Eric Thompson
Encyclopedia
Eric Norman Thompson was an English
actor, producer
and television presenter.
Thompson was born in Sleaford
, Lincolnshire
, the son of George Henry and Anne Thompson, and grew up Rudgwick
, Sussex
, attending Collyer's School, Horsham
. He trained to be an actor at the Old Vic
acting school in London and joined the Old Vic theatre company in 1952.
He worked mostly for the BBC
, and was a presenter of the children's television programme Play School in the 1960s. He was best known as the narrator of The Magic Roundabout
, for which he wrote the English-language scripts, using the visuals from the French Le Manège Enchanté. These were transmitted between October 1965 and January 1977. Thompson rarely worked on television after his voice became well-known, but occasionally appeared in programmes such as Doctor Who
in the serial The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
in 1966.
Thompson was married to Scottish actress Phyllida Law
whom he met while at the Old Vic, and was the father of actresses Emma Thompson
and Sophie Thompson
.
in London three weeks after his 53rd birthday. His death was widely reported as he was well-known for his voice acting and narration.
In 1992, ten years after Thompson's death, fifty-two unseen episodes of The Magic Roundabout were broadcast on Channel 4. The adaptation and narration of the episodes was done by The Young Ones star Nigel Planer
in a pastiche of Thompson's style.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor, producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and television presenter.
Thompson was born in Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, the son of George Henry and Anne Thompson, and grew up Rudgwick
Rudgwick
Rudgwick is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England located six miles west of Horsham on the north side of the A281 road. The border between Surrey and Sussex runs through the northern part of the village....
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, attending Collyer's School, Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
. He trained to be an actor at the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
acting school in London and joined the Old Vic theatre company in 1952.
He worked mostly for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and was a presenter of the children's television programme Play School in the 1960s. He was best known as the narrator of The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout was a children's television programme created in France in 1963 by Serge Danot...
, for which he wrote the English-language scripts, using the visuals from the French Le Manège Enchanté. These were transmitted between October 1965 and January 1977. Thompson rarely worked on television after his voice became well-known, but occasionally appeared in programmes such as Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
in the serial The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 February to 26 February 1966...
in 1966.
Thompson was married to Scottish actress Phyllida Law
Phyllida Law
-Personal life:Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of William and Megsie Law, who divorced after World War II. She was married to Eric Thompson from 1957 until his death in 1982. Their two children Emma and Sophie Thompson are both actresses...
whom he met while at the Old Vic, and was the father of actresses Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
and Sophie Thompson
Sophie Thompson
Sophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
.
Death and legacy
On 30 November 1982 Thompson died of a pulmonary embolismPulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
in London three weeks after his 53rd birthday. His death was widely reported as he was well-known for his voice acting and narration.
In 1992, ten years after Thompson's death, fifty-two unseen episodes of The Magic Roundabout were broadcast on Channel 4. The adaptation and narration of the episodes was done by The Young Ones star Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
in a pastiche of Thompson's style.