Judith Shutt (January 15th, 1942 - May 15th, 2015) was a puppet operator on Thunderbirds season 1 and 2 as well as the first feature film Thunderbirds Are Go. She also worked for AP Films on Fireball XL5 (1962-63), and Stingray (1963-64).
Shutt was born in Cheshire and moved down south with her parents (both of whom were originally from the north of England) at an early age.
For Thunderbirds, she portrayed Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in some live-action shots, including in the episode Vault of Death when Lady Penelope looks through a keyhole and walks through the fog.
In the late 1960s, Shutt left AP Films and subsequently drove minicabs for a friend's coach company. By the 1970s, she returned to the film industry, working on The Adventures of Rupert Bear, Here Comes Mumfie, and Cloppa Castle. By 1978, Shutt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and stopped working 3 years later. However, she became involved in her local MS Society branch and was their secretary for some years.
She was interviewed for Filmed in Supermarionation and also worked as a sculptor on The Stately Homes Robberies for The Anniversary Episodes.
She passed away on the morning of 15 May 2015 at the age of 73.
Her brother Ernest Shutt also worked on Thunderbirds in the 1960s.