F.A.B. - Thunderbirds were go when hundreds of children took part in a sand-sculpting competition at Bournemouth beach.

A team of professional sand sculptors gave free master classes to the youngsters, who had to try and recreate their own versions of International Rescue's FAB 1, Thunderbird 1 or 2 out of the resort's famous golden sands.

And just to inspire them, the experts crafted a nine-ft-long sculpture of Lady Penelope's famous pink Rolls Royce with her faithful English butler Parker.

Some of the children were such fans of the cult TV show that they had turned up dressed as their favourite characters.

Two of the Tracy brothers, Virgil and Scott, wandered around meeting members of the crowd, which included a few parents who must have been fans of the cult TV show from the first time around. Competition winners were presented with Thunderbirds goodies and every entrant was given an International Rescue hat.

The event was the last of a tour of six seaside resorts to promote the Carlton TV show.

Spokeswoman Trudi Smith said: "It's gone really well. The children really loved it and all the classes were fully booked. It was amazing how even young kids could look at pictures and make their own ideas of what to do."

Thunderbirds, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, was first shown in the 1960s. The Tracy boys - Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John - were all named after American astronauts of the time.

When the programmes were repeated on BBC2 in the early 1990s, they attracted a whole new audience. A plastic model of Tracy Island became the must-have toy of Christmas 1992, sparking a nationwide shortage.

Three years ago, there were Hollywood plans to make a live-action version of Thunderbirds, starring the Baldwin brothers, but the project appears to have sunk without trace.