A young International Rescue fan gets the chance to meet his heroes – when he and his father discover an illegal mining operation…

Setting aside the rather poor parental skills on display (you find something that you believe to be illegal and probably highly dangerous in the area you’re protecting, and you take your son on board to investigate?!), this is another enjoyable episode, which deliberately plays with issues of scale in its opening few minutes before delivering a rescue that cuts neatly between Brains back at base, Gordon in Thunderbird 4 and Virgil in TB2.

The kid is nicely written – that combination of bravado and need for parental care of the pre-teenager will be all too familiar to parents watching with their children – and there are a few unusual moments in both the soundscape and the visual perspectives that add a little twist to proceedings. Scott’s absence is not remarked upon – something the show’s usually been at pains to deal with, with throwaway lines about “disasters in Saudi Arabia” or some such that explain the lack of participation – but Jeff’s is obliquely…

Verdict: Some unusual moments add extra interest to a well-portrayed rescue. 8/10

Paul Simpson