Peter Tuddenham (27 November 1918 – 9 July 2007) was a British actor. He was well known for his voice work, which included the voices of the computers in the BBC science fiction series ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...

'' (1978–1981).

Life and career

Tuddenham was born in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, Suffolk, and raised in the nearby seaside town of

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

. He made his professional debut before the Second World War, in repertory at

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

. In the wartime

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

, he appeared in Stars in Battledress.Gaughan, Gavin
"Obituary: Peter Tuddenham"
''The Guardian'', 2 August 2007 After the war he joined a production of Ivor Novello's '' The Dancing Years''; later, in 1959, BBC productions of this and another Novello musical, '' Perchance to Dream'', were among his early television appearances. In 1950 he appeared in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's '' Ace of Clubs'', which had a moderate run in the West End. Tuddenham first appeared on television in an early ITV production ''The Granville Melodramas'' (1955), with Hattie Jacques and

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...

. He had a regular role in Anglia Television's ''Weavers Green'' (1966), a short-lived, twice-weekly soap."Peter Tuddenham"
British Film Institute. Retrieved 11 May 2019 He provided the voice-over for ''Akenfield,'' Peter Hall's 1974 film treatment of

Ronald Blythe Ronald George Blythe (6 November 1922 – 14 January 2023) was a British writer, essayist and editor, best known for his work ''Akenfield'' (1969), an account of agricultural life in Suffolk from the Fin de siècle, turn of the century to the ...

's book. Tuddenham became the dialogue coach for Hall's 1985 production at Glyndebourne of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's opera, ''

Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...

'', which was televised on BBC2. Tuddenham appeared in radio dramas including the soap operas Mrs Dale's Diary and Waggoner's Walk, and became an off-screen voice in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' stories ''The Ark in Space'' and ''The Masque of Mandragora'', in 1975 and 1976. He was then cast in

, providing the voices of the computers Orac and Zen. Tuddenham reprised his roles in revivals for radio. In serious drama television drama Tuddenham frequently appeared in character roles, playing doctors and other figures of authority. Among these appearances were ''North and South'' (1975), ''The Lost Boys'' (1978), ''The Burston Rebellion'' (1985), and ''Anything More Would Be Greedy'' (1989), again for Anglia. In comedy he featured in ''Nearest and Dearest'', ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and ''

Double First The British undergraduate degree classification system is a Grading in education, grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and Master's degree#Integrated Masters Degree, integrated master's degrees in the United Kingd ...

''. According to an obituarist, "Tuddenham remained a genial character, and was an unfailingly popular guest at sci-fi conventions." Rosie, his second wife, and their son Julian survive him, together with a son from his first marriage. Another son predeceased him.

Filmography

References

External links

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Tuddenham profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuddenham, Peter 1918 births 2007 deaths English male television actors English male voice actors Male actors from Ipswich British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Service Corps soldiers Military personnel from Ipswich