Royce Mills obit

Obituary: Royce Mills, actor and voice of the Daleks

 

He was not on the list.

ROYCE Mills, who has died aged 77, was an actor and director perfectly at home in light comedy. With high cheekbones and a toothy smile, he exemplified the eager, bumbling, upper class English “silly ass”. Decades with Ray Cooney’s Theatre of Comedy Company gave way to annual performances as a pantomime dame, where he enjoyed himself greatly, as did his audiences.

An expert at appearing bemused by more worldly characters, he once made an entrance on a skateboard, in Dick Whittington, and performed a nightly fall down a flight of stairs in Love’s A Luxury (1997). Regularly heard on BBC radio productions from 1968 onwards, nonetheless the voice-over work he was most proud of was for the Daleks, in three Doctor Who stories between 1984 and 1988. The key to it, he said was to “hold your nose and use a really old microphone”.

He was born Anthony Royce Mills in Tetbury in Gloucestershire. He maintained that when his mother became unable to pay for his schooling at Eastbourne College, he earned the fees by working in the town’s hotels, at his headmaster’s suggestion. He also began performing, in cabaret shows by visiting performers. He originally entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama intending to study design, but by 1966 had switched to drama, winning several prizes.

Graduating the following year, he quickly became part of the “permanent company” at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, followed by the Bristol Old Vic in 1969, and the Theatre Royal, Windsor in 1972. Throughout his career and into the 21st century, he regularly returned to these venues; another favourite was The Mill at Sonning, in Berkshire, often directing and in Cooney’s work. Theatrical gossip asserted that he travelled in a mobile home.

Mills made his West End debut in a revival of The Boy Friend (Comedy, 1967). His television debut was in Oh Brother! (BBC, 1969), starring Derek Nimmo, with whom he re-teamed in See How They Run (Shaftesbury, 1984), under Cooney’s auspices. Of his TV appearances as a stooge for Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Dick Emery and Les Dawson, Mills said “I always seemed to be in a bowler hat.”

He played the weedy, ode-spouting Nausius, son of the household attended to by Lurcio (Frankie Howerd), in the film of Up Pompeii (1971), and a variation in its sequel Up The Chastity Belt (1972). From 1977 to 1991, he was a regular on the Radio 4 satire show Week Ending.

Mills supported Joan Plowright and Helen Mirren in The Bed Before Yesterday (Lyric Hammersmith, 1975), a new comedy by the 89-year-old Ben Travers, directed by Lindsay Anderson. The mid-1970s saw him extending into producing and directing touring stage plays, usually farces. Again at the Arnaud, he was in the original production of Cooney’s Run For Your Wife in 1982, returning several times during its West End run.

He supported Peter O’Toole in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell, playing several acquaintances of the dissolute journalist, at the Apollo in 1989, and again at the Old Vic ten years later. He told O’Toole biographer Robert Sellers that initially, the star “didn’t trust me at all”, but relations became cordial once O’Toole realised Mills was a fellow product of the Bristol Old Vic. At the Savoy in 2000, for the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, he was well cast as Pooh-Bah in The Mikado.

His wife Emma, and daughters Samantha and Miranda, survive him.

Actor

Danny Dyer, Denise Van Outen, and Sarah Harding in Run for Your Wife (2012)

Run for Your Wife

2.7

Man in Church Hall

2012

 

Peter Firth and Nicola Walker in MI-5 (2002)

MI-5

8.3

TV Series

Toby McInnes (uncredited)

2002

1 episode

 

David Peachey in Bernard's Watch (1997)

Bernard's Watch

7.1

TV Series

Mr. Arnold

2001

1 episode

 

Peter O'Toole in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell (1999)

Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell

8.4

TV Movie

1999

 

Polterguests (1999)

Polterguests

7.4

TV Series

Mr. Diprose

1999

1 episode

 

Out of Sight (1996)

Out of Sight

7.8

TV Series

Wally Upton

1998

1 episode

 

Patricia Routledge in Keeping Up Appearances (1990)

Keeping Up Appearances

7.9

TV Series

Dorian

1992

1 episode

 

Fiddlers Three (1991)

Fiddlers Three

6.7

TV Series

Salesman

1991

1 episode

 

The Bill (1984)

The Bill

6.7

TV Series

Mahon

1991

1 episode

 

Windsor Davies and Donald Sinden in Never the Twain (1981)

Never the Twain

6.6

TV Series

First Man

1990

1 episode

 

George Cole in Minder (1979)

Minder

7.8

TV Series

Andrew

1984–1989

4 episodes

 

Gareth Hale and Norman Pace in Hale and Pace (1986)

Hale and Pace

7.7

TV Series

Various Characters

1988

1 episode

 

Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)

Doctor Who

8.4

TV Series

DaleksDalek VoiceDalek Voices

1984–1988

7 episodes

 

Edward and Friends (1987)

Edward and Friends

7.6

TV Series

(voice)

1987

9 episodes

 

The Kenny Everett Television Show (1981)

The Kenny Everett Television Show

7.2

TV Series

Various

1982–1986

4 episodes

 

Fresh Fields (1984)

Fresh Fields

6.6

TV Series

Mr. Gardner

1986

1 episode

 

The Laughter Show (1984)

The Laughter Show

4.6

TV Series

Dr. Zordas

1986

1 episode

 

Bob Monkhouse in The Bob Monkhouse Show (1983)

The Bob Monkhouse Show

6.0

TV Series

Hooray Henry

1986

1 episode

 

Alice in Wonderland (1985)

Alice in Wonderland

6.6

TV Series

Dormouse (voice)

1985

2 episodes

 

See How They Run (1984)

See How They Run

7.4

TV Movie

Rev Lionel Toop

1984

 

Real Life (1984)

Real Life

5.8

Andrew Bazzard

1984

 

Robert Gillespie and Pauline Yates in Keep It in the Family (1980)

Keep It in the Family

7.0

TV Series

Barry

1983

1 episode

 

Tears Before Bedtime

TV Series

Dennis

1983

1 episode

 

Caroline Ellis and Royce Mills in The Cut Price Comedy Show (1982)

The Cut Price Comedy Show

5.7

TV Series

1982–1983

10 episodes

 

Kelly Monteith in Kelly Monteith (1979)

Kelly Monteith

7.4

TV Series

1982

2 episodes

 

Noele Gordon in Crossroads (1964)

Crossroads

4.4

TV Series

Gilbert Latham

1981

25 episodes

 

History of the World: Part I (1981)

History of the World: Part I

6.8

Duke D'Honnefleur - The French Revolution

1981

 

Dick Emery in The Dick Emery Show (1963)

The Dick Emery Show

6.8

TV Series

Hugh RhodesMr. ChalmersJeremy

1974–1981

6 episodes

 

Jim Davidson in The Jim Davidson Show (1979)

The Jim Davidson Show

4.7

TV Series

1980

2 episodes

 

Martin Jarvis and Diane Keen in Rings on Their Fingers (1978)

Rings on Their Fingers

6.2

TV Series

KenGraham

1978–1980

4 episodes

 

Bob Hoskins in Sheppey (1980)

Sheppey

TV Movie

Mr. Bolton

1980

 

The Knowledge (1979)

The Knowledge

7.6

TV Movie

Taxi Passenger

1979

 

Mike Yarwood in Persons (1976)

Mike Yarwood in Persons

6.8

TV Series

Tom Thing, ReporterHost: Confrontation sequenceInterviewer

1977–1979

3 episodes

 

Sykes (1972)

Sykes

7.3

TV Series

Dr. Pinto

1979

1 episode

 

Tropic (1979)

Tropic

7.1

TV Series

Group Captain Walters

1979

1 episode

 

Bernie (1978)

Bernie

5.3

TV Series

1978

1 episode

 

Come Back Lucy (1978)

Come Back Lucy

7.7

TV Series

Uncle Peter

1978

6 episodes

 

The Les Dawson Show (1978)

The Les Dawson Show

7.4

TV Series

Various characters

1978

1 episode

 

Inigo Pipkin (1973)

Inigo Pipkin

7.9

TV Series

City Gentleman

1978

1 episode

 

Marti

TV Series

1977

1 episode

 

The Tomorrow People (1973)

The Tomorrow People

7.1

TV Series

Dr. Taylor

1977

1 episode

 

Stanley Bates, Geoffrey Hayes, and Roy Skelton in Rainbow (1972)

Rainbow

6.9

TV Series

Cross Man

1977

1 episode

 

Look, Mike Yarwood!

6.6

TV Series

Various Roles

1975

1 episode

 

Alan Dobie in The ITV Play (1968)

The ITV Play

TV Series

Captain Style

1975

1 episode

 

Shades of Greene (1975)

Shades of Greene

7.8

TV Series

The Fiancé

1975

1 episode

 

The Kids from 47A (1973)

The Kids from 47A

7.9

TV Series

Peter Stephens

1974

1 episode

 

Armchair Theatre (1956)

Armchair Theatre

7.6

TV Series

Usher

1973

1 episode

 

Sir Yellow

4.0

TV Series

The King

1973

1 episode

 

Comedy Playhouse (1961)

Comedy Playhouse

7.4

TV Series

Grahame Toms

1972

1 episode

 

Diana Dors, Tony Caunter, Freddie Fletcher, Barrie Rutter, and Brian Marshall in Queenie's Castle (1970)

Queenie's Castle

7.2

TV Series

Robert

1972

1 episode

 

The Chastity Belt (1972)

The Chastity Belt

5.2

Knotweed

1972

 

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Sunday Bloody Sunday

6.9

Bob's Partner

1971

 

Coppers End

7.2

TV Series

P.C. Dinkie Dinkworth

1971

13 episodes

 

Up Pompeii (1971)

Up Pompeii

6.0

Nausius

1971

 

Patrick O'Connell and Joanna Van Gyseghem in Fraud Squad (1969)

Fraud Squad

7.0

TV Series

John MerrihewMr. Thomas

1969–1970

2 episodes

 

Ronnie Corbett and Henry McGee in No - That's Me Over Here! (1967)

No - That's Me Over Here!

7.1

TV Series

2nd. Man

1970

2 episodes

 

Rules, Rules, Rules

TV Series

Troupe #1

1970

1 episode

 

Ronnie Barker in Hark at Barker (1969)

Hark at Barker

7.5

TV Series

Trouserless Man

1970

1 episode

 

Doctor in the House (1969)

Doctor in the House

7.4

TV Series

Dr. Dave Peters

1970

1 episode

 

BBC Play of the Month (1965)

BBC Play of the Month

7.0

TV Series

Philip Drummond

1969

1 episode

 

Derek Nimmo in Oh Brother! (1968)

Oh Brother!

7.3

TV Series

1969

1 episode

 

Self

The Dalek Tapes (2006)

The Dalek Tapes

7.9

Video

Self

2006

 

On the Piste

TV Movie

Self - Narration (voice)

1987

 

Bing Crosby in Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas (1977)

Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas

8.0

TV Special

Self - Messenger

1977

 

The Rather Reassuring Programme

TV Series

Self

1977

 

Archive Footage

Heroes of Comedy (1992)

Heroes of Comedy

6.7

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

1995–2002

2 episodes

 

Monkey Business (1993)

Monkey Business

7.6

Video

Self - PG Tips Chimp (archive sound, voice)

1993