Last updated January 2007
Category: The Archers
Printable version
Colin Skipp got his first taste of acting at a very early age.
His father worked at
Gainsborough Film Studios in Islington, London and Colin and his brother Derek were
asked to appear in the background in films like When The Bough Breaks, Meet The
Huggetts, Waterloo Road and Holiday Camp.
On leaving school Colin became a messenger boy for the J Arthur Rank film
organisation.
He then joined some dramatic societies and began acting in stage
plays.
He gained a scholarship to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
and, on leaving, acted in repertory companies in Manchester, Birmingham and
Sheffield followed by summer seasons in Keswick, Plymouth, Frinton and
Guernsey.
It was in Guernsey that Colin met the woman who would become his
wife, actress Lisa Davies, whom he married in 1970 and who later gave birth to
their daughter, Nova.
While performing in Birmingham Colin was contacted by Tony Cornish, a producer
at the BBC.
Their meeting led to a lot of TV and radio work for Colin,
including the TV play Look Back in Anger.
In 1967 Tony Cornish also recommended Colin to Tony Shryane, who was then
producer of BBC Radio 4's The Archers. Forty years later and Colin still plays
Tony Archer.
It's a role Colin thoroughly enjoys playing, partly because Colin sees Tony as
the polar opposite of himself: about ten per cent brain and 90 per cent brawn.
"That's the beauty of radio acting," says Colin, "you're cast because of what
you can do not what you look like."
Away from Ambridge Colin directs stage plays. When Bill Kenwright was running a
touring theatre in St Annes, Lancashire, Colin directed plays for his company
(1976).
For five years (1974-80) Colin was also resident director for the St
Annes Pier Company of Plays (The Centenary Players).
