Dave Chapman (actor)
Dave Chapman (born 9 June 1973 in Kent) is an English actor, puppeteer and voice artist.
Career
Dave Chapman trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and the Jim Henson Company. His puppeteering work has featured in the films Muppet Treasure Island, 101 Dalmatians (Walt Disney Company, 1996), My Last Five Girlfriends (Paramount) Ridley Scott's Prometheus (20th Century Fox) and Muppets Most Wanted (Disney, 2014). On TV, his puppeteering work has featured in Wizards vs. Aliens, Captain Abercromby, Carrie and David's Popshop, Children in Need, Doctor Who, French and Saunders, Heroes of Comedy: Max Miller, The Saturday Show, Shooting Stars, Sport Relief, Time Trumpet, The Tiny and Mr Duk Show, What's Up Doc?, Nuzzle and Scratch, Xchange, The X Factor and as double for Victor Yerrid on Jim Henson Company's Pajanimals.
He has had long association with CBBC, first working as the writer, puppeteer and voice artist for Otis the Aardvark between 1994 and 1999. It was in this role that he first worked with children's presenters Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood ("Dick & Dom"), prior to featuring in the BAFTA and RTS award-winning Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow. Between 2002 and 2006, Chapman played numerous characters alongside other Bungalow regulars Ian Kirkby, Melvin Odoom and Lee Barnett.
Chapman's other characters include "Scratch" in Cbeebies show Nuzzle and Scratch, Vinnie the Ferret for CBBC's Xchange, Matt Lucas' Singing Potatoes from Shooting Stars, Tiny the Giant Hamster from The Saturday Show and Tiny and Mr Duk's Huge Show, Riff the dog from Carrie and David's Popshop, Windy the rat from Space Pirates.
Chapman played bad ventriloquist Peter Nokio in four series of The Slammer and the villain Alan Draylon in Harry Batt, both for CBBC. He has also appeared as himself on three episodes of Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive and has guested on The Chris Evans Show, The Chris Moyles Show and Kiss Breakfast. His voice work includes The Mimic, Jamie's American Road Trip, Strictly:It takes Two, School of Silence and Casualty Revealed. And commercial work includes voices for Sandisc, Cadburys, Sony, BBC3, The Times newspaper, Seat, Citibank and Blockbuster video.
In 2001, he wrote and co-directed the short film Dinner Money. He also writes and performs live comedy in the double act Chapman and Crompton.
Chapman hosted the gameshow And Then You Die on Dave as the puppet character Barrie Stardust. He has also played over sixty characters including series villain The Beastmaster in the CBBC sitcom The Legend of Dick and Dom, in which he stars alongside Dominic Wood, Richard McCourt, Chloe Bale and Steve Furst.
He has also hosted Undercover Dads! for CBBC on BBC Two, which was nominated for a BAFTA in 2010.
Most recently Chapman played Dougie Colon, Eddie Watts, Dad and Josh in the Jim Henson Company and BBC co-production That Puppet Game Show.
Chapman joined Brian Henson on stage for Brian Henson's Evolution of Puppetry lectures at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival and guested in the Henson Alternative improv show "Puppet Up" .
He has also co-written a children's book with Dick and Dom which he has fully illustrated. Dick and Dom's Slightly Naughty but Very Silly Words is published by Macmillan in the autumn of 2013.
In June 2014, Chapman served (alongside Brian Herring) as one of the two puppeteers operating BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.