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Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Doctor Who, Thunderbirds and Peppa Pig icon's staggering will uncovered
The iconic voice actor David Graham, known for playing key voices in shows such as Doctor Who, Thunderbirds and Peppa Pig left a staggering amount in his will following his death last year An iconic voice artist's will has been revealed following his death last year. David Graham died last year aged 99, leaving fans of Doctor Who, Thunderbirds and Peppa Pig devastated. And now, probate documents show the star left an estate with a net value of £1,235,001. The gross value rose to £1,242,770. His nephew Jonathan Smith is said to have been among the beneficiaries, receiving 20 per cent of the estate. It's said his will was made in 2010. His niece Elizabeth Rehfeld reportedly was given 30 per cent, while smaller percentages were left to the actor's friends. Among them were fellow Doctor Who star Christopher Benjamin. In a note to him, David said: "I would like Christopher to know that this small gift is a token of my gratitude for his devoted friendship to me throughout my professional life. Man has no better friend." Sadly, Christopher died in January this year, so he never had the opportunity to read the note. David also donated money to a number of charities. These included Prostate Cancer Charity, the Nightingale House Home for the Ages Jews, the North London Hospice, the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture, Jewish Care, Save the Children Fund, World Jewish Relief and the Actors Benevolent Fund. David was the voice of Aloysius Parker, the butler and chauffeur in Thunderbirds. He also appeared in its film sequels, as well as being the voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who. More recently, he was best known for his voice as Grandpa Pig on kid's animation Peppa Pig. The character, married to Granny Pig, is the father of Mummy Pig and Aunt Dotty and was called "Papa Ig" by his grandson George. He also was heard on another kids show, Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, shown on Channel 5. He voiced the characters of Wise Old Elf and Mr Gnome. He also had brief appearances in ITV's Coronation Street, The Bill and London's Burning and BBC dramas Doctors and Casualty. He had roles in a number of other drama, comedy, and crime shows, including The Saint and The Avengers. Anderson Entertainment and Jamie Anderson, the son of legendary TV and film producer Gerry Anderson, shared the news of David's passing last year on his late father's official social media account. Jamie, whose father created the science fiction television series alongside his wife Sylvia Anderson, described the late star as "a wonderful friend" who will be missed "dearly". Sharing the news of David's death on X, formerly called Twitter, the managers of Gerry's profile wrote: "We're incredibly sad to confirm the passing of the legendary David Graham. "The voice Parker, Gordon Tracy, Brains and so many more. David was always a wonderful friend to us here at Anderson Entertainment. We will miss you dearly, David. Our thoughts are with David's friends and family."
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Thunderbirds & Doctor Who legend famed for being voice of the Daleks leaves behind eye-watering amount in will
ACTOR David Graham - the voice of cockney chauffeur Parker in the Thunderbirds - left a £1.2million fortune in his will, probate documents reveal. Voice artist Graham, who Advertisement 8 Jamie Anderson, son of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, with David Graham Credit: X 8 David Graham with a Thunderbirds' Parker puppet Credit: Rex 8 Parker, from Thunderbirds Credit: Alamy 8 Graham played the widely-loved character Grandpa on Peppa Pig Credit: YouTube 8 Daleks are the most famous baddies on Doctor Who Credit: BBC He later wowed generations of children as Peppa Pig's lovable Grandpa, and as the Wise Old Elf in Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. His will saw him leave an estate valued at £1,235,001 - most of which was passed on to his niece Elizabeth Rehfeld and nephew Jonathan Smit, who both live in the He found fame as Lady Penelope's croaky-voiced driver Parker - a cult TV figure whose famous 'Yus, m'lady' expression is still a popular catchphrase. Parker, a reformed safecracker, drove his employer Lady Penelope around in a pink Rolls Royce in Thunderbirds and won immortality among the show's legions of fans. Advertisement Read more Showbiz Graham - born into a Jewish household in London in 1925 - provided voices for many other characters in all 32 episodes of the much repeated hit show, which first ran in the mid-1960s. The inspiration for the voice of Aloysius 'Nosey' Parker was said to have been a Explaining how they based the character on him, Graham said in an interview: 'A lovely 'I looked at Gerry and Gerry looked at me. We kept him talking and it turned out that he had 'worked for 'is majesty at Advertisement Most read in Showbiz Breaking Exclusive Graham provided the voices of up to seven different characters in the each of the episodes including that of Gordon Tracy, Kyrano - the Tracy family's loyal servant - and Brains. He provided some of the voices for the Daleks first appearances on David Tennant tells Doctor Who haters to 'f--k off' in hilarious new The Assembly trailer as he gets a grilling And, from 2004 onwards Graham won million of new fans as the voice behind Grandpa in the smash-hit cartoon series He gave Grandpa a jovial, faltering upper-class voice that helped give the character an upbeat but occasionally grumpy nature. Advertisement And his distinctive tones came through as the Wise old Graham, who served as an RAF radar mechanic during World War Two, later trained as an actor in His time in the US helped him to pick up an American accent which proved useful in his later voice artist career on his return to the UK. He also provided the voice of Advertisement Graham, who lived in Hampstead, His will also stipulate donations to And he left a small chunk of his fortune to a local friend, Christopher, or his wife. The probate document said: "I would like Christopher to know that this small gift is a token of my gratitude for his devoted friendship to me throughout my professional life. Man has no better friend." Advertisement 8 David Graham in 2017 had the legendary role of voicing the Daleks on Doctor Who Credit: PA 8 Thunderbirds puppets Lady Penelope and Parker outside Planet Hollywood, central London Credit: Alamy 8 Graham at the BAFTA Kids TV Preview Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Thunderbirds & Doctor Who legend famed for being voice of the Daleks leaves behind eye-watering amount in will
EXCL LAST GIFT Thunderbirds & Doctor Who legend famed for being voice of the Daleks leaves behind eye-watering amount in will Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ACTOR David Graham - the voice of cockney chauffeur Parker in the Thunderbirds - left a £1.2million fortune in his will, probate documents reveal. Voice artist Graham, who died aged 99 last September, was familiar to millions as the voice of the Daleks on BBC's Doctor Who. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 8 Jamie Anderson, son of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, with David Graham Credit: X 8 David Graham with a Thunderbirds' Parker puppet Credit: Rex 8 Parker, from Thunderbirds Credit: Alamy 8 Graham played the widely-loved character Grandpa on Peppa Pig Credit: YouTube 8 Daleks are the most famous baddies on Doctor Who Credit: BBC He later wowed generations of children as Peppa Pig's lovable Grandpa, and as the Wise Old Elf in Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. His will saw him leave an estate valued at £1,235,001 - most of which was passed on to his niece Elizabeth Rehfeld and nephew Jonathan Smit, who both live in the United States. He found fame as Lady Penelope's croaky-voiced driver Parker - a cult TV figure whose famous 'Yus, m'lady' expression is still a popular catchphrase. Parker, a reformed safecracker, drove his employer Lady Penelope around in a pink Rolls Royce in Thunderbirds and won immortality among the show's legions of fans. Read more Showbiz TRICKY ONE Desperate Millionaire player uses TWO lifelines on tough £8k Prince question Graham - born into a Jewish household in London in 1925 - provided voices for many other characters in all 32 episodes of the much repeated hit show, which first ran in the mid-1960s. The inspiration for the voice of Aloysius 'Nosey' Parker was said to have been a cockney waiter that served Graham and Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson at a pub lunch. Explaining how they based the character on him, Graham said in an interview: 'A lovely grey-haired old gentleman came over and said, 'Would you like to see the wine list, sir?' 'I looked at Gerry and Gerry looked at me. We kept him talking and it turned out that he had 'worked for 'is majesty at Windsor Castle'.' Graham provided the voices of up to seven different characters in the each of the episodes including that of Gordon Tracy, Kyrano - the Tracy family's loyal servant - and Brains. He provided some of the voices for the Daleks first appearances on Doctor Who although the words were electronically processed to give them their distinctive sound. David Tennant tells Doctor Who haters to 'f--k off' in hilarious new The Assembly trailer as he gets a grilling And, from 2004 onwards Graham won million of new fans as the voice behind Grandpa in the smash-hit cartoon series Peppa Pig. He gave Grandpa a jovial, faltering upper-class voice that helped give the character an upbeat but occasionally grumpy nature. And his distinctive tones came through as the Wise old Elf in magic-themed British animated series Ben and Holly. Graham, who served as an RAF radar mechanic during World War Two, later trained as an actor in New York after being invited to the city by his sister who had married an American GI. His time in the US helped him to pick up an American accent which proved useful in his later voice artist career on his return to the UK. He also provided the voice of Big Brother in the landmark TV advert, first screened during the 1984 US Superbowl, that introduced the world to the Apple Macintosh computer. Graham, who lived in Hampstead, north London also played on-screen roles in Coronation Street and Casualty as well as the scientist Professor Kerensky in Doctor Who. His will also stipulate donations to Prostate Cancer, The Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture, the Actors Benevolent Fund, a north London hospice and two Jewish charities. And he left a small chunk of his fortune to a local friend, Christopher, or his wife. The probate document said: "I would like Christopher to know that this small gift is a token of my gratitude for his devoted friendship to me throughout my professional life. Man has no better friend." 8 David Graham in 2017 had the legendary role of voicing the Daleks on Doctor Who Credit: PA 8 Thunderbirds puppets Lady Penelope and Parker outside Planet Hollywood, central London Credit: Alamy
