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Blind Date’s ‘Our Graham’ dies aged 90 as tributes pour in for legendary voiceover man
TRIBUTES have been paid to TV legend Graham Skidmore who was known for millions as the voice of Blind Date.
The star - who was heard but not seen on the iconic show - has died aged 90.
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He was a regular fixture on the show through the 1980s and 90s and had the nickname “Our Graham”.
And from 1993 to 2002 his instantly recognisable tones were heard when he did the voice over for Vic and Bob’s Shooting Stars.
The father of three, who had five grandchildren, died on 27th December, but the news has only just come out.
He had vascular dementia for his last 10 years and spent his final years living in Kent.
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His son Neil, 54, said: “He might not have wanted to be seen on screen, but he had a celebrity voice - a known voice.
“He loved it. I do event organising and had a show in London and got Dad to do the voice over. People recognised him straight away.”
Neil, from Radnage, Bucks said: “As children we did TV adverts with him. We would go off and be a family for P and O travel and the Abbey National.”
Daughter Catherine Johnson, 52, said Graham had wanted to be a doctor, but missed his final exams because of an ear infection.
When he was doing National Service he had been due to go fight in the Korean War, but the ear infection returned and he stayed at home.
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She said his platoon did not return and the ear infection changed his life.
She said: “ After National Service he went into engineering and for a hobby he started singing. He had an exceptional singing voice.
“He was told he ought to try out for musicals. That is what got him into the theatre.
“Daddy was self employed and had other lines of work.
"He had a launderette, a corner shop and he did up some flats. So there was some kind of consistency .
“He got into Blind Date and then Shootings Stars.
"He was in a St Trinians movie, a Style Council video with Paul Weller and was in the background of a Tom Cruise - Nicole Kidman film Eyes Wide Shut.
“At my wedding when he started talking people were turning round saying ‘I know that voice’, even though they did not know he was the voice on Blind Date.
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“He was a marvellous man. He looked after people and made sure other people were taken care of.
“He was very modest. He was not a theatrical ‘look at me person.’ He never really wanted his face to be seen that’s why he liked doing the voice overs.”
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