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
Stingray (1964 TV series) everything which passed its periscope." Sangster and Condon argue that while elements such as the animal character, Oink, mean that "Stingray" is aimed primarily at children, it is the first Anderson series in which the "sophistication of the production" creates appeal for adults. They regard "Stingray" as "much less po-faced" than "Thunderbirds", with episodes that are "mercifully shorter, leading to tighter plotting and an engaging simplicity". Peel suggests that the "tongue-in-cheek humour that [Gerry] Anderson favoured probably reached its peak with "Stingray"." Media historian Nicholas J. Cull observes that through its depiction of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), "Stingray"