Quick Facts
Biography
Tim Whitnall (born 27 June 1961 in Canvey Island, Essex) is an English playwright, screenwriter and actor known for playing Angelo in the long-running CITV series Mike and Angelo and narrating the pre-school children's TV programme Teletubbies. He currently co-provides voices in Thomas & Friends.
Career
He has starred in many West End musicals including Elvis, Grease, The Rocky Horror Show and Good Rockin' Tonight.
He worked extensively in film, TV and radio and presented (and wrote for) the BBC School's series, "The Music Arcade" (with Lucie Skeaping), "Into Music", "Time and Tune", "Music Workshop" and "Let's Sing". He has provided many voice-overs and vocals for TV commercials, animations and jingles.
Whitnall's theatre play The Sociable Plover, first performed at Old Red Lion Theatre in 2005, 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. 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.
Whitnall's stage-play Morecambe – a tribute to the late comedian Eric Morecambe – won a Fringe First Award 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 and won the 'Best Entertainment' category.
In 2012 BBC Four screened Whitnall's 90-minute drama Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story, 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.
Since 2014, Whitnall has provided the voices of the characters Timothy and Reg and since 2015 Mike, Jerome and Oliver the Excavator in the CGI version of the British TV series Thomas & Friends.
Personal life
He lives in Richmond, Surrey with his partner, Anna Murphy, with whom he has a production company, Feather Productions Ltd.
Filmography
Actor
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Famous Fred | Additional Vocals | |
| 2000 | Teletubbies: Christmas in the Snow | Narrator | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Like Other People Do | Rich Man | Short |
| 2010 | Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island | Edison King Oberon Snow Beast Bitten | |
| Devil's Playground | News Anchor | ||
| 2014 | Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave | Timothy and Reg | UK/US voice; Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins | Jerome | UK/US voice; Direct-to-video |
| Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | Mike and Oliver the Excavator | UK/US voice | |
| 2016 | Thomas & Friends: The Great Race | Timothy and Mike | UK/US voice |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Play with the Teletubbies | Narrator |
| The World Is Not Enough (Nintendo 64 and Playstation) | Davidov |
Screenwriter
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Hide | "The Sociable Plover" |
Television
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1986 | And There's More | ||
| 1990–2000 | Mike and Angelo | Angelo | |
| 1997–2001 | Teletubbies | Narrator | (UK version) |
| 2005 | Fifi and the Flowertots | Aunt Tulip, Stingo | Recurring cast |
| 2006–2009 | Underground Ernie | Hammersmith, Jubilee, Paris, and Osaka | Voice over |
| 2007 | The Beeps | Sleepy Beep | |
| 2007–2010 | Roary the Racing Car | Mr. Carburettor, Farmer Green, and Dinkie | UK/US Voice cast |
| 2008–2009 | The Mr. Men Show | Mr. Lazy and Mr. Nervous | (UK version) |
| 2010 | Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story | TV movie | |
| 2012–2015 | Tree Fu Tom | Zigzoo, Stink, Squirmtum, Chezz and Rickety McGluman | Main cast |
| 2013 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Episode: "Greenshaw's Folly" | |
| 2014–present | Thomas & Friends | Timothy (UK/US), Reg (UK/US), Mike (UK/US), Jerome (UK/US), Oliver the Excavator (UK/US) and The Deputy Minister (UK/US) | Recurring role; UK/US |
| 2015 | Jake and the Never Land Pirates | Captain Ander | Recurring cast |
Awards and nominations
| 2009 | "The Scotsman" Fringe First Award | Innovation and outstanding new writing | Morecambe | 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 |
| 2103 | Broadcasting Press Guild Award | Best Single Drama Shared with Paul Frift and James Strong | Nominated |