The death of Ronnie Le Drew, the man behind beloved puppet Zippy on the British children’s show Rainbow, has put a spotlight on what became of the programme’s cast after the show ended in 1992. Le Drew, who passed away aged 78 following a short illness, was just one of a roster of performers whose post-Rainbow lives veered in dramatically different directions , from Sainsbury’s shelf-stacking to voicing Daleks.
The British Puppet Guild, of which Le Drew had served as president for a decade, announced his death on Monday. “Ronnie has been our president for 10 years, possibly the most active and supportive president we have ever had or will have,” the guild said in a statement. “He meant so much to so many, and the legacy of his life will live on.” He is survived by his two children, Liz and John.
Ronnie Le Drew: From debt collector to puppet legend
Le Drew came to Rainbow in 1974, a former debt collector who stepped in after back injuries sidelined previous Zippy operators. He became both the puppeteer and voice of the puppet during the show’s 1994 reboot. His career extended well beyond the zip-mouthed creature: he worked on films including Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors and The Muppet Christmas Carol, and operated the original Bill and Ben puppet in an Ideal Home Exhibition advert.
In 2019, Le Drew released a tell-all memoir, Zippy And Me: My Life Inside Britain’s Most Infamous Puppet, which shattered the show’s wholesome image by revealing a backstage culture of heavy drinking and off-colour antics involving the puppet characters. He told The Guardian in 2015: “We got so much more money than a puppeteer could ever have dreamed of.”
Geoffrey Hayes: From Rainbow house to Sainsbury’s
Perhaps the most poignant post-show story belongs to Geoffrey Hayes, who hosted Rainbow from 1973 until the programme ended, replacing original presenter David Cook. After the cameras stopped rolling, Hayes struggled to find steady work. He drove taxis and spent two nights a week stacking shelves at his local Sainsbury’s.
“Other actors thought me mad because I never minded coming in on days off to rehearse,” Hayes told the Express in 2015. “I never earned vast amounts, but at least it was a regular income for 20 years, even if it didn’t make me a millionaire.” He said the show’s secret was that it was full of “magic, innocence and imagination,” and that fans regularly reduced him to near tears with their gratitude. “Practically all the time people come up to me and it really breaks me up because they thank me for being part of their childhood,” he said in 2002. Hayes died in October 2018 in hospital from pneumonia, with his wife Sarah and son Tom at his side.
Roy Skelton: Zippy, George and the Daleks
Roy Skelton voiced both Zippy and George and wrote around 100 scripts for the show, including Naughty Rainbow, a double-entendre-laden version that became a cult hit. Away from Rainbow, Skelton also voiced the Daleks in Doctor Who from 1967 to 1988, as well as the Cybermen and the Krotons. He reprised the role of Zippy in 2008 for the BBC series Ashes to Ashes. Skelton died in June 2011 aged 79 at his Brighton home after suffering a stroke followed by pneumonia, his daughter Samantha confirmed to the BBC.
The musical trio: marriages, divorce and heartbreak
The most tangled personal story from the Rainbow universe belongs to the show’s musical segment, Rod, Jane and Freddy. Jane Tucker initially married bandmate Rod Burton in 1976, but the pair divorced in 1979. When Freddy Marks joined the cast in 1980, he and Jane eventually became a couple, and the two married in 2016 at London’s Claridge’s hotel. Jane described their wedding as wanting to give friends and family “a knees up.”
Freddy died in May 2021 at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, Surrey, just four days after being admitted, having been diagnosed with cancer in January of that year and told he had only months to live. Jane said her final words to him were “I love you” and that her lasting memory of him was “the deep love he had for me.”
Rod Burton, for his part, received the Gold Badge Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in 1996 and is now reported to have semi-retired, though he continues to write music.
Bungle’s many lives
The role of Bungle the bear passed through several hands. John Leeson, the original Bungle, went on to voice K9 in Doctor Who and now works as a freelance wine lecturer on land and on cruises. Stanley Bates, who played Bungle from 1974 to 1989, appeared in Theatre Of Blood and The Tomorrow People before largely stepping away from television. Malcolm Lord, who took over from 1989 to 1992, became a sought-after pantomime Dame and in 2024 celebrated his 40th anniversary in panto. Paul Cullinan, who played Bungle until the show’s end, made a bid for post-Rainbow fame by auditioning for The Voice UK, but failed to win over the judges and was eliminated at the audition stage.
