Ronnie Le Drew, the puppeteer best known for operating Zippy on ITV's preschool series Rainbow, has died aged 78. He was also a celebrated marionettist and a key figure at the Little Angel puppet theatre in London.
Early life and introduction to puppetry
Born in Toronto on 23 October 1947 to Edna and Leslie Le Drew, Ronnie moved to London with his family at age three, settling in Stockwell. His parents' marriage deteriorated, and he found escape in puppetry, joining the Educational Puppetry Association and the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild while still at school. His father dismissed his efforts as 'dolly-waggling'.
At 14, a friend took him to the Little Angel theatre in Islington, where a marionette performance of The Little Mermaid captivated him. He begged theatre owner John Wright for a job and persuaded his parents and headmaster to let him leave school to take it up.
Career at Little Angel and into television
At the Little Angel, Ronnie worked his way up from sweeping floors to lead puppeteer. This led to TV and film work, including operating a moving statue's arm in the 1966 BBC film A Touch of Don Juan and creating the opening credits for the 1968 spy thriller A Dandy in Aspic.
In 1972, Rainbow launched as ITV's answer to Sesame Street. The following year, Ronnie was asked to take over operating Zippy. Working with voice actor Roy Skelton, who also voiced Daleks and Cybermen in Doctor Who, Ronnie turned Zippy into the show's unlikely star. Zippy was a moody, garrulous creature of undefined species, silenced only by zipping his mouth shut.
Behind the scenes of Rainbow
Ronnie developed a close connection with Skelton, who delivered Zippy's lines from a tiny booth while puffing a cigar, as Ronnie operated the puppet from under a counter with a small TV monitor between his legs. They became so in sync they could improvise together.
While Rainbow's human stars became public figures, Ronnie appreciated his anonymity. The show ran continuously for two decades, providing a reliable income rare for a puppeteer.
Other work and later career
During Rainbow's summer breaks, Ronnie moonlighted as Sweep on The Sooty Show and performed small roles for Jim Henson's company, including Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Muppet Christmas Carol. He was impressed by Michael Caine but starstruck by David Bowie.
After Rainbow's cancellation in 1992, Ronnie was the only cast member to return for two revival series (1994-1997), providing Zippy's voice and operating the puppet. This caused friction with host Geoffrey Hayes, but they later reconciled during the 'Rainbow Revival' in the early 2000s, which included a performance on Top of the Pops in 2002 and entertaining 40,000 people at a retro music festival on Clapham Common.
Later projects and legacy
Ronnie continued working in TV and film, providing the giant hand for the National Lottery's 'It Could Be You' campaign, motion-capture for Lumiere in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast, and appearing as Zippy on Children in Need, The Weakest Link, and The X-Factor. He also fulfilled a childhood dream by operating a talking parrot in a national tour of Doctor Dolittle, to a voice track by Julie Andrews.
He maintained his relationship with the Little Angel theatre, performing there across seven decades. In 1991, John Wright wanted Ronnie to succeed him, but after Wright's death, the board chose another direction. In 2016, Ronnie was elected president of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild, which described him as 'possibly the most active and supportive president we have ever had or will have'.
His memoir, Zippy and Me, co-authored with a ghostwriter, was published in 2019. The launch party was held at the Little Angel theatre foyer.
Ronnie married Caroline Astell-Burt in 1983; they had two children, John and Liz, and later separated. He is survived by his children, four grandchildren, and a half-sister, Carol. He died on 27 July 2026.
