Roy William Skelton (20 July 1931 – 8 June 2011) was an English stage, screen and voice actor best known for providing the voices of puppet characters Zippy and George in the British children's television series Rainbow. Born in Nottingham to John H Skelton and Dorothy (née Bromley), Skelton joined Rainbow in the early 1970s and performed on the series until its cancellation in 1992. Due to the fame of the characters, he continued to voice Zippy and George in guest appearances on television in series such as The Weakest Link, Harry Hill's TV Burp and Ashes to Ashes until his death. Skelton wrote over 150 episodes of Rainbow. As well as providing the Rainbow voices, Skelton also voiced several Doctor Who villains including the Daleks, Cybermen and the Krotons. He devised the voices of the Cybermen alongside fellow Doctor Who actor Peter Hawkins. He started performing the Daleks in 1967 (continuing the role from Peter whom he also replaced as Zippy on Rainbow) and notably performed in the Doctor Who specials The Five Doctors and The Curse of Fatal Death. In 2002, he guest-starred in Sarah Jane Smith: Test of Nerve, an audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions. Skelton died at his home in Brighton, East Sussex, on 8 June 2011, after suffering a stroke less than 2 months before his 80th birthday. Filmography Play It Cool (1962) - Mechanic #1 (uncredited) Night After Night After Night (1969) - Counsel There's a Girl in My Soup (1970) - Reporter (uncredited) Frenzy (1972) - CID Man (uncredited) References External links Obituary in The Independent 1931 births 2011 deaths English male television actors English male voice actors Actors from Nottingham