How many times has Peppa Pig's voice changed?
20 October 2020, 11:07
Harley Bird is moving on after 13 years in the role of the cartoon character - but it turns out she's actually the third actress to play the part.
If you have young kids, then you're almost certainly familiar with the cosy world of Peppa Pig.
The bossy young animal features in a series of cartoon adventures with her younger brother George, Mummy and Daddy Pig and a whole host of friends. Even Radio X's very own Dominic Byrne has made an appearance in the series, playing Captain Emergency in two episodes.
The cartoon was created by animators Neville Astley and Mark Baker and launched on 31 May 2004 on Channel 5 with the episode Muddy Puddles. Since then, there have been over 250 episodes and the show has been sold around the world. There's even a Peppa Pig World theme park in Hampshire!
Harley Bird Has Been Voicing Peppa Pig for 10 Years! | This Morning
The entertainment world was rocked in January 2020 when it was announced that actress Harley Bird was retiring as the voice of Peppa at the grand old age of 18. But it may come as a surprise that Harley was actually the third voice of Peppa. So who were the others?
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The first voice of Peppa Pig was Lily Snowden-Fine
The original voice of the character was the daughter of animators Alison Snowden and David Fine, who worked on the development of Peppa, alongside other series such as Shaun The Sheep. Lily left the show after the first series to move to Toronto in Canada, where she has a distinguished career as an illustrator. Check out her work on her official website.
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The second voice of Peppa Pig was Cecily Bloom
When Lily Snowden-Fine moved on, seven year-old Cecily made her debut on 4 September 2006 with the episode Bubbles. While Cecily supplied the voice in the stories, the famous theme song still boasted the original vocal by Lily Snowden-Fine. Cecily moved on after one series when she got too old and went on to study medicine at Cardiff University when she turned 18.
Lily Snowden-Fine Cecily Bloom Harley Bird Amelie Bea Smith Peppa Pig
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The third voice of Peppa Pig was Harley Bird
Hailing from Rochdale in Greater Manchester, Harley got the gig as the porcine heroine aged just five years old. On leaving the show after 185 episodes, she claimed that getting the role was "the start of an incredible journey, and I'll never forget my time on the show."
Neville Astley (Co-Creator of Peppa Pig), Harley Bird (voice of Peppa) and Phil Davies (Producer of Peppa Pig). Picture: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock The Daily Star claimed that Harley was earning £1,000 an hour to voice the cartoon porker and made the record books as the youngest person to ever win a BAFTA in 2011.
Harley Bird wins the BAFTA for Best Performer in 2011. Picture: Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock -
The fourth voice of Peppa Pig is Amelie Bea
On 31 January 2020, it was announced that nine-year-old Amelie was to be the new voice of Peppa in the next series of the cartoon favourite. Ameile's last major role was as Daisy in EastEnders, one of the children fostered by Arshad and Mariam Ahmed. Co-creators Neville Astley and Mark Baker said: "We're delighted to welcome Amelie to the Peppa Pig voice cast and confident that she will continue the strong legacy of the previous Peppa voice actors."
We are so excited to announce that our little superstar AMELIE BEA SMITH will be the new voice of Peppa Pig! First episode airing 14th Feb 2020! Well Done Amelie, we are so so proud of you, and the secret is now out! #MJM #MarkJerminManagement #AmelieBeaSmith #PeppaPig pic.twitter.com/yvlQde5Hwa
— MarkJerminManagement (@mark_jermin_mgt) January 31, 2020
