Ready for Action!

Paul Carey looks at the work of special effects designer Derek Meddings, which included the Thunderbirds series and the James Bond franchise

- Paul Carey

In 1995, the world welcomed a new James Bond in the form of Pierce Brosnan for GoldenEye, the latest instalment of the long-running franchise. The film was dedicated to the memory of special effects specialist Derek Meddings, who had previously worked on the Roger Moore movies, beginning with Live and Let Die (1973).

Working on the miniatures and floor effects for that film, Meddings was also responsible for the ramps used in the exciting speedboat sequence where they leapt over cars in the Louisiana bayou to the consternation of the local sheriff.

Born in St Pancras, London, Derek Meddings's career had started in the late 1940s, lettering credit titles at Denham Film Studios, where his father worked as a carpenter and his mother as a secretary and stand-in for actress Merle Oberon.

It was here he met effects designer Les Bowie, joining his matte painting department in the 1950s, painting Transylvanian landscapes for Hammer Films' productions.

While there, he developed a "string and cardboard" technique for creating backgrounds, skills which he transferred to Gerry Anderson's second AP Films puppet production, Torchy the Battery Boy (1959), as an uncredited art assistant. He followed this up in 1960 by painting cut-out backgrounds of ranch houses and picket fences for Anderson's next series, Four Feather Falls. Impressed by his work, Anderson credited him for special effects in Supercar (1961) and Fireball XL5 (1962).

It was with Anderson's next production, the first in colour and with an increased budget, that Meddings was promoted to special effects director.

Along with Reg Hill, he designed the main models for the series Stingray (1964) and honed his skills in miniature model effects and shooting dramatic explosions on high-speed film.