Fans grieve for voice of Thomas
ACTOR Michael Angelis, who was the voice of Thomas The Tank Engine for millions of fans worldwide, has died aged 76.
Angelis, who also starred in Boys From The Blackstuff and The Liver Birds, died suddenly on Saturday at his Berkshire home which he shared with second wife Jennifer Khalastchi.
Paramedics raced to the house but he could not be revived. It is suspected he suffered a massive heart attack.
After taking over from Ringo Starr as narrator of the Thomas series in 1991, his rich Scouse baritone won the hearts of millions of children – and their parents and grandparents – as he voiced over 13 series of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
One fan tweeted: “Ringo Starr may have started it, but
Michael Angelis was the show. There’s a reason he was the narrator for over 20 years. He was just that good.”
Comic Matt Lucas described Angelis as “one of the greatest TV actors I’ve ever seen”.
He added: “His work with (screenwriter) Alan Bleasdale was tremendous.What a loss.”
Those sentiments were echoed by The Thick Of It writer Simon Blackwell, who described Angelis as “enormously funny”.
After training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow Angelis starred in a number of sitcoms, before finding fame in The Liver Birds from 1975 to 1978.
He played Lucien Boswell, the rabbit-obsessed brother of
Carol Boswell (Elizabeth Estensen). He also created a huge impression as Chrissie Todd, alongside Julie Walters, in Alan Bleasdale’s 1982 drama Boys From The Blackstuff.
On social media fan Laura Marie Brown said: “Yosser is the one everyone remembers from Boys From The Blackstuff, but Chrissie is the one who broke your heart in half.”
Angelis also appeared in Z Cars, Thirty-Minute Theatre and an episode of Coronation Street, as well as Minder and World’s End.
He played villain Mickey Startup in 1980s comedydrama Auf Wiedersehen Pet and in later years made appearances in Casualty,The Bill, Holby City and Heartbeat.
His last credited TV role came in 2012 in the Liverpool-set BBC drama Good Cop.
Angelis married Coronation Street actress Helen Worth
– who plays Gail Platt – in 1991 but they split in 2001, the year he marriedWelsh model Ms Khalastchi. He was at home with her when he collapsed, his agent said yesterday.