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Marcus Clarke
Actor and Puppeteer
See also his Actors Spotlight listing by clicking CV




Thanks to
Bob West

Live Shows








Awards

BAFTA 2009
Best Pre-School
Live Action Award Winner
Bookaboo


Dick and Dom  Marcus Clarke  Lucy Goodman  Ian Emes  Will Paulter

                      Marcus Clarke  Ian Emes Lucy Goodman               

Marcus Clarke is Bookaboo
 Puppeteer and Voice


Extreme TV Puppeteering
Showreel
    TV Puppeteering and TV Puppet Making Workshops Teaching   

Press Q&A
   More Showreels
TV Puppetry background Information
Marcus comes from and lives in Nottingham. He began his career in Theatre, at the Nottingham Playhouse, eventually becoming a West End Theatre Stage Manager and Performer. He began his Television Pupeteering career by auditioning for and successfully completing Jim Henson's 'Puppeteering for Television Workshop.' A sort of mid 80's puppeteering 'Pop Idol.' Jim Henson found Marcus's puppet character creations so funny, he actually "rolled around on the floor with laughter watching them" according to Sesame Street's Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash.
 
"...........he knows how to use a puppet" Jim Henson on Marcus Clarke's Henson Television Workshop Characters.

Jim then cast Marcus in some of his own Productions.
Directing Marcus as a Puppet Devil in 'The Storyteller' opposite Bob Peck and John Hurt.
In 'Monster Maker' a TV Film starring Harry Dean Stanton.
These were great  opportunities to learn and over subsequent years Marcus had additional Puppeteering tuition from the ever generous Brian Henson. To whom Marcus remains forever grateful.

TV Puppet Making Information


Jim Henson encouraged Marcus when he decided that he wanted to create his own Puppet characters and Marcus founded 'Hands Up Puppets' in 1989 to  "Create Puppet characters for Television". Teaching himself how to make  the Puppets.
Marcus knows he was very lucky to meet Jim Henson who remains a constant inspiration to him.
It was Jim Henson that got Marcus into the whole 'Illusion of Life' thing and he is mindful of Jim's Philosophy to always  'celebrate life'. Hands Up Puppet have subsequently created over sixty wonderful Puppet characters for a wide range of Television programme makers and continue to do so today.



Script Writing Information
Marcus is also a Scriptwriter and has written for many Children's TV Series. He's also been BAFTA Nominated for his Script Editing work. Marcus attended Paul T. Gray's Film Directing and Script Revision seminar for industry professionals.




Credits

Awards Over the past five years Marcus has been involved with five BAFTA nominated Kids TV Series. From gaining an individual nomination for his Script editing work for Pj's Storytime to being Bookaboo in this years best Kids BAFTA winning TV Series, Bookaboo.
Kids BAFTA 2009 Best Pre-School  Live Action Award Winner Bookaboo.
Marcus Clarke is Bookaboo.

Producer Lucy Goodman writes, “I have worked with Marcus on several productions, the latest being Bookaboo, whom he puppeteers with such talent, sensitivity, timing, humour and craft.
He is uniquely gifted and I know of few other puppeteers  (if any) in the UK to equal to him.” see    happy films      citv      bafta

Bookaboo also wins the Best Children's Programme Award at the extremely prestigious Broadcast Awards 2010.
http://www.broadcastawards.co.uk/

Marcus's Short Puppet Films have won Koestler and other Awards.
TV Puppeteering

Filfy Rat Show  New for 2010
An Audience with Marcus Clarke Adult Stand Up Comedy with Puppets Buxon Festival 2009
Milkshake Monkey Actor 'Salty Ticketmaster' Five tv 2009 
Clayfields House Film
Director/Procucer and Puppeteer to 'Filfy'. Koestler Award Winner, Writers in Prison Network, Under 18's Special Award and Film.
Bookaboo Live on 'This Morning'
ITV Daytime Puppeteer and Voice of Bookaboo also 'Minder' 2009
Bookaboo
Happy Films CiTV Puppeteer and Voice of Bookaboo BAFTA nominee 2009
The Christmas Milkshake Show
Puppeteer to 'Milky Cat' BAFTA Nominated Children's Live Action 2009

The Milky and Shake Show 3D Animation Five TV Voice of Milky 2008
The Milkshake Show Series 2 Puppeteer to  'Milky Cat' BAFTA Nominated Children's Live Action 2008 Production Company: Milkshake Production Broadcaster: Five
Marcus Clarke is 'The Puppet Maker
Adult Stand up Comedy Show at 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Worms Barny the Worm for Nickelodeon UK
Tickle Patch & Friends  
Series 11 Milkshake Links puppeteer to Patch 2007
The Milkshake Show Series 1 Milky Five TV
Jim Henson's Puppet Improv
  Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2006. Performer.
Sandy and Mr. Flapper Puppeteer to Mr. Flapper Five TV 2006
A
nt and Dec's Saturday night takeaway
Puppeteer.

 
A Milkshake Summer
in which I performed 'Mr. Flapper' BAFTA Nominated Children's Live Action 2006 Production Company: Five Broadcaster: Five Nominee The Production Team.
A Christmas Milkshake 
2006 8 x 30 min Christmas Specials, Channel Five. Puppeteer to Puppet character Patch

PJ's Storytime 6 x 5 min, Disney Playhouse 2004 Puppeteer to PJ Mole. Produced by Lucy Goodman. BAFTA Marcus Clarke Nominated 2004.
PJ's Bedtime  
20 x 60 min programmes, Disney Playhouse, Puppeteer to PJ Mole
A House just like yours 
35x30min Children's Series for Five TV. Puppeteer to Dusty Mouse. 2002
The Softies
80x5min Series for Five TV Co-Created programme idea. Co-Produced Series. Puppeteer to Cosy 2002



Smarteenies
Children’s BBC/ CBBC Production 65x15 min‘Created & performed Doogy Dog. 2002
The Tenth Kingdom
TV film. Carnival Films/Halmark Entertainment Pinewood Studio’s.
The Big Bag  Children's Television Workshop NYC/ Yorkshire Television for CITV Puppeteered Bag. 26 x 10 min.
Dotty & Buzz  Religious Education 6 x 10 min. Channel 4 Schools 2000.



Tickle Patch and Friends  Series 1 to10 2001-2007
Hotdog Thames  TV
Tricky business  BBC/CBBC 
The Great Bong
Ultimate Animates  HTV
The Children's Channel On air presentation, interstition's and continuity with various of our comedy puppet character creations, robots, androids, aliens, penguins, gherkins and chimpanzees all having great fun with
human presenters like Mark Speight, Konnie Huq, Tommy Boyd and Gaz Top.
Varied programme formats, mostly comedy sketches (hundreds) for over 2 years.
Ratkan Zoo Live Saturday morning 2hr Show
Ratkan on the road  a Live Roadshow featuring various puppet characters and presenters from Alton Towers, Blackpool etc.
Ike & Webbers Camcorder Cities   more comedy sketches and TV Station interstition's for TCC.

Havakazoo
Series 2 and 3 78 X 30 min. TV Series, Meridian TV Production for C5. Puppeteered Watchdog.
Top Banana TVAM
It's Droibee Time 165x30 min. for TCC.
Treasure Box
Thames TV
Playbox  Ragdoll production for Central T.V. 26x10min
Dappledown Farm 166 x 30 min. Puppeteer to Dapple the Horse and Millie the Moorehen.


Comedy TV
BBC Entertainment Comedy, Myfanwy Moore, Simon Lupton, 'Before I die' Comedy Sitcom tryout.
Puppeteer and provided 2 puppet characters.








West End Musicals


Song & Dance

Marilyn the Musical

Little Shop of Horrors

TV Puppeteers working with straight and reverse scan monitors what's the difference?

Television Computer Animation Include  Using CG Digital Performance System

Venus on the Hard Drive   Performance Animator, Face, ‘Venus’ Sitcom Pilot 20th Century Fox tv L.A. Medialab C.G.PA System.    
NBC TV  Performance Animator  Face   NBC's Johnny Chimes Peacock logo character  Burbank L.A.
               
Demonstrating the Medialab performance animation system at;
The Medialab Studio L.A; (5 months) The IBC Amsterdam, the Pasadena Animation Festival, CG Osaka  and for Sony Japan in Tokyo. Training performance animators in USA & Japan.     


Television Films Puppeteering Credits
Monster Maker TVS/Jim Henson's Production
 Storyteller  TVS/Jim Henson's Production
The Tenth Kingdom
  Carnival/Hallmark


Feature Film Credits
Little Shop of Horrors
Who Framed Roger Rabbi
t
Muppets Treasure Island,
Muppets Christmas Carol


Commercials
Disney Playhouse 2004
Qantas Koala Bear
Quorn
Applejack Cider.

Bookaboo further information
Bookaboo on Citv.
Check out the Official website bookaboo

Booktrust and Bookaboo partnership

Booktrust is pleased to be the charity partner of Bookaboo, CITV’s new children’s TV series highlighting the pleasure of sharing picture books.
As part of the partnership, 13,000 books will be donated to children across the UK – 1,000 books for every episode of the series. Booktrust will liaise with publishers and local authorities to help distribute the books to children under the age of six years and in care.

Each episode, a famous face goes back stage to share a story with Bookaboo on his Bookabus – "a story a day or he just can’t play!" Bojo restored, this puppy can play and cheered on by his celebrity guest, he wows us all with the best canine drum solo ever heard.

Marcus Clarke is Bookaboo
The thirteen celebrities in Bookaboo are:
 Meatloaf – The Lamb Who Came for Dinner
 Amanda Holden – That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown
 AL Murray – Pooh! Is That You Bertie?
 Mel C – No Matter What
 Kym Marsh – The Cow That Laid An Egg
 Alesha Dixon – More Pants
 Ben Shepherd – Splat the Cat
 Fern Britton – A Mummy For Owen
 Kelly Holmes – Norma Snows
 Julian Clary – The Hairy Toe
 Robson Green – Class Two at the Zoo
 Michael Rosen – The Night Pirates
 David Seaman – Whatever



Marcus is most proud to have worked for UK Kids TV's finest Talent, Nick Wilson for over 20 years.





Artwork & Photographs