Ronnie Le Drew
The beginnings
As a child, Ronnie loved puppets on television Muffin the Mule, Sooty, and Watch with Mother were the first puppets he saw, followed later by the Gerry Anderson puppet films such as Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. He performed some shows with Pelham Puppets - well three puppets anyway! At the council flat where he lived, he also performed with his Pollock's Toy Theatre in his bedroom, with stories including Hamlet, Maid and the Magpie and Treasure Island.
Professional beginnings
Ronnie made regular visits to the British Puppet Guild at St Gabriel's Hall, Pimlico London. There he met iconic Guild members Percy Press, Jan Bussell, HW Whanslaw, Waldo Lanchester, John Blundall and many more. He also visited the Educational Puppetry Association meeting Violet and Panto Philpott. And at fifteen years of age he visited the Little Angel Theatre, where he became John Wrights second apprentice, going on to learn every aspect of puppetry.
Television and films
While at the Little Angel Theatre, Ronnie worked on his first film, A Dandy in Aspic, and made many television appearances. In 1973, Ronnie started working on a pre-school programme called Rainbow. It was here that he operated Zippy and latterly voiced him too. He was employed for 20 years on the programme.
Along with the television work Ronnie has been employed by The Henson company, working on Labyrinth, various Muppet movies, and Little Shop of Horrors.
Most recently he worked on Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, where he was employed as an additional puppeteer with The Henson Company. In recent years he has enjoyed becoming a successful writer, with his book Zippy and Me telling the story of his lifetime of puppetry. Ronnie is currently the President of the British Puppet Guild, and works tirelessly as an ambassador for the puppetry community.