Peter Tuddenham (27 November 1918 – 9 July 2007) was a British actor. He was well known for his voice work, and provided the contrasting voices of the computers in the science-fiction series Blake's 7 (BBC, 1978–1981).

Life and career

Tuddenham was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, and raised in the nearby seaside town of Felixstowe. He made his professional debut before the Second World War, in repertory at Hastings. 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 dom ...

, he appeared in

Stars in Battledress Stars in Battledress (SiB) was an organisation of entertainers who were members of the British Armed Forces during World War II. History In Britain, during the Second World War, entertainment was considered an essential to keep morale high. I ...

.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 called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's ''

Ace of Clubs The ace of clubs is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Ace of Clubs may also refer to: * Ace of Clubs (comics), a DC Comics supervillain * Ace o' Clubs, a DC Comics Comics bar owned by Bibbo Bibowski * ''Ace of Clubs'' (musical), a 19 ...

'', which had a moderate run in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

. Tuddenham's first appeared on television in an early ITV production ''The Granville Melodramas'' (1955), with Hattie Jacques and John Le Mesurier. 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's book. Tuddenham became the dialogue coach for Hall's 1985 production at Glyndebourne of Benjamin Britten's opera, '' Albert Herring'', 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 depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' stories ''The Ark in Space'' and ''The Masque of Mandragora'', in 1975 and 1976. He was then cast in Blake's 7, providing the voices of the computers. 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'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and '' Double First''. 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 Actors from Ipswich British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Service Corps soldiers