Tim Whitnall
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
Tim Whitnall | |
|---|---|
 Whitnall at BFI London in 2013 | |
| Born | Timothy Charles Whitnall 27 June 1961 Canvey Island, Essex, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Timothy Charles Whitnall (born 27 June 1961) is an English actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is known for playing Angelo in the long-running CITV series Mike and Angelo and narrating the BBC children's TV programme Teletubbies from 1997 to 2001.[1] As a writer, he has won a BAFTA and an Olivier Award for his work on TV movie Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story and play Morecambe. He is also a voice actor, providing voices on such shows as Fifi and the Flowertots, Roary the Racing Car and Thomas & Friends.
Career[]
Whitnall began his career in West End musical Elvis in 1977 after winning the role in an open call audition.[2] has starred in many West End musicals including Grease, The Rocky Horror Show, and Good Rockin' Tonight.[3]
After making TV appearances for the musicals he was involved in, he began a career in television - presenting (and writing for) the BBC Schools series, "The Music Arcade" (with Lucie Skeaping), "Music Time", "Time and Tune", "Music Workshop", and "Let's Sing".[4] He also began making appearances as an actor, playing Jake in ITV children's drama The All Electric Amusement Arcade and Paul in Play for Today episode Not for the Likes of Us.
He has provided many voice-overs and vocals for TV commercials, animations, and jingles. From the late 1980s to the channel's demise in 2000, he was an announcer on The Children's Channel, also providing the voice to the station's early 1990s mascot Link Anchorman.[5]
In 1990, he succeeded Tyler Butterworth in the role of alien Angelo in Children's sci-fi sitcom Mike and Angelo. He portrayed the character for ten series, until the show's end in 2000.[6]
Whitnall's theatre play The Sociable Plover, first performed at Old Red Lion Theatre in 2005,[7] was made into a feature film by Poisson Rouge Pictures and Solution Films (re-titled as The Hide) and received its UK première on Film4 in February 2009.[8] Following its screen release at the ICA Cinema, London, the film was released on DVD in January 2010. For this work, Whitnall was nominated for Best First Feature Length Screenplay category in the 2010 Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards.[citation needed]
Whitnall's next play Morecambe – a tribute to the late comedian Eric Morecambe – won a Fringe First Award[9] for 'innovation and excellence in new writing' at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show opened at London's Duchess Theatre the following December and toured the UK through 2010. The piece was nominated in two separate categories in the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards[10] and won the 'Best Entertainment' category.[11]
In 2012, BBC Four screened Whitnall's 90-minute drama Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story,[12] which examined and celebrated the life of Kenny Everett. It was directed by James Strong, produced by Paul Frift and starred Oliver Lansley and Katherine Kelly. For it, Whitnall won the Breakthrough Talent Award in the 2013 BAFTA Television Craft Awards.[13]
During 2014, Whitnall joined the cast of the CGI version of the British TV series Thomas & Friends, providing the voices of the characters Timothy, Reg, Mike, Jerome, Oliver the Excavator and the UK version of Max.
Personal life[]
Whitnall lives in Richmond, London[14] with his partner, Anna Murphy, with whom he has a production company, Feather Productions Ltd.[15]
Filmography[]
Actor[]
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Play for Today | Paul | Episode: "Not for the Likes of Us" |
| 1980 | The Music Arcade | Presenter | |
| 1983 | The All Electric Amusement Arcade | Jake | Main cast |
| 1986 | C.A.T.S. Eyes | Jack | Episode: "Freezeheat" |
| 1989 | The Bill | Rodgers | Episode: "Found Offending" |
| 1989 | Bergerac | Desk Constable | Episode: "A True Detective" |
| 1989–2000 | Mike and Angelo | Angelo | Main cast |
| 1997–2001 | Teletubbies | Narrator | UK version |
| 2001 | The Wheels on the Bus | Beep, Jasper, Additional voices | |
| 2003–2004 | MechaNick | All male characters | |
| 2005-10 | Fifi and the Flowertots | Aunt Tulip, Stingo and Hornetto | UK/US |
| 2006 | Underground Ernie | Hammersmith, Jubilee, Paris, and Osaka | Voice over |
| 2007 | The Beeps | Sleepy Beep | |
| 2007–10 | Roary the Racing Car | Plugger, Mr. Carburettor and Farmer Green | UK/US |
| 2008–09 | The Mr. Men Show | Mr. Lazy and Mr. Nervous | UK version |
| 2012–15 | Tree Fu Tom | Zigzoo, Stink, Squirmtum, Chezz, and Rickety McGluman | Main cast |
| 2014–present | Thomas & Friends | Max Timothy, Reg, Mike, Jerome, Oliver the Excavator and The Deputy Minister |
UK Version Recurring roles |
| 2021 | DinoCity | Dad | Main cast |
Stage[]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Elvis | Young Elvis | London Astoria |
| 1979 | Grease | Doody | London Astoria |
| 1981 | Godspell | Jesus | Young Vic Theatre |
| 1991 | The Rocky Horror Show | Riff-Raff | Picadilly Theatre, London |
| 1996-1997 | Elvis (revival) | Middle Elvis | UK Tour |
| 1998-1999 | Four Steps to Heaven | Elvis, Eddie Cochran | UK Tour |
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire | Member of Billy the Kid's entourage | |
| 1996 | Famous Fred | Additional Vocals | |
| 2000 | Teletubbies: Christmas in the Snow | Narrator | Direct-to-video |
| 2005 | Renart the Fox | Renart (English dub) | |
| 2008 | Like Other People Do | Rich Man | Short |
| 2010 | Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island | Edison, King Oberon, Snow Beast and Bitten | |
| Devil's Playground | News Anchor | ||
| 2014 | Tale of the Brave | Timothy and Reg | Voice; Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Thomas (the Tank Engine) & Friends: The Adventure Begins | Jerome | |
| Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | Oliver the Excavator and Mike | Voice | |
| 2016 | Thomas & Friends: The Great Race | Timothy and Mike | |
| 2018 | Thomas & Friends: Big World Big Adventures! | Timothy and a Moai Head |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Play with the Teletubbies | Narrator | UK |
| 2000 | The World Is Not Enough | Charles Robinson |
Screenwriter[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Hide | Based on his play "The Sociable Plover" |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | And There's More | |
| 2010 | Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story | TV movie |
| 2013 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Episode: "Greenshaw's Folly" |
| 2021 | The Mallorca Files | Episode: "The Blue Feather" |
Stage[]
| Year | Title | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Harry's Web | Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| 2005, 2010 | The Sociable Plover | Old Red Lion, Inner London; UK Tour |
| 2006 | The Fabulist | Old Red Lion, Inner London |
| 2008, 2014 | Morecambe | Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh; UK Tour |
| 2018 | Once Seen on Blue Peter | Chiswick Playhouse, London; Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh |
| TBA | Notes from a Small Island | Arts Theatre, Cambridge |
Discography[]
- Elvis - The Original Cast Albums (1978)
- 20 Years On 77-97 (with Darrel Higham & The Enforcers)(1997)
- Even Warren Beatty (with Matthew Strachan) (2002)
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "The Scotsman" Fringe First Award | Innovation and outstanding new writing | Morecambe | Won |
| 2010 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Entertainment | Won | |
| 2010 | Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award | Best First Feature-Length Film Screenplay | The Hide | Nominated |
| 2013 | British Academy Television Craft Award | Breakthrough Talent | Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story | Won |
| 2013 | Broadcasting Press Guild Award | Best Single Drama Shared with Paul Frift and James Strong |
Nominated |
References[]
- ^ Young, Graham (18 August 2009). "Say eh-oh again to Teletubbies; TOUR: Hit children's TV stars back with nationwide dance dates". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
- ^ "Elvis 77". Keith Strachan. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Tim Whitnall". Ovrtur. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Radiophonic Workshop - Music Arcade". BBC. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Television". Bonner Animation. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Mike & Angelo". Glad You Remember. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Taggart, Bronagh (2005). "The Sociable Plover". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Olivier awards nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "From a play without a venue to a first for the Olivier Awards". The Independent. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ Frost, Vicky (3 April 2012). "BBC to celebrate Kenny Everett". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Television Craft - Breakthrough Talent in 2013". BAFTA. 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ "Feather Productions". Featherproductions.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
External links[]
- Tim Whitnall at IMDb
- Tim Whitnall on Discogs
- 1961 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- English dramatists and playwrights
- English male dramatists and playwrights
- English male screenwriters
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English male voice actors
- English screenwriters
- Male actors from Essex
- People from Canvey Island