Roy William Skelton (20 July 1931 – 8 June 2011) was a British actor most noted for his voice work. He was best known for playing Zippy and George in Rainbow, and for voicing the Daleks and the Cybermen in Doctor Who.
Life and career Born in Nottingham to John H Skelton and Dorothy (née Bromley), Skelton trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and worked at Oxford for a year. Having performed voices, based on those from The Goon Show, while rehearsing for a Pinocchio TV serial he played Lampwick in, producer Gordon Murray cast him as part of the BBC Puppet Theatre. Skelton met Peter Hawkins during Toytown, who would become a close friend. In 1957, he met his future wife Hilary Tooze at a nightclub, marrying her two years later. They would go on to have two children, Eliza and Samantha.
In 1966, he began his long association with Doctor Who voicing the Monoids in The Ark, which Peter Hawkins recommended him for. In the 1966 story, The Tenth Planet, Skelton originated the voices of the original Cybermen, delivering an unsettling, sing-song voice constructed by placing the inflections of words on the wrong syllables. This confused many of the actors, who did not know when his lines finished. Attack of the Cybermen DVD
In 1967, Skelton began voicing the Daleks with The Evil of the Daleks alongside Peter, who recommended him for this as well. He made a rule that although the Dalek voice could get higher when angry, it could never go down. Genesis of the Daleks DVD He also voiced the Krotons in their sole 1968 appearance, giving them South African accents, and his first on-screen role was as Norton in Colony in Space (1971).
In 1973, he became the voice of both Zippy and George in Rainbow, continuing the roles for over 30 years and writing over 150 episodes. Some moments Skelton most fondly-remembered included meeting Elizabeth II and Ernie Wise, and with his singing experience he played Father Christmas in one episode, although the producers at Thames Television did not believe he did the singing. He considered Rainbow to be his best work, and particularly enjoyed being able to quickly switch between Zippy and George. Contrary to popular belief, he did not base Zippy's voice on the Daleks, but when asked where he got it, he jokingly claimed that it was a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Ian Paisley. Roy had intentions to write for other programmes, including Take a Chance, but never received any further contracts requiring him to do so.
Also in 1973, he played the on-screen role of James in the Doctor Who story The Green Death standing in for Tony Adams. Skelton was asked to play Davros in Genesis of the Daleks, but due to filming Rainbow had to be replaced by Michael Wisher, a good friend. He, Michael and another Dalek voice, Brian Miller, who he befriended alongside his wife Elisabeth Sladen, would appear together in Barry Letts's 1986 production of Alice in Wonderland.
When Nicholas Briggs became the voice of the Daleks in its 2005 revival, Skelton praised his performance for being able to put emotion into it, even though he wished he had been doing it. He died at his home in Brighton, East Sussex, on 8 June 2011, after suffering a stroke at age 79.
Filmography YearTitle RoleNotes1954Sunday Night TheatreAngelo's assistant Episode “The Comedy of Errors”1956-1958ToytownMr. Growser Dennis the DachshundInventor16 episodes Doctor Who Bulletin (Summer 1984 issue)1957Beauty and the BeastVoicesTV movie 1958The Emperor’s New ClothesVoicesTV movieThe Winkleburg ArmourerVoicesTV movie1958-1964A Rubovian LegendLord Chamberlain King Boris of Borsovia25 episodes 1959The Petrified PrincessVoicesTV movieThe King of the Golden RiverVoicesTV movie1960The Crumpot CandlesVoicesTV movieThe Magic TreeVoicesTV movie1961-1962ChippyVoices39 episodes1962The Dancing PrincessVoicesTV movieSmall TimeVoices10 episodes of The Sillie BilliesPlay It CoolMechanic #1Film, uncredited 1963 Picture BookSossidge the Dog26 episodes1964DetectivePorterEpisode “The Case of Oscar Brodski”1965Give the Dog a BoneMr. MouseFilm1966–1988Doctor WhoMonoid voices Cyberman voices
Dalek voices
Britannicus Base Computer
Kroton voices
Norton
Wester
James
Marshal Chedaki
King Rokon
K9 (uncredited - Destiny of the Daleks only)50 episodes 1966Quick Before They Catch UsDanny5 episodes1967Out of the UnknownRobotEpisode “The Prophet”1968Z-CarsTommy Wyatt2 episodesSoftly, SoftlyFred ThomasEpisode “Five Pair O Hands”1969Fraud SquadEddie BoneEpisode 6 “Over a Barrel”Night After Night After NightCounselFilm1970IvanhoeHiggEpisode “Time of Trial”Sentimental EducationAuctioneerEpisode 4 “Last Love”There's a Girl in My SoupReporter Film, uncredited1971The Last of the MohicansPrivate Jones2 episodes 1972FrenzyDetective Film, uncredited 1973–1992RainbowZippy and George993 episodes 1980–1981Take a ChanceVarious13 episodes 1986Alice in WonderlandMock TurtleEpisode 41989–1998The BillVarious4 episodes 1996-1997Mole in the HoleFreddie and Fifi25 episodesZippy and Me: My Life Inside Britain’s Most Infamous Puppet by Ronnie LeDrew, Unbound (2019)2003Ghost of Albion: LegacyHenry Swift Vauturm
BalberithWebseries, 4 episodes 2004Ghost of Albion: EmbersHenry Swift FarrisWebseries, 5 episodes 2008Ashes to AshesZippy and GeorgeEpisode 1
References
External links
Obituary in The Independent