Phil Fletcher (born 1975/1976) is a British puppeteer. He established his puppet manufacturing and performance company, Gluvets, at the age of 11. After briefly working in manufacturing he found summer work performing in holiday camps and became a full-time puppeteer in 2002. In 2009 he was cast by the BBC as the puppeteer for
Hacker T. Dog
Hacker The Dog (born 27 October), more commonly known as Hacker T. Dog, is a Border Terrier dog puppet who appears on the CBBC television channel in the United Kingdom. He is described as being born and living in Wigan, Lancashire. He is the hal ...
for continuity segments on the
CBBC Channel
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7– ...
. Fletcher gave Hacker a voice for the first time and the character proved popular, receiving his own 63-episode TV series, ''
Hacker Time
''Hacker Time'' is a British children's sketch comedy talk show, broadcast by CBBC, starring Hacker T. Dog, a character from Scoop. In each episode, Hacker interviews a celebrity, and plays games and the show also includes recurring segments, su ...
'', which was nominated for eight BAFTAs. From 2017 Fletcher voiced Sweep in ''
Sooty
Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in 1955, with the ...
'' and from 2021 has appeared as Larry the Lizard on ''
Buffering''.
Early life
Fletcher was born in
Hindley, Greater Manchester
Hindley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Lying east of Wigan it covers an area of . Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Hindley (which includes Hindley Green) borders th ...
, in 1975/1976.
[ He developed an interest in puppeteering as a child, after seeing programmes featuring ]The Muppets
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
and, his favourite, Rod Hull
Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to:
Devices
* Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment
* Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority
* Connecting rod, main, coupling ...
and Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...
. Fletcher was given a replica puppet of Emu at the age of four and used it, and puppets made from card and paper, to make performances. His first public show was a performance of Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare
"The Tortoise and the Hare" is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 226 in the Perry Index. The account of a race between unequal partners has attracted conflicting interpretations. The fable itself is a variant of a common folktale theme in wh ...
" at his local church.[
Fletcher attended All Saints Primary School and Mornington High School in Wigan. Whilst at school he was paid to perform at children's parties and founded his puppeteering company, Gluvets, in the break between primary and secondary school. Fletcher moved into making puppets from cloth and foam and retains the first puppet he made in this style, a blue creature named Josh. Fletcher studied design at ]Wigan and Leigh College
Wigan & Leigh College is a state General Further and Higher Education College based at five locations in the towns of Wigan and Leigh in Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Currently, there are 500 staff members employed, and more than 8 ...
for a year as there were no puppet-making classes available. He continued to make puppet performances whilst working on production lines at Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll Rand is an American multinational company that provides flow creation and industrial products. The company was formed in February 2020 through the spinoff of the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Randplc (now known as Trane Technologies) ...
and Alphason Design factories. After joining a number of talent agencies
Talent has two principal meanings:
* Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value
* Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents
Talent may ...
Fletcher found summer work at holiday resorts run by Butlins
Butlin's is a chain of large seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families.
Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and o ...
, Pontins
Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. Since 2011, it has been owned by Britannia Hotels.
Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment ...
and Haven Holidays
Haven Holidays is a chain of holiday parks in the United Kingdom. It operates self catering static caravan holiday parks with many also including touring and camping facilities. The company operates 41 sites in the UK in predominantly coastal ...
and became a full-time puppeteer in 2002.[ In 2008 he judged Puppet Contest 2008 : A Space Odyssey, a competition organised by Project Puppet.
]
Television
Fletcher never aspired to appear on television, as he thought it too small a market, and concentrated on live performances.[ He did put some of his performances on YouTube and was afterwards contacted by the BBC to audition for the role of ]Hacker T. Dog
Hacker The Dog (born 27 October), more commonly known as Hacker T. Dog, is a Border Terrier dog puppet who appears on the CBBC television channel in the United Kingdom. He is described as being born and living in Wigan, Lancashire. He is the hal ...
, an anthropomorphic Border Terrier dog puppet. Hacker had appeared in the television series ''Scoop
Scoop, Scoops or The scoop may refer to:
Objects
* Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging
* Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things
* Scoop stretcher, a device used for casualty ...
'' from 2009 but was being brought in as a presenter sidekick and continuity announcer on the CBBC Channel
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7– ...
for the following year. Fletcher initially declined to audition, stating he was too busy and the contract was short term (four months), but was persuaded to reconsider and was awarded the role. Fletcher has appeared as Hacker since then.[
On ''Scoop'' Hacker had only growled and barked but he gained a voice under Fletcher, who gradually introduced more dialogue to the act. Hacker first appeared alongside CBBC presenter ]Iain Stirling
Iain Andrew Stirling (born 27 January 1988) is a British comedian, writer, television presenter, actor, narrator and Twitch streamer from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Stand-up career
Having started stand-up whilst in his final year of Law at the Univ ...
, with Fletcher hidden on screen by a trolley, desk or couch.[ The performances were well received, with Stirling and Fletcher being nominated for a Bafta for best children's presenter in 2010. The Hacker character was given his own series '']Hacker Time
''Hacker Time'' is a British children's sketch comedy talk show, broadcast by CBBC, starring Hacker T. Dog, a character from Scoop. In each episode, Hacker interviews a celebrity, and plays games and the show also includes recurring segments, su ...
'' which ran for 63 episodes and was nominated for eight Baftas, including best children's performer for Fletcher in 2013.[ The character has also appeared on breakfast news programming, '']Today at Wimbledon
''Today at Wimbledon'' is a BBC TV show, showing highlights and discussion from the day's play at the Wimbledon Championships currently hosted by Clare Balding. The show lasts for 60 minutes and is broadcast on BBC Two at 8:30 pm.
Origins
T ...
'' and ''Celebrity Mastermind
''Celebrity Mastermind'' is a celebrity version of ''Mastermind'', a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. It began in 2002 as a one-off special, expanding to the current arrangement of 10 episodes, broadcast during December a ...
'' (his specialist subject was The Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
).[ Fletcher says that the personality of Hacker is based on himself and that "I just do what I find funny... The bits that are always the funny bits are just made up – I'm always just trying to throw the presenter under the bus, really. I have no regard for the presenter, I just throw them under the bus because I think it'd make good telly". Fletcher claims that portraying Hacker is "the best job in the world".][ He received a further Bafta nomination for best children's performer in 2017 for his work on the CBBC Channel.][
In 2022 a segment that Hacker filmed with co-host ]Lauren Layfield
Lauren Layfield (born on 1 December 1987) is an English television and radio presenter and journalist who works mainly for CBBC and Capital FM.
Career
Layfield joined CBBC continuity in September 2015, at the end of the one-off TV special '' ...
in 2016 became a viral meme. A programme trailer featuring an interrogation scene preceded the segment. Fletcher told his sound operator not to play the usual background music during the segment and told Layfield to move her head close to the Hacker puppet.[ Fletcher had Hacker look into her eyes and say "We're just normal men". Layfield asked "What do you mean, normal men?" and Fletcher, as Hacker, replied "We're just innocent men". Layfield struggled to maintain composure through laughing and snorted loudly, described by the '']Big Issue
''The Big Issue'' is a street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. ''The Big Issue'' is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or indivi ...
'' as "the most famous snort in the country".[ Fletcher said "Her reaction was genuine because she didn't know what I was gonna say, nor did I, really. It just threw her over the edge, because what does that even mean? Why would you say that on kids telly?".][ The scene was unscripted.][ Although rumours arose claiming it was inspired by an interaction between Fletcher and the police after being arrested in Leeds he says it was not and was "just nonsense".
Fletcher's Gluvets company has made puppets for the '']Sooty
Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in 1955, with the ...
'' TV series and replicas of famous puppets such as the Muppets, and Basil Brush
Basil Brush is a fictional red fox, best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts and comic strips. The character has f ...
, for his personal collection. From 2017 Fletcher provided the "voice" for Sweep
Sweep or swept may refer to:
Cleaning
* Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean
* Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys
* Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets
* Swept quartz, a clean ...
on ''Sooty''.[ He has also appeared as Larry the Lizard in the ITV sitcom '' Buffering'' (2021–) alongside Stirling who wrote and stars in the programme.
]
Personal life
Fletcher has always lived in Hindley, except for his first two years at CBBC when he lived in London, and has two dogs. Fletcher also appears in a Pet Shop Boys tribute band, known as the Pound Shop Boys. As well as the band's hits he sings children's television themes and novelty chart hits.
In 2018 Fletcher purchased at auction one of the few surviving Emu puppets used by Rod Hull. Fletcher paid £8,860 for the puppet, well in excess of its £750–1,000 estimate. The puppet joined others in his collection such as George from ''Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'', Keith Harris' Orville the Duck
Orville the Duck was the most famous puppet often used by the ventriloquist Keith Harris (1947–2015) and was named after Orville Wright (one of the Wright Brothers). Orville is a green duckling who wears nothing but a nappy with a large safe ...
and Sooty and Sweep.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Phil
1970s births
English puppeteers
Living people
People from Hindley, Greater Manchester
Year of birth missing (living people)