Roy Skelton, who is long-remembered as the voice of the Daleks in Classic Doctor Who, has passed away at the age of 79. Skelton had his first step into acting after leaving school and joining the National Association of Boys’ Club Travelling Theatre, and then eventually training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

After a variety of parts on the BBC, Skelton became known as a voice actor, which led to his first role as the voice of the Daleks in 1967’s The Evil of the Daleks, a Classic Doctor Who adventure featuring Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. Skelton continued the Dalek role in Doctor Who until 1988, and also became the voice of other enemies, including the Cybermen and the Krotons.

While to international fans he is known as the Dalek voice, in areas such as the UK and Australia, he is also remembered as the voice of Zippy and George on the children’s television show Rainbow. The show was highly popular during the 1970s, and continued until its cancellation in 1992.

His Zippy and George success eventually became a hit on the internet when it was revealed the cast made a special “sexual innuendo” episode, as a sketch for a Christmas Tape, often referred to as “The Twanger Episode.” The clip remained in obscurity for a few decades, until it was unearthed and leaked onto the internet – confusing many people who didn’t realize the clip wasn’t filmed for children, but as a joke for adults.

I’m sure that several of our Geeks of Doom readers will recognize the classic joke, which you can view with the other videos below.

Skelton died at his home in East Sussex after suffering from a stroke. He has had a major impact on British television, and will be remembered not only by his fans in the UK, but across the world as well. He is survived by his wife Hillary and their two daughters.

Roy Skelton
July 20, 1931 – June 8, 2011

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[Sources: BBC | The Mary Sue | The Telegraph | Wikipedia]