He was one of TV’s most famous people – but few would have recognised him in the street.
The affection with which millions held ‘Our Graham’ was felt yesterday after it emerged the legendary voice behind Blind Date has died aged 90.
Graham Skidmore’s instantly recognisable voice set the tone for for dating show, hosted by Cilla Black, which ran from 1985 to 2003.
Graham, who went on to do voiceovers for BBC 2’s Shooting Stars, died in December, with his passing only coming to light now.
The father of three and grandfather of five had vascular dementia and spent his final years living in Kent.
He was one of a number of TV legends whose voices are more famous than their faces…
Peter Dickinson
X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent would not be the same without his booming announcements of acts.
Known as The Voiceover Man, he has been on both shows since began. But over the years he has also lent his distinctive tones to more than 100 others and 30,000 adverts – including Dairylea and Branston Pickle.
Belfast-born, Peter began his career at the BBC in 1978 as a journalist. He later became an announcer and Terry Wogan’s newsreader.
The 64-year-old lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife Barbara and has two grown-up sons. He founded the Gravy for the Brain training academy in 2013, which offers online courses for budding voiceover artists the world over.
Redd Pepper
With his deep, booming voice, Redd is one of Hollywood’s go-to guys for movie trailers, and he’s voiced more than 100 including Jurassic Park and Men In Black.
The beginning to his career is also worthy of a film itself.
As a train driver on the London Underground he pranked people by stopping between stations, turning off the lights and saying: “This is your driver speaking… or is it?’ A TV boss heard his voice and gave him his card, leading to adverts and his first film trailers for Independence Day and Space Jam.
Redd, who has insured his vocal cords for £10million, now has an estimated worth of around £1m.
Iain Stirling
Reality dating show Love Island wouldn’t be the same without his witty – and occasionally savage – comments on the islanders’ antics.
Iain, 34, has been involved for the past eight series, and this year he will be bringing his Scottish accent to the revamped US show.
Iain, who is married to Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore, is a comedian, a regular on Celebrity Gogglebox and starred in ITV2 sitcom Buffering.
He revealed he is scared to speak in public because fans instantly recognise his voice.
“I’d go from having 30 people come to see me do stand-up to people asking me to do voice notes on the Tube,” he said.
Natalie Casey
Natalie is one face you might recognise, either as Carol Groves on Hollyoaks, or Donna Henshaw on Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
But you might not have realised that it’s her cheeky Northern tones that narrate Dinner Date.
After taking over from Charlotte Hudson in 2014, Natalie’s sneering comments about the hapless hosts quickly became one of its most distinctive features.
Natalie, 42, who also co-presented Big Brother ’s Little Brother with Dermot O’Leary in 2001, has continued to act in plays and musicals. She lives in Greenwich, south London, and is married to fellow actor Paul Kemp.
Dave Lamb
With his double entendres and cutting comments, Dave is seen by many as the best thing about reality cooking show Come Dine With Me.
His wry ad-libbing made him such a star that he appeared on screen as a presenter in the show’s Champion of Champions special. Children might recognise him as the presenter of the CBBC game show Horrible Histories: Gory Games.
An actor and comedian before making his name from the voiceover booth, the 53-year-old first hit TV screens in British Indian sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
Dave, who lives in Brighton, has also appeared in EastEnders, Only Fools and Horses prequel Rock & Chips, and sitcom Miranda.
Peter Hawkins
His voice still evokes nostalgia among those who remember 1950s children’s TV classics, including Bill and Ben.
Peter also voiced Big Ears and Mr Plod in The Adventures of Noddy, the Daleks and the Cybermen in early Doctor Whos and was the original voice of Zippy on Rainbow during its first year.
In the 80s and 90s the policeman’s son from Brixton, South London, was the voice of Money, a walking pound sign in the Access credit card ads. Peter was married to Rosemary and they had a son.
He retired in 1992 after treatment for a brain tumour left him with short-term memory. Peter died in 2006 aged 82.
Marcus Bentley
His Geordie twang as he narrated events in the Big Brother house became more famous than most of the reality show’s contestants.
Marcus was arguably one of the most recognised voices on TV during his heyday. He talked viewers through every one of Big Brother’s 18 series from 2000, after producers gave him the job because they liked the way he said “chickens”.
Born in Gateshead, he now lives in Bristol and in recent years has continued to do voiceover work. Jobs include the unseen question master on Sky One quiz show Dirty Money.
Marcus, who has three children with wife Jools, could reprise his most famous role if rumours BB will be revived on ITV2 are true.
