We asked you for questions to put to Roy Skelton, the voice of Rainbow's Zippy and George, and we're pleased to present the answers here. Our thanks go to Roy and everyone who sent in questions, in particular Mathew Delius, who set the ball rolling!

Are you aware just how much Rainbow meant to people and how popular it is e.g. I do George impersonations, and everyone knows who it is!

I suppose I am aware that Rainbow was quite important to a lot of people.I am still a little surprised when occasionally someone finds out that I did the voices for Zippy and George and they know so much about it, and do copies of the voices. I'm sure George would be very honoured that you do impersonations of his voice. I am honoured too!

How did you get involved with Rainbow and how did the programme develop?

I first became involved with Rainbow over 20 years ago. I was appearing in a Doctor Who at the time, when I was rung up by Thames TV and asked to go and see Pamela Lonsdale, who was the producer of Rainbow. There had only been a pilot put out at that time and the voice of Zippy was done by a great voice man and friend Peter Hawkins. He did not want to go on with it and they had auditioned dozens of people and no one was right. Peter suggested me and I went along thinking it would be a couple of weeks job .... and .... twenty years later? ..... I knew Pamela Lonsdale from much earlier in my career when I had been in a West End musical called 'Wild Thyme'. She really didn't think of me as a voice man, but let me have a go at it and hey presto it worked and I got the job. Originally Zippy just hung about in the window but gradually the cast and directors persuaded the powers to be to let them work inside the set. Just before this happened, George came into being, as we all felt that a foil was needed for Zippy. At the beginning George was very much a second fiddle and rather bland, but gradually he developed and became quite a character in his own right.

Did you use the specific character voices for other guises before Rainbow and how much Zippy is there in a dalek?

No, I did not use the specific character voices earlier for other things. I hope that I just originated them for Zippy and George. Not sure how much of a Dalek there is in Zippy. Quite a bit of the same forward sharp tone, I think.... as a joke I used to say that I had based the voice on Margaret Thatcher and Ian Paisley!!!

How did your version of Zippy compare to that of Peter Hawkins?

Originally, I had to do as lifelike an impression of Peter's voice as possible so that it matched to the voice he had done originally, I altered and coloured it very carefully, but fairly quickly to fit my own delivery. Have to be honest and say that he became very much more basic and bolshy. Perhaps that's part of my own personality!!!

Did you have any say in the scripts and how much was ad-libbed, how much involvement did you have with the introduction of George?

Originally, the artists had no real say in the content of the scripts,but obviously we coloured them with our own ideas. Later, I wrote over a hundred of the scripts and then, of course, had much more force on the content. There was perhaps a little ad-libbing, but it was rare. I had a good deal to do with George being chosen. And indeed the voice was one I originated.

What do you think Zippy is?

I am asked this question so many times and I always come back with the same answer. Zippy is "A Unique"!

Do you have a favourite - Zippy or George and what influences, if any,did you employ for their characters?

I originally preferred to do Zippy, but gradually George became more and more pleasurable. Eventually, I enjoyed them equally. I loved having an argument between the two of them. It was great to tackle that. I suppose that deep down Zippy is part of my own, sometimes insecure character (Zippy gets more bolshy the more unsure he is) and George is, I hope, the softer, more sure part of my character.

Did the change in puppeteers have an effect on the characters of Zippy and George and your approach to them?

Yes. A change in puppeteers had quite a big impression on the performance and nature of the characters. Each puppeteer brought their own personality and nature to the operation of the puppet and my voice and timing altered to fit the difference. Sometimes it was a matter of speed of movement and delivery and sometimes a matter of timing.... but each puppeteer brought to the characters their own life and drive.

What do you think of what happened to the characters when Rainbow was remade?

What do I think of what happened to the characters when Rainbow was remade? This is quite difficult for me to answer without prejudice. If you want me to be honest, I was very saddened by the remake. The energy and drive seemed to have left it to a very great extent. The heart seemed to be missing. Can't really comment more than this.

Did you ever want to punch Bungle? (...who didn't?)

Zippy did....Yes. But secretly Zippy, George & Geoffrey loved him. I think particularly Zippy, because without Bungle, Zippy wouldn't have such a good easy target to have fun with.

What about the episode a friend showed me when they were playing with their Twangers! What was the story behind that and did they get into trouble?

Both Zippy and George loved playing with their 'Twangers'. Zippy loved his and was proud that he had such a big one. George thought his twanger was quite small, but he loved playing with it and he said it worked very well.

You've had an interesting career, what do you see as your strengths?

My strengths? ..... Difficult to answer. I've been very lucky, but I hope I have brought a certain happy energy to my work. I suppose I have a voice that can grab and colour a character in, I hope, an exciting way..... I have been very lucky because I have always been doing a job that gave me so much pleasure.

Do you read your reviews? If so, what is your favourite review/ proudest moment?

Yes, I do read my reviews. I have had good ones, and bad ones - but perhaps the most important point for me is that I don't get ones that say 'adequate'. I would hate to be adequate as a performer. Don't know which was my favourite.... I remember my worst, which now really makes me laugh. Milton Shuman said, "This boy is as slight as a German Panzer Division in full retreat!"

What are you up to now, apart from conventions, and any plans for the future?

At the moment I am busy selling my house and moving down to Brighton. I am still writing and I hope will do the odd Telly from time to time. Perhap some day I will write the great novel?