Danger Mouse: meet the voices
From DM regulars Alexander Armstrong and Stephen Fry to Christmas special guests Brian Blessed and Richard Ayoade, the characters in the Danger Mouse Christmas special will be very familiar
Christmas is under threat, and there's only one rodent who can save it: it's the Danger Mouse Christmas special.
Santa Claus has been kidnapped by evil – and useless – villain The Snowman in the CBBC special, set to be broadcast this Christmas Day. Only DM and his mostly trusty sidekick Penfold can freeze The Snowman in his tracks.
From Pointless host Alexander Armstrong to booming bundle of joy Brian Blessed, the cast for the Danger Mouse Christmas special has something for everyone. Can you recognise all the voices? Meet the cast here.
Danger Mouse: Alexander Armstrong
The Pointless presenter admits that voicing DM is “about as close to a dream job as you could wish for”. He took over from Danger Mouse classic David Jason in this year’s reboot, and is front and centre for this year’s Christmas special.
"It’s quite weird because I’ve only ever voiced a recurring cartoon character once before," Armstrong explains. "The minute you watch your voice back with its proper animated character saying the words, that’s when you learn exactly what you need to do next time."
Watch Alexander Armstrong in the studio recording his part for the new series below.
Penfold: Kevin Eldon
Taking the place of the late Terry Scott is comedian and actor Kevin Eldon, best-known for his BBC2 sketch show It’s Kevin. Eldon’s also set to make an appearance in the upcoming season six of Game Of Thrones alongside Richard E Grant.
Terrified of everything but always willing to lend a helping hand, Penfold is Danger Mouse's greatest ally. His high-pitched voice is tricky for Eldon, but he's used to it now. "to make the voice sound like it’s in those situations which are often physically quite dramatic, you have to twist your body around and get that sense of effort to make it sound as if you’re not just standing there reading in a box in Soho," he says.
Father Christmas: Brian Blessed
Of course Brian Blessed plays Santa Claus. Possibly the most recognisable voice in television, even if he's hidden behind an animated Santa beard. It's not the first time he's played Father Christmas in a children's special either – here he is appearing in the Sooty Christmas special in 1997 (bellowing in around 24 minutes).
The Snowman: Richard Ayoade
The IT Crowd actor is a terrible singer but a brilliant evil snowman in the DM Christmas special. Bauble-spitting, crackers-firing baddies don’t get better than this.
Ayoade's a sucker for festive cheer really. Watch him team up with Peep Show’s Robert Webb for a Gadget Man Christmas special.
Colonel K – Stephen Fry
Danger Mouse’s boss and head of the British Secret Service Colonel K is voiced by none other than QI’s Stephen Fry. Imagine a holographic, slightly more humane General Melchett and you get the idea.
Fry’s going to be on Christmas Day with a QI Christmas special (his last before Sandi Toksvig takes over), and there will be a tribute to his life on screen on Tuesday 29th December at 9pm on BBC2.
Professor Squawkencluck – Shauna Macdonald
Scottish actress Shauna Macdonald plays Professor Squawkencluck, Danger Mouse’s genius inventor with a tech solution for every occasion.
Watch the Danger Mouse Christmas special first at 5:30pm on Wednesday 16th December and on BBC iPlayer
