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Roy Skelton

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Roy Skelton
Roy Skelton in Doctor Who: The Green Death
Born
Roy William Skelton

(1931-07-20)20 July 1931[1]
Nottingham, England
Died8 June 2011(2011-06-08) (aged 79)
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Occupation(s)Actor, voice artist
Years active1954–2011
Spouse
Hilary Tooze
​
(m. 1959)​
[2]
Children2

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

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Born in Nottingham[3] to John H Skelton and Dorothy (née Bromley),[1] Skelton trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and worked at Oxford for a year.[3] 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.[4][5] Skelton met Peter Hawkins during Toytown, who would become a close friend.[4] In 1957, he met his future wife Hilary Tooze at a nightclub, marrying her two years later.[6] 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.[4] 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.[7] This confused many of the actors, who did not know when his lines finished.[8][4]

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.[3][9] He also voiced the Krotons in their sole 1968 appearance, giving them South African accents,[5] and his first on-screen role was as Norton in Colony in Space (1971).[3]

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,[10] 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,[4] and particularly enjoyed being able to quickly switch between Zippy and George.[11] Contrary to popular belief, he did not base Zippy's voice off of the Daleks,[4][12] but when asked where he got it, he jokingly claimed that it was a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Ian Paisley.[12][13] Roy had intentions to write for other programmes,[13] including Take a Chance, but never received any further contracts requiring him to do so.[13]

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,[3] a good friend. He, Michael[4] 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.[3]

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.[14] He died at his home in Brighton, East Sussex, on 8 June 2011, after suffering a stroke at age 79.[15]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1954 Sunday Night Theatre Angelo's assistant Episode “The Comedy of Errors” [16]
1956-1958 Toytown Mr. Growser and Dennis the Dachshund 16 episodes [4][17]
1957 Beauty and the Beast Voices TV movie [18]
1958 The Emperor’s New Clothes Voices TV movie [19]
The Winkleburg Armourer Voices TV movie [20]
1958-1964 A Rubovian Legend Lord Chamberlain

King Boris of Borsovia

25 episodes [21]
1959 The Petrified Princess Voices TV movie [22]
The King of the Golden River Voices TV movie [23]
1960 The Crumpot Candles Voices TV movie [24]
The Magic Tree Voices TV movie [25]
1961-1962 Chippy Voices 39 episodes [26]
1962 The Dancing Princess Voices TV movie [27]
Small Time Voices 10 episodes of The Sillie Billies [26]
Play It Cool Mechanic #1 Film, uncredited [28]
1963 Picture Book Sossidge the Dog 26 episodes [29]
1964 Detective Porter Episode “The Case of Oscar Brodski” [30]
1965 Give the Dog a Bone Mr. Mouse Film [31]
1966–1988 Doctor Who Monoid 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 [29]
1966 Quick Before They Catch Us Danny 5 episodes [32]
1967 Out of the Unknown Robot Episode “The Prophet” [29]
1968 Z-Cars Tommy Wyatt 2 episodes [32]
Softly, Softly Fred Thomas Episode “Five Pair O Hands” [33]
1969 Fraud Squad Eddie Bone Episode 6 “Over a Barrel” [29]
Night After Night After Night Counsel Film [34]
1970 Ivanhoe Higg Episode “Time of Trial” [35]
Sentimental Education Auctioneer Episode 4 “Last Love” [36]
There's a Girl in My Soup Reporter Film, uncredited [37]
1971 The Last of the Mohicans Private Jones 2 episodes [32]
1972 Frenzy Detective Film, uncredited [3]
1973–1992 Rainbow Zippy and George 993 episodes [12]
1980–1981 Take a Chance Various 13 episodes [38]
1986 Alice in Wonderland Mock Turtle Episode 4 [4]
1989–1998 The Bill Various 4 episodes [29]
1996-1997 Mole in the Hole Freddie and Fifi 25 episodes [39]
2003 Ghost of Albion: Legacy Henry Swift

Vauturm

Balberith

Webseries, 4 episodes [13]
2004 Ghost of Albion: Embers Henry Swift

Farris

Webseries, 5 episodes
2008 Ashes to Ashes Zippy and George Episode 1 [29]
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References

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  1. ^ a b "Obituaries: Roy Skelton". The Telegraph. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  2. ^ Hayward, Anthony (9 June 2011). "Roy Skelton obituary". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Monstrous Voices". TV Zone Special 31. 1998. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Roy Skelton at The Day of the Daleks convention". YouTube. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Ghosts of Albion - Interviews - Roy Skelton". Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. ^ "The Independent obituary". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  7. ^ Butler, David (2007). Time and Relative Dissertations in Space: Critical Perspectives on Doctor Who. Manchester University Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7190-7682-4. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. ^ The Cyber Story. Attack of the Cybermen DVD
  9. ^ The Dalek Tapes. Genesis of the Daleks DVD
  10. ^ "The Roy Skelton Interview 1". YouTube. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  11. ^ "The 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows". 100 Greatest.
  12. ^ a b c "Roy Skelton Interview - www.rainbow.web.com". Archived from the original on 5 May 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d "Roy Skelton interview - Matt Blank". Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Dalek Roy Yearns to Obey Orders - Doctor Who Cuttings Archive". Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Zippy voice actor Roy Skelton dies aged 79". BBC News. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  16. ^ "The Comedy of Errors - BBC Programme Index". 16 May 1954. Retrieved 19 August 2025.[dead link]
  17. ^ "Search results for Toytown at the BBC Programme Index". Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Beauty and the Beast - BBC Programme Index". 10 December 1957. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  19. ^ "The Emperor's New Clothes - BBC Programme Index". 27 April 1958. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  20. ^ "The Winkleburg Armourer - BBC Programme Index". 18 August 1959. Retrieved 19 August 2025.[dead link]
  21. ^ "A Rubovian Legend Episode Guide (1958-1964)". Realm of Rubovia. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  22. ^ "The Petrified Princess - BBC Programme Index". 27 April 1958. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  23. ^ "The King of the Golden River - BBC Programme Index". 27 October 1959. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  24. ^ "The Crumpot Candles - BBC Programme Index". 5 January 1960. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  25. ^ "The Magic Tree - BBC Programme Index". 6 December 1960. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  26. ^ a b Malcolm Batchelor (1 January 2004). "Small Time - The List". Transdiffusion. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  27. ^ "The Dancing Princess - BBC Programme Index". 22 May 1962. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  28. ^ "Play It Cool (1962)". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  29. ^ a b c d e f "Stories 68-70: Planet of the Daleks, The Green Death and The Time Warrior". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Panini Comics. 2016.
  30. ^ "The Case of Oscar Brodski - BBC Programme Index". 6 July 1964. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  31. ^ "Give the Dog a Bone (1966)". BFI. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  32. ^ a b c "Search results for "Roy Skelton" at the BBC Programme Index". Retrieved 19 August 2025.[dead link]
  33. ^ "Five Pair O Hands - BBC Programme Index". 24 October 1968. Retrieved 19 August 2025.[dead link]
  34. ^ "Night After Night After Night (1969)". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  35. ^ "Time of Trial - BBC Programme Index". 1 March 1970. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  36. ^ "Last Love - BBC Programme Index". 30 August 1970. Retrieved 19 August 2025.[dead link]
  37. ^ "There's A Girl in My Soup (1971)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  38. ^ "Ghosts of Albion - Biographies - Roy Skelton". Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  39. ^ Zippy and Me: My Life Inside Britain’s Most Infamous Puppet by Ronnie LeDrew, Unbound (2019)
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