Brian Cobby
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Brian Cobby | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 31 October 2012 | (aged 83)
Education | City of Oxford High School for Boys |
Alma mater | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation(s) | Voice artist and actor Telephone exchange worker |
Years active | 1950s–2007 |
Known for | Voice of the Speaking clock (1985–2007) |
Parent(s) | Sydney and Amy Cobby |
Brian Cobby (12 October 1929 – 31 October 2012)[1] was an English actor and telephone exchange worker who, in 1985, became the first male voice of the British speaking clock.
Early life
Cobby was born in
Cobby started singing while attending Ealing Academy, before becoming a chorister at Worcester College, Oxford and, later, the City of Oxford High School for Boys, where he won a competition to perform at St Paul's Cathedral. It was during this time that Cobby's love for acting grew, and he visited the Oxford Playhouse every week. One day he noticed an advertisement for a job for a young boy or girl at the Playhouse; this turned out to be sweeping the stage, but the manager encouraged him to continue his studies and later return to acting.
After completing his education, Cobby was called up for
, where he became a disc jockey, interviewer and announcer.Acting career
Upon his return to England, he decided to pursue acting, and attended the
During the 1960s, Cobby voiced many television advertisements, including ones for
Speaking clock voice
When the machinery behind the
Cobby's speaking clock was inaugurated on 2 April 1985 and his voice was used until 2 April 2007, when it was replaced with that of Sara Mendes da Costa.
Thunderbirds claim
Cobby has frequently been cited as the (uncredited) voice of the countdown that plays during the title sequence of the 1960s puppet TV series Thunderbirds,[5][6][7] and indeed said so himself.[8] However, the year that he cited (1965) post-dates the recording of the series, which started in 1964. Although Cobby was contracted by the BBC for a similar recording, this may only have been for a Tracy Island children's toy.
Thunderbirds producer Gerry Anderson maintained that the countdown was recorded by Peter Dyneley, who provided the voice of Jeff Tracy for both the series' 32 episodes and its two film sequels:
- Question: An actor by the name of Brian Cobby has claimed that he was the voice of the famous '5-4-3-2-1 Thunderbirds are go!' countdown, whereas the voice sounds just like Jeff Tracy voice artist Peter Dyneley. Can you please confirm, just for the record, who the actual voice artist was? Ian Fryer, Bradford, W. Yorks
- Answer: Sorry, but I haven't got a clue who Brian Cobby is, Ian! Does anyone really believe that we'd hire a different actor to record those eight words in preference to the talented team of artists we'd already assembled to perform in the series? I remember the countdown as being one of the hardest voice recording sessions as it wasn't just a case of someone coming in and reading out the lines. The actor had to really emote, and only an actor who had been involved in the production and understood what it was about could really do it. No, anyone who's heard the Thunderbirds countdown knows that it is Peter Dyneley.[9]
Death
Cobby died on 31 October 2012, aged 83, following a series of health problems.
Selected filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | The Tell-Tale Heart | ||
1960 | The Nudist Story | Bob Sutton | Lead Role |
1961 | The Breaking Point | Peter de Savory | a.k.a. The Great Armored Car Swindle |
1961 | The Pursuers | Daly | Season 1: Episode 37: "The Contract" |
1961 | The Cheaters | First Mate | Season 1: Episode 10: "The Schemers" |
1961 | Another World: Island of the Solan Goose | Narrator | Documentary for Granada Television |
1961 | Another World: Folk of the Sea | Narrator | Documentary for Granada Television |
1962 | Richard the Lionheart | Captain | Season 1: Episode 21: "A Marriage of Convenience" |
1962 | Fate Takes a Hand | Mark | |
1963 | Calculated Risk | Police Constable | |
1964 | Sir Basil Spence | Narrator | Associated British Pathé |
1964 | Men of our Time – Hitler[10] | Narrator | Documentary for Granada Television |
1965 | The New Men | Narrator | Associated British Pathé |
1965 | Crane | Lev | Season 3, Episode 12: "The Death of Karloff" |
1966 | The British Motor car | Narrator | Associated British Pathé |
1972 | The Man Outside | Season 1, Episode 1: "The Last Target" | |
1973 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | De Beers Director | Season 2, Episode 2: "Five Hundred Carats" |
1974 | Death or Glory Boy | Rifles Major | Season 1, Episode 3: "Early Breakfast" |
1985 | The Detective | Newsreader | Season 1, Episodes 1 and 5 |
1988 | Paris By Night | Foreign Secretary | |
1996 | Evita | Hortensio Quijano | |
2011 | Danziger Studios: The Untold Elstree Story | Himself |
References
- ^ Walker, Emily (4 November 2012). "Speaking clock actor Brian Cobby Dies Aged 83". The Argus. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ Barker, Dennis (5 November 2012). "Brian Cobby Obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ "Brian Cobby". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017.
- ^ "The Creed of the Kroman | Doctor Who World".
- ^ 10 Things We Didn't Know Last Week – BBC News, November 2005
- ^ Profile published in the Insight between 2001 and 2004 – Voice of the Speaking Clock
- ^ The 22 April 2008 edition of BBC One's University Challenge attributed the voice-over to Cobby.
- ^ "In 1965, I did one of my most famous voice-overs: the countdown for Thunderbirds." – Waitrose Food Illustrated, October 2002 Archived 12 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gerry Anderson: "Ask Anderson" in FAB News, Issue 58 (Vol. 12, No. 2), p. 11.
- ^ "The Paley Center for Media". The Paley Center for Media.
External links
- Brian Cobby at IMDb
- BFI Profile