Sylvia Anderson first episode of a series then sharing the work according to their strengths. Gerry tended to specialise in special effects and hardware, and Sylvia in character, voices, costume, dialogue, and plotlines. In this way, Anderson contributed plot development and voice work for a series of half-hour shows including "Supercar", "Stingray" and "Fireball XL5". However, she felt the half-hour format was insufficient to fully develop characters and stories, and she persuaded the team's TV producer Lew Grade to extend their shows to a full hour. In the early 1960s, the Andersons co-created the series "Thunderbirds", and Sylvia created the characters. She
Gerry Anderson space adventure "Fireball XL5" (1962). At the time it was the company's biggest success, garnering the honour of being the first Anderson series sold to an American TV network, NBC-TV. Around this time, Anderson also saw his Supermarionation style attract imitators—most notably "Space Patrol", which used similar techniques and was made by several former employees and associates of Anderson, including Arthur Provis and Roberta Leigh. After the completion of "Fireball XL5", Lew Grade offered to buy AP Films. Although Anderson was initially reluctant, the deal eventually went ahead, with Grade becoming the managing director, and the Andersons, Hill, and Read