Dave Thompson (comedian)

Dave Thompson (born 1 July 1960) is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer, who hit the headlines in July 1997 after being removed from the role of Tinky Winky in the children's television series Teletubbies after 70 episodes. The BBC said in a letter to Thompson that his "interpretation of the role was not acceptable".[1][2]

Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson performing at Downstairs at the Kings Head, a stand-up comedy venue in Crouch End, North London
Born (1960-07-01) 1 July 1960
Bristol, England
MediumStand-up, film, television
Years active1979–present
GenresSketch comedy, observational comedy
Notable works and rolesTeletubbies
Websitewww.davethompson.org.uk

In an interview for The Pod Delusion, Thompson revealed that his contract had already been terminated at the end of the first series filming – some time before the media allegations concerning Tinky Winky had emerged. He also claimed that a number of other Ragdoll Productions staff had been fired at the same time, the implication being that the mainstream media account of his termination was incorrect.

Thompson recounted bursting into tears upon learning the news of his termination. In interviews, he supposed that the dubbing of his voice, unlike the other actors, was an indication of dissatisfaction over his performance.[3]

Thompson later appeared in the 2000 Ben Elton film Maybe Baby as Dave the Comedian/Mrs. Furblob. He also appeared in Harry Hill's live tour Hooves as the minor characters of the Horse, the ballboy and the Greek man who grabs Harry's neck. Thompson also made appearances in each night of Hill's Hooves tour.

Filmography

Film
  • Hardcore (1979) - Willem
  • Area (1989) - Doctor
  • Huge (2010) - Martin Luckhust
  • The Harry Hill Movie (2013) - Brain Number Two
  • Down the Back of the Sofa (2017) - Himself/Host

Television

Production credits

Writer

Books
  • Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed Malcolm Hardee & John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0-09-188924-3; ISBN 978-0-09-188924-1
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References
  1. Thorpe, Vanessa (27 July 1997). "Tantrums in Teletubbyland as Tinky Winky gets the elbow". The Independent. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  2. Network News (2010). "interview with a teletubby". earthlydelights.co.uk. p. 2. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  3. Kitterick, Bernadette (30 July 1997). "I burst into tears, says axed Teletubby". Bristol Evening Post. p. 5.
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