Nigel Plaskitt
Nigel Plaskitt (born 27 July 1950)[1] is an English actor, puppeteer, producer, and both stage and television director.
His voice and puppetry talents have appeared on television shows such as Pipkins (for which he provided the narration, as well as voicing and operating the characters of Hartley Hare and Tortoise), Spitting Image and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet. He has also contributed to films, such as Muppet Treasure Island and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Plaskitt appeared as Unstoffe in the four-part Doctor Who science-fiction serial The Ribos Operation in 1978. (Something to look out for in Part Two of this particular story is the scene where Unstoffe poses as a Shrieve guard, during which Plaskitt is heard to use a variation on his 'Tortoise' voice from Pipkins.)
In British television advertisements, Plaskitt appeared as the character Malcolm, a young man suffering from a heavy cold, in a series of commercials for Vicks Sinex nasal spray during the mid-1970s and again during the 1990s. He was also the puppeteer behind the ITV Digital/PG Tips Monkey.[2]
He also narrated The Rev. W. Awdry's letter to Christopher at the beginning of some UK and US broadcasts of Thomas and Friends.
He has also been involved with in the British Theatre, staging the UK tour of Doctor Dolittle, resident puppet consultant on the West End production of Avenue Q, and director of several shows — including Spitting Image colleague Louise Gold's cabaret act.
He also was involved with the Gorillaz Demon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House on November 1–5, 2005, as a PA for the puppets of Murdoc and 2D when they came out in the beginning of the show. The puppets of Murdoc and 2-D reappeared after the Main Set was over when the curtains fell after their choral outro, Demon Days, and they edged on the audience for an encore and the curtains then rose to an encore of Hong Kong and Latin Simone.
References
Simon Sheridan's The A to Z of Classic Children's Television (Reynolds & Hearn books, 2004, reprinted 2007) ISBN 1-903111-27-7. Features an interview with Nigel Plaskitt and his work on the series Pipkins.