Ronnie Le Drew

Ronnie Le Drew was one of Britain's most beloved puppeteers — a warm, infectiously generous performer whose hands and voice gave life to characters that shaped the childhoods of generations. Born in Toronto, Canada, on 23 October 1947, he moved to Britain as a teenager, and at the age of 15, a single evening changed the course of his life: a production of The Little Mermaid at London's Little Angel Theatre left him utterly spellbound by the marionettes on stage. Despite his headmaster's scepticism, he walked through the theatre's doors and never looked back. He became the second apprentice ever taken on by the Little Angel's founder, John Wright, beginning a rigorous training in 1963 that encompassed every form of puppetry — marionettes, rod puppets, glove puppets, and tabletop puppets. His association with the Little Angel would span more than 30 years, from performer to director, and he was ultimately named an Honorary Associate of the theatre. In 1973, Ronnie joined the cast of Rainbow, ITV's colourful children's series conceived as Britain's answer to Sesame Street. The six-week contract, as he later recalled with a laugh, "lasted 20 years." As the operator and distinctive strangulated-squawk voice of Zippy — the cheeky, zip-mouthed know-it-all alongside George the hippo and Bungle the bear — Ronnie became a fixture of British childhood. The role ran through the original series until 1992 and continued into the 1997 revival. Beyond Rainbow, his career stretched across television and film with remarkable breadth. He operated Sweep on The Sooty Show and brought his craft to The Tommy Cooper Show, Michael Bentine's Potty Time, Playdays, and Mortimer and Arabel. On the big screen, he worked with Jim Henson Productions on Labyrinth (1986), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). He was also part of the ensemble behind Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019). Ronnie co-founded the London School of Puppetry with Caroline Astell-Burt and served as president of the British Puppet Guild for a decade — described by the Guild as possibly the most active and supportive president they had ever known, attending nearly every event, always performing, always telling stories. He received the prestigious Harlequin Award for best marionette operating and published his autobiography, Zippy and Me: My Life Inside Britain's Most Infamous Puppet, in 2019. He died on 27 July 2026, following a short illness, at the age of 78 — leaving behind his son John, family, and a puppetry community that adored him for his kindness, his generosity, and his infectious personality. The legacy of his life, and of Zippy's irrepressible squawk, will live on.