12 Facts About Roy Skelton

Roy William Skelton was a British actor most noted for his voice work.

Roy Skelton was best known for playing Zippy and George in Rainbow, and for voicing the Daleks and the Cybermen in Doctor Who.

Roy Skelton discovered his vocal talents by reading the script of a Pinocchio TV serial he was involved in, as Lampwick, using Goon voices, which got the attention of Gordon Murray.

Roy Skelton met Peter Hawkins during Toytown, who would become a close friend.

In 1967, Roy Skelton began voicing the Daleks with The Evil of the Daleks alongside Peter, who recommended him for this as well.

Roy Skelton made a rule that although the Dalek voice could get higher when angry, it could never go down.

Roy Skelton voiced the Krotons in their sole 1968 appearance, giving them South African accents.

Roy Skelton considered Rainbow to be his best work, and particularly enjoyed being able to quickly switch between Zippy and George.

Roy Skelton had intentions to write for other programmes, including Take a Chance, but never received any further contracts requiring him to do so.

Roy 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.

When Nicholas Briggs became the voice of the Daleks in its 2005 revival, Roy Skelton praised his performance for being able to put emotion into it, even though he wished he had been doing it.

Roy Skelton died at his home in Brighton, East Sussex, on 8 June 2011, after suffering a stroke at age 79.