Brief
Nick Park says Queen Elizabeth urged him to keep Peter Sallis as Wallace’s voice
The Wallace and Gromit creator says the late monarch supported keeping the original voice actor.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park told The Telegraph that Queen Elizabeth II intervened when Hollywood executives suggested replacing Peter Sallis, the original voice of Wallace, with a younger star.
What happened
Park first hired Sallis for a £50 lunch in the early 1980s, leading to the 1989 release of Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out. Sallis reprised the role in the award‑winning shorts The Wrong Trousers (1993) and A Close Shave (1995). In the mid‑2000s, DreamWorks executives urged a recast, fearing Sallis’s age would limit appeal to children.
What the reports add
According to the Independent, Park attended Queen Elizabeth’s 80th‑birthday lunch and sat beside the monarch. He recalled the Queen saying, “You ought to hang on to him!” – a direct encouragement to retain Sallis. The same report notes an executive once suggested redesigning Wallace’s iconic Austin A35 into an American pickup, which Park rejected.
What was said
Park said to The Telegraph, “She was a fan… It was like chatting with my mum,” and quoted the Queen’s advice to keep Sallis. He also explained his reaction to the pickup‑truck idea: “Nah! It’s an Austin A35. It’s cool because it’s not cool.”
How it came about
Park’s early career began as a student animator in the 1980s. After Sallis retired in 2010 due to ill health, Ben Whitehead took over the role. The anecdote about the Queen was shared ahead of a major milestone: Gromit’s first spoken memoir, narrated by Martin Freeman.
Key facts
- Nick Park says Queen Elizabeth II urged him to keep Peter Sallis as Wallace’s voice (independent.co.uk)
- Peter Sallis voiced Wallace from 1989 until his retirement in 2010 (independent.co.uk)
- Gromit will have a memoir narrated by Martin Freeman (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Wallace and Gromit creator says late Queen spoke out amid bid to replace star”
