Ian Brooker (actor)

Ian Anthony Brooker (born 22 September 1959) better known as Ian Brooker is a versatile character actor, with experience of theatre, television and film. However, it is in the medium of radio and audio drama that he is best known.

Ian is the ninth generation of a theatrical family that first went on stage in the mid eighteenth century. Relatives have included leading theatrical and literary figures such as Dame Madge Kendal (Mrs Kendal in "The Elephant Man") (1848-1935), dramatists such as Thomas William Robertson (1829-1871) - author of the play "Caste", and the screenwriter Philip MacDonald (1900-80) - author of the Boris Karloff film "The Body Snatcher", and several Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films.

Radio

Productions for BBC Radio 4 have included: "The Door in the Wall" based upon three short stories by H.G.Wells, the comedy cricketing series, "Memoirs of a Twelfth Man" (with Norman Rodway), E. Nesbit’s "Five Children and It" and its sequel, "The Story of the Amulet", "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator", Ellis Peters' "The Flight of a Witch", Rose Tremain’s "One Night in Winter", David Pownall’s "Façade" (with David Tennant), "Watership Down", "Mr Foster’s Good Fairy", and "The Day They Wouldn't Take It Any More". He played Gaius Flavius Hilaris in the adaptation of Lindsey Davis’ first Falco story "The Silver Pigs".

On Radio 3, he has appeared in Peter Tinniswood’s translation of Eduardo de Philippo’s "The Monument", and Lizzie Hopley’s play "Salome".

Since 1999 he has made occasional appearances as Wayne Foley of Radio Borsetshire in Radio 4’s "The Archers". He has also supplied the voices of Elgar and Berlioz for Radio 4’s "Married to the Music", and Thomas Hardy in "Ramblings".

Television

On television, Ian appeared as the injured astronaut, Henry Carson in Andromeda TV’s "Jupiter Moon" (1990), and Saint Dominic in the Channel 4 series, "Gnostics" (1986). More recently, he has appeared as an abusive father, Peter Case, in BBC 1's "Doctors" and Malcolm Hammond - an ineffectual father of a schizophrenic girl in BBC 1's "Casualty". Films have included the historical drama, "Chasing the Deer" (1994) and the spoof horror film, "I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle" (1988)

Theatre

In theatre, he played Neville in an acclaimed production of "Neville’s Island" at Harrogate Theatre, and all seven male roles in Jim Cartright’s play "Two" performed at the Stara Prokhownia, Warsaw, Poland. In 2005, Ian appeared as George Silverlock, the Master of the Hastings Workhouse in Claire Luckham’s play "Kitty and Kate" – a co-production for the New Victoria Theatre, Stoke and Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.

Audio recordings

Since 2001 he has played innumerable characters for Big Finish’s Doctor Who range including ROSM in "Embrace the Darkness", Minister Voss in "The Last", the torturer, Twyst in "Something Inside", Surus the Elephant in "Auld Mortality", Sydney the Juliet Bravo fan in "Deadline" (with Sir Derek Jacobi), the Shewstone in "A Storm of Angels" and was the briefest of all the Doctor Whos in "Full Fathom Five". He has often worked with director/writer Nicholas Briggs on his Dalek Empire and Cyberman series, and played the archaeologist, Professor Golightly in Noise Monster Productions series ' for producer John Ainsworth. In 2007, he guest-starred in '.