Sylvia Anderson and Lady Penelope

Half awake this morning and I think I heard someone on the radio saying that Lady Penelope was 88. That woke me up good and proper with outrage boiling out of my ears - how dare they! Lady Penelope is an undisclosed 'young' age, has always been that age and always will be!

And then I heard the sad news that Sylvia Anderson has died at the age of 88. Sylvia was the voice and style guru behind Lady Penelope in 'Thunderbirds'. How sad. Another part of my past goes. I grew up on 'Thunderbirds', with Scott and Virgil, Lady Penelope and Parker, all regularly saving the world as we know it. Which schoolboy in the 60s didn't have a small crush on the lovely Lady Penelope, so charming and calm but capable of beating any baddie that was stupid enough to cross her path.

I was and still am a big fan of the original 'Thunderbirds' and have the DVD box set of all the episodes. For a few months a few years ago it was a standard Sunday night tradition to watch a couple of episodes. I must reinstate that tradition.

It's a sign of age and time passing when the heroes and 'names' of your youth start passing and so many have passed already this year. She did so much more than be the voice and inspiration for Lady Penelope but that's who she is to me.  It's sad for her family and friends but also to many people like me who become a little boy again at the sound of her voice.

Goodnight M'Lady!