Graham George Skidmore (22 September 1931 – 27 December 2021) was a British voice artist and game show announcer, best known for providing the

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

for the television dating gameshow ''

Blind Date A blind date is a romantic meeting between two people who have never met before. Both parties arrange a date with little to no information about each other, hoping for the possibility of making a lasting impression. Typically, a family member or ...

'' on ITV from 1985 until 2002, in which host

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...

referred to him as "Our Graham". He was also known for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

comedy panel game '' Shooting Stars''.

Early life

Skidmore was born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

in 1931. He grew up in London and carried out his

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

. Skidmore wanted to be a physician, but he missed his final exams due to an ear infection. He was also due to fight in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, but he missed this for the same reason.

Career

In 1959, after taking singing lessons, Skidmore successfully auditioned for the musical ''Marigold'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

in London. He could be seen in a background role in the 1960 film ''

The Pure Hell of St Trinian's ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Cecil Parker, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell and Eric Barker. It was written by Launder, Sidney Gilliat and Val Valentine, and set in the fict ...

'', and also played a minor role in the 1961 film ''

The Day the Earth Caught Fire ''The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' is a 1961 British science-fiction disaster film directed by Val Guest and starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern, and Janet Munro. It is one of the classic apocalyptic films of its era. The film opened at the Odeon Ma ...

''. Skidmore was best known for being the voiceover on

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

's dating gameshow ''

'' from 1985 to 2002. Host

referred to him as "our Graham". In 2002, after viewing figures declined, Skidmore was sacked by letter from the show, being replaced by Tommy Sandhu. Skidmore also had a similar role as a voiceover artist on the

comedy panel game '' Shooting Stars'' with

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), commonly known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian and artist. He has a double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. He is known for his surreal sense of humour. In 2003, Ree ...

and

Bob Mortimer Robert Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May 1959) is an English comedian, author, television presenter, writer and actor. He is one half of the comedy double act Reeves and Mortimer with Jim Moir, Vic Reeves, and appears in the ''Mortimer & Whitehouse ...

, from 1993 to 2002, in which he introduced the show's contestants. He was a background character in the 1999 film ''

Eyes Wide Shut ''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Dream Story'' () by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's setting from earl ...

'', and appeared in person on '' The Justin Lee Collins Show'' in 2009. Skidmore found work as a photographic model, and appeared on advertising posters and in television commercials, both in person and as a voiceover.

Personal life and death

Skidmore married Pauline Mickleburgh in 1966. The marriage produced three children: a son and two daughters. He attended the funeral of ''Blind Date'' host Cilla Black in 2015. Skidmore suffered from vascular malignancy and

vascular dementia Vascular dementia is dementia caused by a series of strokes. Restricted blood flow due to strokes reduces oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain, causing cell injury and neurological deficits in the affected region. Subtypes of vascular dement ...

, which also affected his speech, during the last decade of his life, and spent his final years living in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. He died on 27 December 2021, aged 90, in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

, Kent, but his death was not made widely known until it was reported by the entertainment union Equity in June 2022.

References

External links

*
Graham Skidmore
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Graham Skidmore
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Skidmore, Graham 1931 births 2021 deaths English male voice actors Deaths from dementia in England Deaths from vascular dementia Game show announcers People from West Bromwich Radio and television announcers 20th-century British male actors 21st-century British male actors Military personnel from the West Midlands (county) Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers 20th-century British Army personnel