Martin Freeman to voice Gromit in audiobook autobiography after 37 years without speaking

Gromit is getting a voice for the first time ever (Picture: ©Aardman Animations Ltd) Gromit, one of Britain’s most beloved characters, is finally going to speak after almost four decades on our screens. Since 1989, Wallace and Gromit have embarked on various adventures, from Were-Rabbits to a dastardly penguin, but the claymation dog has never uttered a word. His expressive face and body language have always been loud enough to let viewers know exactly what he’s thinking – but then we invented audiobooks. Gromit is releasing an autobiography this month and it will be available in audiobook form, so Nick Park, animator and co-creator, faced a conundrum. ‘Who could possibly be the voice of a character everyone feels they know, but nobody’s actually heard?’ he asked. Turns out the ‘obvious choice’ was Martin Freeman, and Nick was ‘genuinely thrilled and honoured when he said yes.’ Martin Freeman will lend his voice to the claymation dog (Picture: Isabelle Vautier/Starface Photo/) Martin, 55, is best known for his underappreciated and underestimated hero roles, a situation that Gromit is only too familiar with. He starred as the put-upon sidekick Dr John Watson in the Bafta-winning BBC Sherlock, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch as the famed detective. Meanwhile, in the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, he’s a young Bilbo Baggins who proves to be exactly the burglar-hobbit that his dwarf companions needed. Then there’s the exasperated Tim from the UK version of The Office, trying to give David Brent the benefit of the doubt while being utterly fed up with his incompetence. Sounds like a dog we know. Most recently, Gromit outwitted Feathers McGraw, who was hell-bent on revenge and controlling an army of evil robot garden gnomes. The poor pooch has also put up with Wallace’s questionable love interests and even more baffling inventions, all without uttering a word. Martin was the ‘obvious choice’ to bring Gromit’s inner world to the audiobook (Picture: Aardman Animations) Grand: The Autobiography of Gromit will be released on October 22 (Picture: Penguin Audio/PA Wire) Nick explained that Martin isn’t going to be doing a Gromit ‘voice’ and won’t impact future films. ‘He’s reading Gromit’s story as Gromit put it: his inner thoughts, his candid insights and endless witticisms, bringing to them his usual colour, thoughtfulness and wry humour,’ he said. The book, Grand: The Autobiography of Gromit, as told to Nick Park, is out everywhere on October 22. There’s also an immersive exhibit on the way, titled Larger Than Life, which will share behind-the-scenes moments, projected across four 11-metre walls. It’s set to open on October 14 at the Lightroom in King’s Cross, London. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

After 37 years, the staunchly silent dog will speak for the first time in the audiobook of his autobiography – and it turns out he sounds like a hobbitHe has been on screen for 37 years, but he has never uttered a word. Now, Gromit will speak for the first time – with the voice of the Hobbit star Martin Freeman.The claymation dog, who has partnered with his eccentric inventor-owner Wallace in a series of Oscar-winning films including The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, is releasing an autobiography this month – including an audiobook edition. Continue reading...

He’s been one half of one of the most cherished on-screen duos in history, yet has famously never spoken a word. That is, up until now. Gromit, the whip-smart and eye-rolling four-legged friend to cheese-loving inventor Wallace across numerous stop-motion classics from Aardman Animation and “Wallace & Gromit” creator Nick Park, is getting his first autobiography […]