Peppa Pig: The character that started narrator's career

He is the storytelling voice of Peppa Pig, the UK's most successful cartoon franchise.

However, John Sparkes' TV break came in 1980s cult comedy show Naked Video alongside Rab C Nesbitt stars Gregor Fisher and Elaine C Smith.

His character Siadwell, a name inspired by the London Underground station Shadwell, was the befuddled Welsh geek with his NHS specs and anorak.

Character comedian Sparkes, from Swansea, was spotted playing gigs on the alternative London cabaret circuit.

"The producer of Naked Video saw me at a gig and booked me because they were looking for non-Scottish actors," he recalled.