as the voice of several guest characters in the show. Plus, the popular Museum after Hours event returns this Friday 21 August with a FAB theme.

Museums Worcestershire Senior Curator Deborah Fox comments: “It has been an incredible summer. We have been so pleased to welcome so many fans from across the country to the exhibition and it’s been lovely to hear the conversations between families as they share their memories.”

The exhibition has been made possible with the support of Fanderson, the official Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Appreciation Society.

Check out www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk and our social media channels for up-to-date news and information on the exhibition and the FAB-themed programme of events and activities.

ENDS

Press contact:

For further information contact: Alice Benbow, Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, email Alice.Benbow@worcester.gov.uk

Image supplied shows a visitor to 54321FAB!

Exhibition Details:

54321FAB!

Saturday 4 July – Saturday 6 September 2026 | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm, Sunday 10am – 3pm

For events see www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

Thunderbirds and friends are coming to Worcester!

Nostalgia for the 1960s has never been stronger than in this incredible display of original puppets, studio models, art and memorabilia from the much-loved 1960s TV shows of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Relive childhood favourites Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, Stingray and more, with this unprecedented opportunity to see original puppets from the shows.

Free entry to the exhibition, donations welcome

FAB events and activities:

Talks and Events

Museum After Hours: FAB! ‘Anything can happen in the next half hour’ | Friday 21 August, 6.30 – 9pm. FREE

Spotlight Talk | Marc Silk – The Voice of Your Imagination + meet and greet | Saturday 29 August, 11am – 12noon. £10

 

Family Fun!

Bags of Fun – FAB Creations | Saturday 4 July to Sunday 6 September (except Mondays) £2.50

Family Trail – International Rescue | Saturday 4 July to Sunday 6 September (except Mondays) £1

smARTies | Mini Makers | Thursdays 9 July and 16 July, 3 September £5.50

Get Arty: 3…2…1…Make! | Every Thursday from 23 July to 27 August £5.50

Family Fun | FAB Fridays! | Every Friday from 24 July to 28 August. £5.50