Peter Pratt

Peter Pratt (21 March 1923 – 11 January 1995) was an English actor and singer born in Eastbourne, England, where he began studying singing in childhood and served as a soloist in his church choir. He also participated in amateur theatrical societies during his early years. Pratt is best known for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas, and he later gained additional recognition as the second actor to portray the Master in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who.

Pratt joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the chorus in September 1945 at the age of 22. He began taking on small roles in 1947, among them Go-To in The Mikado, and by the 1948–49 season had become second understudy to principal comedian Martyn Green while also playing Bouncer in Cox and Box, Bill Bobstay in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Major Murgatroyd in Patience. A turning point came in May 1949 when both Green and the primary understudy fell ill simultaneously, requiring Pratt to step in as Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore on short notice, along with several other patter roles that summer. He was subsequently elevated to primary understudy responsibilities across the comic repertoire.

In September 1951, exactly six years after joining the company, Pratt succeeded Green as principal comedian, a position he held for eight seasons. His roles in that capacity included Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, the Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance, Bunthorne in Patience, the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe, Ko-Ko in The Mikado, Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard, the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers, and King Gama in Princess Ida. His Broadway appearances, which spanned 1947 to 1955, included The Hot Mikado, Iolanthe, Ruddigore, Trial by Jury, and Princess Ida. During his tenure with D'Oyly Carte, Pratt made recordings of Major Murgatroyd in Patience (1951), John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer (1953), King Gama in Princess Ida (1955), Ko-Ko in The Mikado (1957), and Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance (1957).

The Times reviewed Pratt's Lord Chancellor during his first London season as principal comedian in 1953, noting that he "had a good delivery, a quiet manner, and a nimble pair of legs that contrasted suddenly and superbly with his dry demeanour" and that he "refrained from overplaying the part." A 1956 Times review of Ruddigore credited him with "true operatic talent," observing that he changed "the colour of his tone and the expression of his face with decisive skill" across the twin roles. A 1957 Times correspondent described his Jack Point in Yeomen of the Guard as "very human, not over-dramatized." Pratt suffered an illness in the spring of 1959 and announced in May of that year that he would not rejoin the company for the following season. His final appearance with D'Oyly Carte was on 30 May 1959.

Following his departure from D'Oyly Carte, Pratt pursued work in theatre, television, radio, and concert performance. He was a member of the BBC Drama Repertory Company in the early 1960s. In 1964 he appeared in All in Love, a musical based on Sheridan's The Rivals, and in 1965 he was seen in the comic play A Month in the Country at the Cambridge Theatre in London. In 1966, BBC Radio broadcast a complete cycle of the thirteen extant Gilbert and Sullivan operas with dialogue, and Pratt starred in ten of them while also serving as co-producer. He wrote, narrated, and performed in a television play titled Jack Point in 1973, and presented radio programmes including Afternoon at the Savoy, Evening at the Savoy, and Take a Sparkling Pair. Pratt also toured his own companies, "Music Mosaic" and "The World of Gilbert and Sullivan," bringing Gilbert and Sullivan and other works to audiences in Britain, North America, and Australia. He appeared in a full costume production of The Mikado at Royal Albert Hall. In 1975, as part of the centennial season, Pratt played Richard D'Oyly Carte in a specially written curtain raiser by William Douglas-Home titled Dramatic Licence, performed before Trial by Jury, alongside Kenneth Sandford as Gilbert and John Ayldon as Sullivan.

In 1976, Pratt appeared in the Doctor Who serial The Deadly Assassin, becoming the second actor to play the Master. The performance drew praise despite the restrictive mask and costume, which required him to rely primarily on his voice. In 1977 he appeared with Hinge and Bracket in a BBC Radio episode of The Stackton Music Festival, and in 1981 he toured with a group called the London Savoyards. He also appeared as a soloist in the concert video recording Gilbert and Sullivan Present their Greatest Hits, filmed at Royal Albert Hall in 1982.

Pratt was married twice. His first marriage was to Joyce Wright, a D'Oyly Carte soubrette. He later married Patience Sheffield, a BBC drama studio manager and daughter of former D'Oyly Carte baritone Leo Sheffield. Pratt died in London on 11 January 1995 at the age of 71.