Gerry Anderson Associated Television (ATV) boss who offered to buy the show. This began a long friendship and a very successful professional association between the two men. The new series, "Supercar", (1960–61) was developed by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and Reg Hill based on a story written by Sylvia Anderson and marked several important advances for APF. Sylvia Anderson took on a larger role and became a partner in the company. The series was also the official debut of Supermarionation, the electronic system that made the marionettes more lifelike and convincing on screen. The system used the audio signal from pre-recorded tapes
Gerry Anderson conventions. These reels had the visual design and characters looking very much as they had in the original show, although the vehicle designs had been somewhat modernised. Several years after the initial tests the project evolved into the remake "Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet," by which time the entire appearance had been significantly updated. Anderson was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2001. Along with his then business partner John Needham, Anderson created another new series entitled "Firestorm", financed by Japanese investors and featured anime style animation. Other planned shows with other Japanese backers, including