Nigel Plaskitt (born 27 July 1950) is an English actor,

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...

, producer, and stage and television director.

Career

His voice and puppetry talents have appeared on television shows such as ''

Pipkins ''Pipkins'' (originally ''Inigo Pipkin'') is a British children's TV programme. Hartley Hare, Pig, Topov, Octavia and the gang were the stars of ATV's pre-school series which ran from January 1973 to 29 December 1981. ''Pipkins'' was one of the ...

'' (for which he provided the narration, as well as voicing and operating the characters of Hartley Hare and Tortoise), ''

Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a television in the United Kingdom, British satire, satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productio ...

'' and ''

Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet ''Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet'' (more commonly ''New Captain Scarlet'' or ''NCS'') is a British computer generated action-adventure reboot of the 1967 Supermarionation series, ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons''. Both series were ...

''. He has also contributed to films, such as

The Muppet Christmas Carol ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' is a 1992 American Christmas musical comedy drama film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'' by Charles ...

, ''

Muppet Treasure Island ''Muppet Treasure Island'' is a 1996 American musical swashbuckler comedy film directed by Brian Henson. It is the fifth theatrical film in ''The Muppets'' franchise. Adapted from the 1883 novel ''Treasure Island'' by Robert Louis Stevenson, s ...

'' and ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

''. Plaskitt appeared as Unstoffe in the four-part '' Doctor Who'' science-fiction serial ''

The Ribos Operation ''The Ribos Operation'' is the first serial of the 16th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 2 to 23 September 1978. This serial introduces Mary Ta ...

'' in 1978. 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 Oxymetazoline, sold under the brand name Afrin among others, is a topical decongestant and vasoconstrictor medication. It is available over-the-counter as a nasal spray to treat nasal congestion and nosebleeds, as eyedrops to treat eye redne ...

nasal spray from 1972 to 1981 and a one-off revival commercial in 1993. He was also the puppeteer behind the

ITV Digital ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc, owners o ...

PG Tips PG Tips is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom manufactured by Ekaterra. Brand name In the 1930s, Brooke Bond launched PG Tips in the tea market in the United Kingdom under the name ''Pre-Gestee'' - a variant of the original name "Digestive Tea ...

Monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incom ...

.Off The Telly interview
/ref> He also narrated

The Rev. W. Awdry Wilbert Vere Awdry (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997) was an English Anglican minister, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He was best known for creating Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas and several other characters he created appeared ...

's letter to

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

at the beginning of some UK and US broadcasts of ''

Thomas and Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

''. He has also been puppet coach and puppet director for the British Theatre, staging the UK tour of ''

Doctor Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in the ...

'', resident puppet consultant on the

West End production West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

of ''

Avenue Q ''Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of ...

'', and director of several shows — including ''Spitting Image'' colleague

Louise Gold Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End. Gold was raised ...

's cabaret act. He also was involved with the

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (character), 2-D (Singing, vocals, Musical keyboard, keyboards), Murd ...

Demon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House on 1–5 November 2005, as a PA for the puppets of

Murdoc Murdoc is a fictional character that appears in the ABC television series ''MacGyver'' and in the CBS reboot series of the same name. In both portrayals, Murdoc is an assassin and frequent antagonist of both series. Original series Murdo ...

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 ''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, D ...

, and they edged on the audience for an encore and the curtains then rose to an encore of Hong Kong and Latin Simone.

Filmography

Film

*'' Spy Story'' (1976) - Mason *''

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoun ...

'' (1977) - Hotel Receptionist (uncredited) *'' The Killing Edge'' (1984) - Man from labour camp *''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

'' (1985) - Additional Muppet Performer *''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptat ...

'' (1986) - Plant Pod Performer *''

'' (1992) - Additional Muppet Performer *''

'' (1996) - Additional Muppet Performer and Coordinator * ''Lost in Space'' (1998) Robot team *''

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers h ...

'' - (2000) Voice of the Mountain Troll *''

'' (2005) - Vogon Performer *''

Muppets Most Wanted ''Muppets Most Wanted'' is a 2014 American musical crime comedy film and the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Directed by James Bobin and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller, the film is a sequel to '' The Muppets'' (2011) and ...

'' (2014) - UK Muppet Performer and Coordinator *'' Come Away' (2020) - White Rabbit

Television

*''

Churchill's People ''Churchill's People'' is a series of 26 historical dramas produced by the BBC, based on Winston Churchill's ''A History of the English-Speaking Peoples''. They were first broadcast on BBC1 in 1974 and 1975. It was produced to mark the cente ...

'' (1975) - Soldier *''

Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

'' (1976) - Steward *''

'' (1976–1978) - Hartley Hare, Tortoise, Mooney the Badger, Uncle Hare, Angus McHare and Narrator *''

Owner Occupied Owner-occupancy or home-ownership is a form of housing tenure in which a person, called the owner-occupier, owner-occupant, or home owner, owns the home in which they live. The home can be a house, such as a single-family house, an apartment, c ...

'' (1977) - Corporal Klein *''The Sunday Drama'' - The Man Who Liked Elephants (1977) - Jingo *'' Doctor Who'' (1978) - Unstoffe *''

Golden Soak ''Golden Soak'' is a 1979 Australian-British mini series about an English mining engineer who travels to Australia. It was based on the 1973 book of the same title written by Hammond Innes.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1 ...

'' (1979) - Customs officer *'' Young at Heart'' (1981) - Kenneth *''

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'' (1982) - Martin Fisher *''

The Cleopatras ''The Cleopatras'' is a 1983 BBC Television eight-part historical drama serial. Written by Philip Mackie, it is set in Ancient Egypt during the latter part of the Ptolemaic Dynasty with an emphasis on the Cleopatras. Intended to be the ''I, C ...

'' (1983) - Lycon *''

'' (1984 - 1996) - Puppeteer *''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

'' (1985) - Man at pound *''

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic ''The Tale of the Bunny Picnic'' is a 1986 Easter TV special directed by Jim Henson and David G. Hillier. In the United States it was shown annually on HBO in the spring, usually during Easter time. It was later released on VHS in 1993. The film f ...

'' (1986) - Additional Muppet Performer *''

Treehouse A tree house, tree fort or treeshed is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a hang ...

'' (1987–1988) - Mr. Tree *''Hot Dog'' (1988) - Big Dog *'' Spooks of Bottle Bay'' (1992) - Sid Sludge, Teacher & others *'' The Secret Life of Toys'' (1994) - Mew *'' Roger and the Rottentrolls'' (1996-2000) - Aysgarth (puppetry) *'' Potamus Park'' (1997) - Herbie, Mo, Mindy *''

Round the Bend ''Round the Bend!'' is a satirical British children's television series, which ran on Children's ITV for three series from January 6, 1989, to May 7, 1991. The programme was produced by Hat Trick Productions for Yorkshire Television. After ...

'' (1988 - 1991) Vince Vermin *''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

'' (1999) - The Dormouse (voice) *''

Mopatop's Shop ''Mopatop's Shop'' is a children's television series that which premiered on CITV in the UK on 4 January 1999. 260 ten-minute episodes were made and aired daily. It was a co-production between Jim Henson Television and Carlton Television. After ...

'' (1999 - 2001) - Moosey Mouse, Bradley, Lamont *'' Combat Sheep'' (2001) - Moose *''

Ripley and Scuff Ripley and Scuff is a children's programme that was produced for ITV's children's strand CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It bro ...

'' (2002) - Ripley, Bargie *'' The Dan and Dusty Show'' (2004) - Dan *'' 21st Century Pipkins'' (2005) - Hartley Hare *''

'' (2005) - Captain Black, Doctor Gold, Stormtrooper (voices) *''

Five Minutes More "Five Minutes More" is a 1946 American pop song written by Sammy Cahn (lyrics) and Jule Styne (music). It is sometimes referred to as "Give Me Five Minutes More". It was featured in the movie '' Sweetheart of Sigma Chi'', sung by Phil Brito, and ...

'' (2006) - Faraway *''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'' (2004–2011) - Awdry's Letter Narrator (voice) *'' An Audience with Joe Pasquale'' - (2005) Gonzo's cousin Kevin *''

Bunnytown ''Bunnytown'' is an American children's television program that aired on Playhouse Disney in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as several other countries. Reruns of the show continued to air after their initial broadcast episode d ...

'' - (2007) - Lil Bad Bunny, King Bunny & Others *'' That Puppet Game Show'' (2013–2014) - Udders McGee, Hot Dog, Fenton & Announcer *'' Comic Relief: Monkey's Monumental Mission'' (2015) - Monkey *'' Monty & Co.'' (2020) - Monty, Snail, Charlie & Narrator & Producer

Video games

*''The Muppet CDROM: Muppets Inside'' (1996) - Additional voices Theatre * '' Doctor Dolittle - The Musical'' (1998) Puppet Coordinator and Director - West End and Tour * ''

'' - West end and Tours (2005 - ) Puppet Coach * ''Cupid and Psyche''
''The Little Angel Theatre''
(2001) Director * ''Louise Gold... by appointment'' (2002) Director * ''The Secret Garden
Little Angel Theatre
' - (2003) - Director * ''

Demon Days Live Demon Days Live was a limited concert tour performed by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their second studio album ''Demon Days''. Demon Days Live consisted of two residencies, with five shows played at the Man ...

'' - Manchester Opera House - (2005) - Murdoc Niccals * ''

'' - Menier Chocolate Factory - (2006) Plant Consultant * ''Peppa Pig's Party Live'' - West End and Tours - (2009) Puppet Coach * ''Peppa Pig's Treasure Hunt Live'' - West End and Tours - (2011) Director * ''Anglo the Musical'' - Kite Productions Dublin - Puppet Coach

References

Simon Sheridan's ''The A to Z of Classic Children's Television'' (Reynolds & Hearn books, 2004, reprinted 2007) . Features an interview with Nigel Plaskitt and his work on the series ''

''.

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plaskitt, Nigel 1950 births British puppeteers English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English puppeteers English television producers English theatre managers and producers Living people Muppet performers