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Sylvia Anderson, the co-creator of Thunderbirds and the voice of Lady Penelope, has died aged 88.

Anderson was best known for her work on the puppet shows of the 1960s alongside her then-husband Gerry. Between them they revolutionised the use of puppets on television with shows like Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet. Sylvia Anderson continued to work with Gerry until their marriage broke down during the first year of production of Space:1999, and thereafter continued as a producer as well as acting as a talent scout for HBO.

She consulted on the 2004 movie of Thunderbirds, and reprised her role as Lady Penelope for the documentary about Thunderbirds and its ilk, Filmed in Supermarionation. Her last work was as Lady Penelope’s Great Aunt Sylvia in an episode of the revived Thunderbirds Are Go! CITV series last year. She was working with her daughter Dee on a new series, The Last Station, and was happy to promote both that and the new Thunderbirds – including a delightful off the record chat with SFB’s Paul Simpson towards the end of 2014.