David Graham, the voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who, has died aged 99.
The English actor, who also voiced butler and chauffeur Aloysius Parker in the 1960s television series Thunderbirds, provided the robotic voice of the sci-fi antagonists in the 1960s and 1970s.
He created the distinctive speaking style of the Daleks with Peter Hawkins, another voice actor, and described their method in an interview with The Mirror in 2015.
“We adopted this staccato style, then they fed it through a synthesiser to make it more sinister,” he said.
Born into a working-class North London family, Graham was a radar mechanic for the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.
After the war, he took a job as a desk clerk but disliked it and moved to New York to join a theatre company.
On his return to the UK, he established a foothold in television and appeared on screen in the first two episodes of Doctor Who alongside William Hartnell, the first actor to play the titular character.
Voicing the villains
He became the voice of the Daleks in 1963, voicing the villains in all four of their major appearances while Hartnell was the Doctor.
In 1965, Graham worked on Thunderbirds, the sci-fi television series that saw a secret organisation trying to save the world, in which he voiced the characters Gordon Tracy, Brains, Aloysius Parker and Kyrano.
He would reprise the role of Parker for an ITV remake of the show in 2015, called Thunderbirds Are Go!
He said at time: “I am triple-chuffed to be on board the new series… and reprising my role of dear old Parker with such a distinguished cast.”
In his later years, Graham was also the voice of Grandpa Pig in the TV series Peppa Pig, and also provided the voice for characters in Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.
His in-person acting roles also included Coronation Street and Casualty.
‘Grand old age of 99’
The son of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, the TV producer Jamie Anderson said in a statement to the PA news agency he was “very sad to confirm that David has passed away at the grand old age of 99”.
He added: “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. David was always kind and generous with his time and his talent. And what a talent.
“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.”
The official account of Anderson said on X: “David was always a wonderful friend to us here at Anderson Entertainment. We will miss you dearly, David. Our thoughts are with David’s friends and family.”