Convention celebrates Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson

The first official convention celebrating the life and legacy of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson is taking place in London.

Guest appearances during the weekend event include David Graham - the voice of Thunderbirds characters Brains and Parker - and Denise Bryer, who provided the voice for Zelda in Terrahawks - Anderson's 1980s sci-fi creation.

Anderson, who lived in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, before his death in 2012, also created other classics including Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Stingray.

Original and replica puppets, including Lady Penelope, will feature at the convention, as well as reproduction props and models courtesy of fan collectors and prop builders.

Anderson helped to pioneer "supermarionation" in the 1960s - a technique using thin wires to control marionettes.

The Thunderbirds TV series, which aired for the first time in 1965, was filmed in a studio at Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire.

Stingray, Supercar and Fireball XL5 were also shot at the AP Films headquarters.

There will be recreations of sets, including Brains' laboratory and Stingray's "underwater" tank, alongside some of the surviving full-sized vehicles that appeared in Anderson's productions.

The restored strakers car from the live-action 1970s TV programme UFO, starring Ed Bishop, will also be unveiled at the event.

Production drawings "from basic concept sketches through to full conceptual paintings", many of which have never been seen on public display, feature in the convention, organisers said.

They aim to "evoke the mood and feel of what it would have been like during the filming of classic Anderson productions".

The two-day "Andercon" event, organised by the film producer's family and Anderson Entertainment, is being held at the Park Inn Hotel at Heathrow Airport.