Lambeth Fantastical - July 2025
Peter Hawkins - Voice of the Daleks and More
Lambeth born voice actor, Peter Hawkins died 19 years ago on the 8th of July 2006. Hawkins was born in Hargwyne Street in Brixton on April 3rd 1924. His father was a chief inspector in the police force and his mother was a professional piano player. It was said he acquired his vocal skills from his mother's ability to mimic neighbours and relatives.
His break in television came in the 1950s when he voiced the puppet character in the children's TV show 'Whirligig'. But his big breakthrough came when he invented 'oddle-poddle', the nonsense language of 'Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men', in the classic BBC 'Watch With Mother' series. He also voiced the Spotty Dog in another 'Watch with Mother' series, 'The Wooden Tops' and was the voice of Billy Bean in the 30 episode series 'Billy Bean and His Funny Machine'. He met his wife, Rosemary, when they were both voicing characters for another children's series, 'Toytown'.
In 1963, along with fellow voice actor, David Graham, Hawkins was asked to come up with a suitable voice for robotic monsters which had been created for a new BBC science fiction series. The series was Doctor Who and the monsters were the Daleks. A voice modulator being used as a door prop in the BBC sounds workshop was utilised and the pitch of the voice increased as the creatures became more agitated. The Daleks became a huge success and school playgrounds across the country echoed to the sound of school children mimicking the Dalek cry of 'exterminate!' in the style developed Graham and Hawkins. All in all Hawkins appeared in 51 Doctor Who episodes, mostly voicing the Daleks, but also becoming the voice of the Cybermen when they were introduced into the series in 1966. He also voiced the Daleks in the two big screen Amicus movies in the mid sixties, the stage play 'Curse of the Daleks', and an episode of the sci-fi series 'Out of the Unknown', which was licensed by the BBC to use a Dalek.
Beyond his Doctor Who connections Hawkins voiced all of the characters in the 99 episodes of 'Captain Pugwash' and all of the character in the 33 episodes of 'Sir Prancalot'. He was was the original voice of Zippy in 'Rainbow' and the narrator for 44 episodes of 'Bleep and Booster' a sci-fi series which was featured on 'Blue Peter'. In the 1980s he voiced characters in animated series such as 'Super Ted', 'The Family Ness' and 'Jimbo and Jetset'.
He also had numerous character acting roles in crime shows such as 'Softly Softy' and worked alongside comedy legends Dick Emery, Dave Allen, and Ronnie Barker as well as making appearances in the radio versions of 'Steptoe and Son', 'The Likely Lads', and 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.
His final voice role for television was as the narrator and the voice of a little red car in the in the 13 episodes of 'Little Brrm' in 1992.
The voice he helped create for the Daleks has stood the test of time and remains their distinctive voice over six decade later whenever they pop up to menace the Doctor and his companions.
For more about Lambeth's Doctor Who connections listen in to the Lambeth Tour Guides Podcast 'Who in Lambeth'.
Or join me on an upcoming Doctor Who walk in Waterloo.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment