Stephen Thorne
Encyclopedia
Stephen Thorne is a British
actor of radio, film, stage and television.
He trained at the RADA and after a time in weekly rep.
he played several seasons with the Old Vic Company
and the RSC
in Stratford and London including a tour to Russia. He has worked extensively in radio with over 2000 broadcasts for the BBC
including Uncle Mort
in the Radio 4
comedy series by Peter Tinniswood
.
...
His television credits include Z-Cars
, Crossroads and Doctor Who
. In Doctor Who he has played three major villains (Omega
, Azal and Eldrad), as well as an Ogron
. On radio he appeared in the BBC Radio 4
adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
playing the voice of Treebeard
, and also in their adaptation of Terry Pratchett
's Guards! Guards!
in which he portrayed Fred Colon (and also Death). He is also renowned for audio book narration.
Other television work includes Death of an Expert Witness
, David Copperfield
and Last of the Summer Wine
. He voiced Aslan
in the animated version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Thorne has reprised the character on the BBC radio adaptation of the same name. He has given many poetry readings on radio, television and tape and in venues from Westminster Abbey
to various pubs.
He has recorded over 300 un-abridged audiobooks which have earned critical acclaim in both the UK and the US. Awards include a Talkies Award 1996 for Enigma
by Robert Harris
and several Golden Earphones Awards from Audiofile Magazine.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor of radio, film, stage and television.
He trained at the RADA and after a time in weekly rep.
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
he played several seasons with the Old Vic Company
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...
and the RSC
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
in Stratford and London including a tour to Russia. He has worked extensively in radio with over 2000 broadcasts 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...
including Uncle Mort
I Didn't Know You Cared
I Didn't Know You Cared is a British television comedy set in a working class household in South Yorkshire in the 1970s, written by Peter Tinniswood and loosely based upon his books A Touch Of Daniel, I Didn't Know You Cared and Except You're A Bird...
in the Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
comedy series by Peter Tinniswood
Peter Tinniswood
Peter Tinniswood was an English radio and TV comedy scriptwriter, and author of a series of popular cricketing novels...
.
...
His television credits include Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, Crossroads and 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 Doctor Who he has played three major villains (Omega
Omega (Doctor Who)
Omega is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. In the context of the series, Omega is known as one of the founding fathers of the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, and is a revered figure in Time Lord history together with the equally...
, Azal and Eldrad), as well as an Ogron
Ogron
Ogrons are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The name may be derived from the mythological ogres....
. On radio he appeared in the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)
In 1981 the UK radio station BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 26 half-hour stereo instalments...
playing the voice of Treebeard
Treebeard
Treebeard is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The eldest of the species of Ents, he is said to live in the ancient Forest of Fangorn and stands fourteen feet in height and is tree-like in appearance, with leafy hair and a rigid structure. Fangorn Forest...
, and also in their adaptation of Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's Guards! Guards!
Guards! Guards!
Guards! Guards! is the eighth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989. It is the first novel about the City Watch. The first Discworld computer game borrowed heavily from Guards! Guards! in terms of plot.-Plot:...
in which he portrayed Fred Colon (and also Death). He is also renowned for audio book narration.
Other television work includes Death of an Expert Witness
Death of an Expert Witness
Death of an Expert Witness is an Adam Dalgliesh novel by P. D. James, published in 1977. It begins with the discovery of a murder of young girl. However, this is not the focus of the novel, but rather is used as a method to introduce us to the staff of a forensic laboratory, the background of this...
, David Copperfield
David Copperfield (novel)
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery , commonly referred to as David Copperfield, is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial...
and Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
. He voiced Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
in the animated version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Thorne has reprised the character on the BBC radio adaptation of the same name. He has given many poetry readings on radio, television and tape and in venues from Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
to various pubs.
He has recorded over 300 un-abridged audiobooks which have earned critical acclaim in both the UK and the US. Awards include a Talkies Award 1996 for Enigma
Enigma (novel)
Enigma is a novel by Robert Harris about Tom Jericho, a young mathematician trying to break the Germans' "Enigma" ciphers during World War II. It was adapted to film in 2001...
by Robert Harris
Robert Harris (novelist)
Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
and several Golden Earphones Awards from Audiofile Magazine.
External links
- List of audio books narrated by Stephen Thorne
- http://movies.nytimes.com/person/154789/Stephen-Thorne
- Stephen Thorne Interview at Best British TV