Thunderbirds: Daughter's 'life mission' to give Sylvia the equal credit she deserves

The daughter of Thunderbirds creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson says her ‘life mission’ is ensuring her mother continues to receive equal credit long after the show’s 60th anniversary.

The Andersons were a formidable presence in the British television and film industry throughout the 1960s, and actress Dee Anderson was raised within this world of entertainment.

As a husband-and-wife partnership, Gerry and Sylvia co-created some of the most popular programmes of the era, including the cult classic Thunderbirds.

However, after their separation in 1975, the idea that the pair were equally responsible for these productions has seemingly faded from public memory.

Now, a decade after Sylvia Anderson’s death, Dee has shared her early memories growing up in Maidenhead and Bray – where Shirley Bassey came round for tea – and her mother’s enduring legacy.

“I remember being around all the puppets, and when she created Lady Penelope – it was a fun time. It was a lovely, amazing childhood,” said Dee.

Sylvia started as a production assistant after originally responding to an advertisement in the Maidenhead Advertiser for a ‘girl Friday’ between 1957 and 1958 – a dated term to describe a studio runner.

“She answered, thinking that it was going to be a very glamorous film company,” said Dee.

“Instead of which, it was really a few guys trying to make a living on nothing at this studio in Taplow, where it looked a bit like an Alfred Hitchcock house, very dreary and dark.

“She answered the ad and found it to be less than glamorous, but joined, and really made it into something, and the rest was history.”

Sylvia went on to become a celebrated television and film producer, writer, voice actress, and costume designer.

Dee recalls growing up around the AP Films studios, located first in Islet Park, Maidenhead, in 1957 and later in Slough Trading Estate, where her mother and stepfather, Gerry, co-created Thunderbirds in 1965.

Sylvia was the creative force behind key characters, including Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and the Tracy family, voicing Lady Penelope, and oversaw production, including costumes and scripts.

“They were a great team,” said Dee.

“They also had a great team around them, but I do want people to know that she created the characters, and she was incredibly creative.

“I know that Gerry got a lot of PR because men did in those days, but it was both of them, and so I’ve been fighting to get her name back for many years.”

In April 2025, the National Film and Television School announced a new scholarship for screenwriters supported by ITV Studios in memory of Sylvia.

ITV Studios also funded a seat at the BAFTA Princess Anne Theatre last summer to recognise Sylvia’s creative contributions as an early female pioneer in the industry.

Dee said that even until Sylvia died in 2016, her mother couldn’t believe the heights that Thunderbirds reached and how long they lasted.

“Looking at it again, I could see why they were so successful because they were very futuristic,” she added.

“It was set in 2065, so we’ve got another 40 years to go, but already people are talking into their watches, and that was unheard of then.

“The characters also had a heart and a soul, which was her.”

Many puppets were likened to film and music stars of the day, but Lady Penelope was inspired by Sylvia’s face and Dee’s eyes, according to puppeteer Mary Turner.

Dee would accompany her mother to Dickins & Jones and Liberty’s in London to help choose material for Lady Penelope’s gowns.

“Mary said to me that she put more into Lady Penelope than any other character.

This was going to be her star,” added Dee, describing Lady Penelope’s real mink coat and real hair.

“You could say she was better dressed than most Hollywood starlets.

“Lady Penelope was very much my mother’s inspiration again because she loved reading.

“Her favourite book was The Three Musketeers, and she loved the lead character D’Artagnan, so she based Lady Penelope on him but made him female.

“She was ahead of her time. She got very involved in everything, and she was hands-on.”

Dee wishes for both co-creators to get equal credit, but says ‘times probably haven’t changed enough’ because she continues to campaign for her mother’s recognition.

“I don’t think she [Sylvia] wanted to fight, but women of that generation didn't,” said Dee.

“Although she was ahead of her time, in terms of the positioning of women in business, she wasn’t interested because she was a creative.

“I hate it – and it still happens – but a lot of people still say the Gerry Anderson show. Things are changing, slowly, and I’m still pushing forward with that.

“I would call it a life mission because I think it’s going to take a long time to address the balance. It’s still a way to go.

“The good thing is to say they were equally talented. I don’t want to take that away from him, and my mother wouldn't either.

“Gerry always wanted to direct a big blockbuster, and Sylvia wanted to be a movie star, and she said to me that she almost made it, but it was on the Slough Trading Estate, not Hollywood.”

Dee Anderson is currently touring her live show ‘Growing up with Thunderbirds’ around the country.