Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward
| Lady Penelope | |
|---|---|
| Thunderbirds character | |
 The classic puppet character | |
| First appearance | "Trapped in the Sky" (30 September 1965) |
| Created by | Gerry and Sylvia Anderson |
| Based on | Sylvia Anderson |
| Designed by | Mary Turner (puppet sculptor)[1] |
| Portrayed by | Sophia Myles (2004 live-action film) |
| Voiced by | Sylvia Anderson (original series) Rosamund Pike (remake series) Genevieve Gaunt (2021 audio series) |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Penny |
| Occupation |
|
| Family | Lord Hugh Creighton-Ward (father) Lady Amelia Creighton-Ward (mother) |
| Home | Creighton-Ward Mansion, Kent |
Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is a fictional character introduced in the British 1960s Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds, which was produced by AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. The character also appears in the film sequels Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968), the 2004 live-action film Thunderbirds and the CGI remake series Thunderbirds Are Go. In the world of Thunderbirds, Penelope is employed by the secret organisation International Rescue as its London field agent.
The puppet character of the TV series and first two films were voiced by Sylvia Anderson. In the live-action film, she was portrayed by Sophia Myles, while in the remake series she is voiced by Rosamund Pike.[2]
Background
The original puppet character was devised with transatlantic viewers in mind. In a 2014 interview, Thunderbirds co-creator
Anderson said that she made Penelope a secret agent as she "loved the idea of an adventurous secret life." She compared Penelope favourably to the women characters of AP Films' earlier puppet series, which in her words "were just there to look good", adding that when the company moved on to Thunderbirds "the role of women was changing, and I knew Lady Penelope had to be up there with the boys."[3] In her autobiography, she said that she wrote the character to convey "not only the daring and panache of a secret agent, but also the poise of a cool and beautiful aristocrat".[4]
Penelope would ultimately be modelled on and voiced by Anderson. The original template for the character was a model in Vogue magazine.[5] However, after a number of test sculptures were rejected, designer Mary Turner instead chose to base the look on Anderson herself (a decision of which Anderson was not immediately apprised).[6][7][8] Interviewed by the Daily Mirror in 1968, Turner commented: "We wanted a glamorous blonde and [Anderson] was the obvious choice."[9]
One of my favourite books was
lady of the manor with her lovely car, doing all her good works. And then I thought there would be someone she would give a second chance to in life; a lovable rogue who could be the driver of her pink Rolls‑Royce. That's how Penelope and Parkerevolved.
— Sylvia Anderson discusses the character's conception[10]
The character's attire was inspired by contemporary Carnaby Street and Parisian fashions, with Vogue and Harper's magazines used as points of reference.[11] Silks, leathers and furs were supplied by London department stores such as Liberty and Dickins & Jones.[12]
According to Anderson, the writers on the series initially had trouble devising substantial plots for the character, prompting her to encourage them to write Penelope into more episodes.[13][14]
During the production of the 2004 live-action film, actress Sophia Myles had a movement director to help her give the character a graceful walk. In an interview with Starburst magazine, Myles said that her interpretation of the character was not based on a particular person, but was instead the result of "drawing all the fantastic elements from the original and adding my own personal twists to make it my own."[15]
Character biography
Born on 24 December 2000 (
On the outside, Lady Penelope is just another member of the British high society, as well as a fashion icon. However, after completing her education in Buckinghamshire, she rejected the aristocracy's endless round of social engagements and became a secret agent. It was while working as the chief operative of the Federal Agents Bureau (FAB) that Penelope first met Jeff Tracy, the founder of International Rescue, and immediately accepted his invitation to become IR's field agent in London. In the episode "Vault of Death" it is shown she is not a very good driver.
Penelope is stylish and fashionable in every aspect of her life. She is a world-renowned
Appearances
- "Trapped in the Sky"
- "The Perils of Penelope"
- "Day of Disaster"
- "30 Minutes After Noon"
- "Vault of Death"
- "The Mighty Atom"
- "The Impostors"
- "The Man from MI.5"
- "Danger at Ocean Deep"
- "The Duchess Assignment"
- "Brink of Disaster"
- "The Cham-Cham"
- "Security Hazard" (in flashback footage)
- "Atlantic Inferno"
- "Path of Destruction"
- "Alias Mr. Hackenbacker"
- "Lord Parker's 'Oliday"
- "Give or Take a Million"
- Thunderbirds Are Go
- Thunderbird 6
Retinue
Lady Penelope's butler and chauffeur is
Lilian (or Lil, as she is known by Parker) is Penelope's cook. She has a sizeable repertoire of dishes, much to Parker's disgust. Perce is the gardener for the 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) Creighton-Ward estate and a friend of Parker.
Vehicles and property
Penelope owns a six-wheeled
The seat of the Creighton-Ward dynasty is Creighton-Ward Mansion, an 18th-century stately home in Foxleyheath, Kent. The first mansion was built on the site of a
Penelope also owns Bonga Bonga, a
Penelon
"Penelon" was created by fashion designer François Lemaire, who named it in honour of his favourite model, Lady Penelope. This fabric has extraordinary properties: Penelon can be converted into any costume design, squeezed into a space the size of a match box and be fashioned to resemble any other material. The fabric is sought after by Lemaire's rivals, and after Penelope discovers that they have bugged his office, she suggests that the unveiling of Lemaire's new all-Penelon collection be held on board the aircraft Skythrust, designed by International Rescue's engineer, Brains.
Reception
Thunderbirds script editor Alan Pattillo admired the character, finding her more interesting than the Tracys: "All the men had to do was pilot these marvellous craft [...] Penelope was much more flexible. She wasn't living on this island in a practically all-male society. She lived a life of her own, but she enjoyed participating with International Rescue where necessary."[10]
The original character has been well received by commentators. Starburst magazine calls Penelope one of the series' "best-loved characters".
Anderson argued that the character "broke the mould" for depictions of women in children's television.[3] She also believed that after Penelope's early appearances, in which she played more of a supporting role, the character quickly rose to prominence: "All the heroines in our previous series had been perfect foils to the action-man heroes, but now, with Lady Penelope, we had an action girl who was a personality in her own right."[7] When Thunderbirds was repeated on the BBC in the early 2000s, the character was criticised for smoking, wearing furs and not using seat belts in cars.[20] Anderson commented that smoking and fur-wearing in particular were likely to be viewed by modern audiences as politically incorrect, calling them two of several "stereotyped prejudices" in Thunderbirds.[21] She elaborated: "We were limited by the age in which we lived, and although we prided ourselves on setting new boundaries, I suppose we were too obsessed with the Space Age, nuclear power and their consequences to be more aware of green and other more down-to-earth issues."[21] Brian Viner writes that the character smoked "with the élan of Grace Kelly".[22]
In a negative preview of the live-action film,
In other media
In the period 1965 to 1969, Lady Penelope stories were adapted into comics form, first in the comic TV Century 21, and then in her own spinoff title.
Lady Penelope, again voiced by Sylvia Anderson, appeared to the character of Edina Monsoon in a dream sequence in "Hospital", a 1994 episode of the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
As an eponym
Also in 1994, Virgin Atlantic named its first Boeing 747-400 after Lady Penelope; the aircraft's registration, inspired by FAB 1, was G-VFAB. The aircraft was retired in September 2015.[24]
In 2003,
References
- ISBN 978-0-992-9766-0-6.
- ^ Plunkett, John (30 September 2013). "Thunderbirds Are Go! Blends Old and New for Return of Classic Series". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ a b Scott, Danny (9 March 2014). "Voice of Lady Penelope Sylvia Anderson: 'We helped children escape into their imagination'". Daily Express. London, UK. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ Anderson 1991, p. 30
- ISBN 978-0-00-638247-8.
- ^ La Rivière 2009, p. 108.
- ^ a b La Rivière 2009, p. 109.
- ^ Marriott 1993, p. 154.
- ^ Anderson 1991, p. 44
- ^ a b Hearn 2015, pp. 60–61.
- ^ Marriott 1993, p. 121.
- ISBN 978-0-09-922442-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85965-388-6.
- ^ Hearn 2015, p. 65.
- ^ OCLC 79615651.
- ^ La Rivière 2009, p. 113.
- ^ Allan, Angus (February 1982). "Space-Age Puppets". Look-in. No. 7. London, UK. p. 18.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-86369-728-9.
- ISBN 9781903254004.
- ^ "Lady Penelope in the Dock". BBC News. 28 February 2001. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ^ a b Anderson 2007, p. 102.
- ISBN 978-0-74329-585-7.
- ISSN 1363-8289.
- ^ "Yours for just £299,000: Lady Penelope, the first 747 to fly the Virgin Atlantic livery". The Independent. London. 26 May 2016.
- ^ "Remaining Class 57/3s snapped up by DRS and West Coast Co". The Railway Magazine. No. 1343. March 2013. p. 80.
Works cited
- ISBN 978-1-932563-91-7.
- Originally published as: Anderson, Sylvia (1991). Yes, M'Lady. London, UK: Smith Gryphon. ISBN 978-1-856850-11-7.
- Originally published as: Anderson, Sylvia (1991). Yes, M'Lady. London, UK: Smith Gryphon.
- Hearn, Marcus (2015). Thunderbirds: The Vault. London, UK: ISBN 978-0-753-55635-1.
- ISBN 978-1-932563-23-8.
- Marriott, John (1993). Supermarionation Classics: Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Rogers, Dave; Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme. London, UK: ISBN 978-1-85283-900-0.
External links
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