- Marcus Clarke (puppeteer)
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Marcus Clarke 
Marcus Clarke talking with his PuppetsBorn 1967 (age 43–44) Nationality British Occupation Actor Known for Puppeteer, Voice Acting Website handsuppuppets.com Marcus Clarke is a puppeteer and voice actor from Nottinghamshire. He is best known as the puppeteer and voice actor behind the BAFTA-winning ITV Kids series Bookaboo and the principle puppeteer of Audrey II in the 1986 version of Little Shop of Horrors. Clarke has worked as a puppeteer in over 60 television series and has created a similar number of puppets. Clarke was also a puppeteer and voice actor in two Muppet feature films and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.
Contents
History
Marcus Clarke was born in Forest Gate, East London. He spent several years in Canada, Care and in Orphanages NCH before being settled in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire where he left West Bridgford School, his local Comprehensive School with no qualifications. After a series of jobs behind the scenes in theatres, he became Stage Manager in a West End production of Little Shop Of Horrors, where he looked after Audrey II - the giant plant. He became interested in the Art of Puppetry. Clarke went on to audition for Jim Henson's TV Puppeteering Workshop, where he befriended Brian Henson.[1]
Inspired in part by Henson, he and his partner, Helena Smee, formed a puppet creation company, "Hands Up Puppets", in 1986. To date, they have created more than 60 puppets and worked as puppeteers on a similar number of UK television series.[1]
Recent work
Bookaboo, 2009 BAFTA-award winning Kids TV Series has Clarke Puppeteering a "rock puppy" who is unable to play the drums before one of his friends has read him a story.[2] Designed to back the 2008 National Year of Reading campaign,[3] Bookaboo's friends are celebrities such as Meat Loaf and David Seaman.[4] Since 2009, Clarke has been working on new projects, teaching puppetry classes and working with charities. He created a short film with young people at Clayfields House, a secure children's home in Stapleford Clarke is also on the Board of Funny Wonders Inc. CIC Co-Organisers of the Buxton Puppet Festival.[4]
Awards
Clarke has been nominated for and won a number of awards, including two BAFTAs for Pre-school Live Action. The first was in 2004 for PJ's Storytime[5] and the second in 2009 for Bookaboo.[6] Bookaboo went on to win Best Children's Programme at the Broadcast Awards.[7] and its Catogory at the Prix Jeuness International. Clarke was also Milky Cat in The Christmas Milkshake Show nominated in the same category in 2009.[8] The young people in Clarke's Puppet Film Clayfields House won two writing awards from the Koestler Trust [4] and he has been listed as one of the "Prominent people in Nottinghamshire" in 2010 at the Nottinghamshire Archives.[9]
Filmography
Film
Year Role Film 1985 Audrey II principal puppeteer Little Shop Of Horrors 1988 Various puppeteering Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 1992 Additional Muppet performer (voice), Various puppeteering The Muppet Christmas Carol 1996 Additional Muppet performer (voice), Various puppeteering Muppet Treasure Island Television
Year Character Show Location/Company 1986 Devil The Storyteller The Jim Henson Company 1987 Ultragorgan, little Gorgan Monster Maker The Jim Henson Company 1988 Dog Playbox Ragdoll Productions 1989 Hotdog Hotdog/Treasure Box Thames Television 1990 Dapple, Millie, Stubble Dappledown Farm Clear Idea Television 1991 Crabtree Tricky Business BBC Television 1995 Void the Android, Hopper, Dreeb Children's Channel On-Air Presentation Starstream Productions 1996 Sid WoW ITV 1997 Venus Venus on the Hard Drive Fox Broadcasting Company 1997 Johnny Chimes Here's Johnny Chimes NBC 1998 Buzz Dottie and Buzz Prospect Pictures 1999 Patch Tickle Patch and Friends Series 1 Channel 5 (UK) 1999 Bird Tenth Kingdom Carnival Films 1999 Bag Big Bag Sesame Workshop 2000 Doogy Dog Smarteenies CBeebies 2000 Bird 10th Kingdom 2003 Cosy The Softies Channel 5 (UK) 2003 PJ PJ's Bedtime Playhouse Disney 2003 Dusty A House That's Just Like Yours Channel 5 (UK) 2004 PJ PJ's Storytime[5] Playhouse Disney 2005 Mr.Flapper Sandy and Mr. Flapper Two Hand Productions 2005 Patch Christmas Milkshake Channel 5 (UK) 2005 Ant Vent Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Granada Television 2006–2007 Patch Tickle Patch and Friends 1 & 2 Two Hand Productions 2007–2008 Milky The Milkshake Show Channel 5 (UK) 2008, 2010 Bookaboo Bookaboo (series 1 and 2)[6] ITV 2009 Producer Director and Performer Clayfields House Film 2009 Body Guard, Minder, Bouncer, Heavy This Morning ITV 2009 Salty Ticketmaster Monkey Channel 5 (UK) 2010 Puppetry Consultant BBC Learning Zone GameLab London References
- ^ a b Walker, James (4 November 2009). "Marcus Clarke interview". Leftlion.co.uk. http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/2730. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ "Puppeteer gets children's TV BAFTA for Bookaboo". BBC News. 4 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8390000/8390450.stm. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ Richardson, Anna (3 July 2008). "ITV to launch children's book club". The Bookseller. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/itv-launch-childrens-book-club.html. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b c Lowbridge, Caroline (31 December 2009). "Story-loving puppy drummer is a kids' TV hit". Nottingham Evening Post. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Story-loving-puppy-drummer-kids-TV-hit/article-1662653-detail/article.html. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b "BAFTA Children's Past Winners and Nominees". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=2004. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b "BAFTA Children's Awards 2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 29 November 2009. http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/awards-2009,879,BA.html. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ "Broadcast Award Winners International2010". www.broadcastawards.co.uk. https://www.emapawards.com/emap/frontend/reg/tOtherPage.csp?pageID=139443&ef_sel_menu=2209&eventID=102&eventID=102. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ Lowbridge, Claire (1 November 2009). "BAFTA nominations for Notts based puppeteers". Nottingham Evening Post. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/BAFTA-nominations-Notts-based-puppeteers/article-1471701-detail/article.html. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ "Unofficial Who's Who for Notts enters Archives". BBC News. 1 April 20101. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8405000/8405896.stm. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
External links
Categories:- Living people
- 1967 births
- People from Nottingham
- English puppeteers
- Muppet performers
- BAFTA winners (people)
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