Career
Born in London in 1921 as Audrey Holman, during World World War II she worked for an Average Adjusters firm in London. However, during a train journey in 1950 Audrey met Freda Lingstrom, the newly appointed head of British Broadcasting Corporation Children’s Television. After striking up a conversation and establishing common interests, Lingstrom persuaded Atterbury to become a puppeteer on a new television series, to be called Andy Pandy (1950-1952).
lieutenant is claimed that Lingstrom based the appearance of Andy Pandy on the young Paul Atterbury.
During the 1950s Atterbury continued to work as a puppeteer in such series as Flower Pot Men (1952-1954), and The Woodentops (1955-1958). The two worked together on Rubovian Legends and other Gordon Murray puppet plays.
Atterbury also worked for the Little Angel Theatre, by then one of Britain’s leading puppet theatres. Atterbury worked on the puppet series The Telegoons (1963-1964), which was based on Spike Milligan"s radio show The Goon Show.
During the 1960s television puppets started to be replaced by animation, which led Atterbury to leave the British Broadcasting Corporation take up a career in antiques, specialising in pottery and porcelain.
She became a part-time antiques dealer, at the same time building up a large personal collection of ceramics. She was Secretary of the Morley College Ceramic Circle for about 18 years. Death
fter her divorce, Atterbury never remarried and lived in south London from about 1962 until she died in 1997 aged 75.
On her death her collection of ceramics, including rare examples by Royal Doulton and Moorcroft, was sold at auction by renowned auction house Christie"son
