Roy Skelton

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 Skelton trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and worked at Oxford for a year. 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. This confused many of the actors, who did not know when his lines finished. He also voiced the Krotons in their sole 1968 appearance, giving them South African accents, 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, 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,

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 Cyberman voices

Dalek voices

Britannicus Base Computer

Kroton voices

Norton

Wester

James

Marshal Chedaki

King Rokon

Vauturm

BalberithWebseries, 4 episodes 2004Ghost of Albion: EmbersHenry Swift FarrisWebseries, 5 episodes 2008Ashes to AshesZippy and GeorgeEpisode 1