The man behind one of the world’s most familiar voices has died aged 99.
In a long career, British actor David Graham provided the voices for characters in TV series including Peppa Pig, Thunderbirds and Doctor Who.
For today’s generation of children, his voice will be instantly familiar as that of Grandpa Pig, in the Peppa Pig series.
Previously, for nearly two decades he created the sound of the evil Daleks in the long-running sci-fi show Doctor Who – adopting a staccato style and then feeding his voice through a synthesiser.
And previously, he lent his dulcet tones to Lady Penelope’s butler and chauffeur Parker, in Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds TV series and films. The BBC reports that he also played the show’s pilot Gordon Tracy, and Brains the engineer, between 1965 and 1966. In 2015, Graham became the only original cast member to return for an ITV remake of the show.
At the time of the new show, Graham told The Mirror newspaper he had been inspired for the voice of Parker by a lunch meeting with a waiter who had been a former royal butler. “He said, ‘Would you like to see the wine list sir?’ and that was the birth of Parker.”
The BBC quotes Gerry Anderson’s son, TV producer Jamie, paying tribute to Graham, saying in a statement:
“Just a few weeks ago, I was with 2,000 Anderson fans at a Gerry Anderson concert in Birmingham where we sang him happy birthday – such a joyous occasion. And now, just a few weeks later, he’s left us.
“From the Daleks to Grandpa Pig and numerous voices for Anderson shows including Brains, Gordon Tracy and the iconic Parker. He will be sorely missed.”
