Creator / Michael Angelis

"Luckily, no one was hurt."

"It's got a charm all of its own."

Michael Angelis, born Nicholas Michael Angelis, (29 April 1944 — 30 May 2020), was a British actor best known for narrating Thomas & Friends from 1991 to 2012.

After training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow, he appeared in (among smaller roles) The Liver Birds as Carol's brother, Lucien Boswell. In 1980, he appeared in an episode of Play for Today, "The Black Stuff", as tarmac layer Chrissie Todd. Angelis returned to the role two years later in all five episodes of Boys from the Blackstuff.

In 1991, he appeared in six episodes of G.B.H. as Martin Niarchos. That same year, he took over the role of narrator in Thomas & Friends from Ringo Starr in the show's third series. Barring the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad (although he voiced James, Percy, Splatter, and Dodge in the original workprint) and special The Great Discovery, Angelis remained with the series until the end of Series 16 in 2012. He was the series' longest-serving narrator.

When Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was revived in 2002, he was cast as Mickey Startup, a nightclub owner and gangster. In 2011, he attended a reunion for Boys from the Blackstuff with several of the other cast members.

He died of a heart attack at the age of 76.

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Works on TV Tropes he appeared in:

Film

• Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000) — James/Percy/Splatter/Dodge (The Other Marty)
• Calling All Engines (2005) — Narrator
• Hero of the Rails (2009) — Narrator
• Misty Island Rescue (2010) — Narrator
• Day of the Diesels (2011) — Narrator
• Blue Mountain Mystery (2012) — Narrator

Series

• Z Cars, 2 episodes:
  • "Week Off" (1972) — Bobo
  • "Bits an' Bats" (1974) — Trev
• Coronation Street, 6 episodes (1972) — Franny Slater
• Play for Today, episode "The Black Stuff" (1980) — Chrissie Todd
• Minder, episode "The Dessert Song" (1980) — Nick
• Boys from the Blackstuff, 5 episodes^{show list}"Jobs for the Boys", "Moonlighter", "Shop Thy Neighbour", "Yosser's Story", "George's Last Ride" (1982) — Chrissie Todd
• The Professionals, episode "Lawson's Last Stand" (1982) — Lew Clarke
• Reilly, Ace of Spies, 2 episodes^{show list}"The Last Journey", "Shutdown" (1983) — Artuzov
• Bergerac, episode "Holiday Snaps" (1983) — Tony Morel
• Bread, 1 episode (1989) — Mr. Cossack
• G.B.H., 6 episodes^{show list}"It Couldn't Happen Here", "Only Here on a Message", "Send a Message to Michael", "Message Received", "Message Understood", "Over and Out" (1991) — Martin Nirachos
• Thomas & Friends, 336 episodes (1991-2012) — Narrator
• Between the Lines, episode "Lest Ye Be Judged" (1992) — Detective Inspector Kendrick
• Lovejoy, episode "Second Fiddle" (1993) — Tommy Norris
• CASUAL+Y, 4 episodes:
  • "Boiling Point" (1993) — Gordon McCauley
  • "Shame the Devil" (1995) — Jez Ingrams
  • "Trust" (1998) — Ollie Yates
  • "Sweetie" (2015) — Stanley Momford
• A Touch of Frost, episode "Penny for the Guy" (1997) — Reggie Stansfield
• Harry Enfield and Chums, episode "Harry Enfield and Christmas Chums" (1997) — Man
• Holby City, episode "Staying Out" (2000) — Eddie Burke
• Heartbeat, episode "With This Ring" (2000) — Frank McCready
• Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, 4 episodes^{show list}"Bridging the Gap", "Heavy Metal", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Another Country" (2002) — Mickey Startup
• Midsomer Murders, episode "The Axeman Cometh" (2007) — Nicky Harding
• The Bill, episode "Good Cop, Bad Cop" (2007) — Martin Donnelly

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