Stepdaughter ‘appalled’ by documentary on Thunderbirds creator Anderson
A NEW documentary about Gerry Anderson, the creator of Thunderbirds, has sparked a bitter family row amid accusations that it has sought to “destroy” the reputation of his second wife, Sylvia Anderson.
Sylvia is jointly credited as creator of the 1960s show, in which she also voiced the character of Lady Penelope.
However, a Britbox documentary, Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted, features a previously unheard recording in which Anderson dismisses Sylvia’s role, claiming that she simply typed up the scripts that he dictated to her.
“I remember to this day, we were sitting on the balcony of our apartment in Albufeira [in Portugal] and I said, there is one more thing: write on the front, ‘By Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’,” he said.
“And it’s a thing I have always regretted, because it wasn’t by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.”
Various contributors describe Sylvia, who died in 2016, as fame-hungry and a poor stepmother. The documentary claims that, following the couple’s acrimonious divorce and child custody battle, she forced her son, Gerry Jr, to write a letter to Anderson saying that he never wanted to see his father again.
The documentary is produced and presented by Anderson’s son from his third marriage, Jamie, and includes interviews with the two daughters from his first marriage, Linda and Joy.
It has been criticised by Dee Anderson, Sylvia’s daughter from a previous marriage. She shared a series of tweets
‘It is galling the interview I did with Sylvia is being taken out of context and painting a false narrative’
from someone who claimed to be upset that his 2006 interview with Sylvia had been used in the film.
“I am appalled at the vile treatment of Sylvia in the whole piece,” the man’s message said. “It is personally galling that the interview I did with her is being used in such a way, being taken out of context and generally painting an utterly false narrative.
“Over the last few years I felt the pendulum had begun to swing to recognise her immense contribution. Then this comes along and looks to totally destroy her reputation all over [again].”
Dee Anderson tweeted: “We, the children of Sylvia Anderson, are appalled too that people can stoop so low.” She criticised ITV, owner of Britbox, saying: “Shame on all of them.”
Dee has previously claimed that her mother was cut out of Thunderbirds deals, despite co-writing the scripts and storylines, and left virtually penniless.
Anderson died in 2012. Twenty-five hours of interviews he recorded with his biographers in 1992 and 2001 were used in the making of the documentary.
Benjamin Field, director of A Life Uncharted, described it as “the definitive Gerry Anderson documentary”, while Jamie Anderson said it contained some “difficult truths”.
In the film, Anderson’s daughter, Joy, from his first marriage to Betty Wrightman, spoke of attending one of his book signings. They had been estranged for so many years he failed to recognise her.
She recalled: “When I got to the front of the queue, I gave him my book and he said, ‘What would you like me to write in your book?’ And I said, you can write ‘To Joy, love Dad’. To which he nearly had a heart attack.”
Britbox and Jamie Anderson declined to comment.