Mark Strickson

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Biography

Mark Strickson was born in the small village of Ilmington,
near Stratford-upon-Avon, in 1961. His father was a
musician who worked at the local theatre in Stratford
and, as well as singing in the nearby Trinity Church choir,
the young Mark would help out with the music before
finally becoming involved with the acting. He joined the
National Youth Theatre and after leaving school he
studied acting and music at RADA.

After leaving RADA he joined the Mikron Theatre Company in 1980 for two years travelling up and down the country on a narrow boat writing and performing plays. There he met his first wife, actress Julie Brennon. Mark's first television work was for Granada on Strangers and Celebration. His first major role was as ambulance man Terry in hospital drama Angels and whilst working on the show he approached Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner and read for the part of Turlough. He was then offered regular employment on both Angels and Doctor Who on the same day; he decided on Who as he thought that the character of Turlough was more like himself than that of Terry.

He spent an enjoyable two years working on Doctor Who. After leaving the show he made a number of TV appearances in shows such as Bergerac, David Copperfield and Casualty, played Young Scrooge in the 1984 George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol, and toured the country as Oswald in Ibsen's Ghosts. He formed his own theatre company called Raw Deal and produced Everyman in London.

In 1988 he and Julie emigrated to Australia where he obtained a first class honours degree in Zoology at the University of New England. His thesis was on the "overwintering biochemistry of the light brown apple moth". Whilst studying he also developed an external Theatre Studies course. He continued to act and appeared in a number of Australian TV shows including GP, Police Rescue, Minder and Dolphin Bay, usually as the token "Pommie", and became well known as the "Strepsils Man" in a TV advert! He and Julie parted amicably and he met his second wife Delmey Brittain, a relation of actor Tony Brittain.

He returned to the UK in 1995 and joined Bristol based wildlife production company Partridge Films and began to produce natural history programmes for both terrestrial and satellite TV. He was instrumental in introducing Australian naturalist Steve Irwin ("The Crocodile Hunter") to the British public in shows such as The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World.

Mark continues to produce natural history shows, attend Doctor Who conventions and from time to time still does a little acting.