They are TV’s unsung heroes, adored yet unrecognised. But do voice artists and mask-wearers ever crave fame? From the man behind the meerkats to Star Trek’s prosthetic-laden Captain Saru, we find out
![‘They wanted my meerkat to sound like a Russian Alan Sugar’ – meet TV’s secret superstars](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c1bf0513e279d6b659ed065af633d93952636a58/0_0_2560_1536/master/2560.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=763790cb022aece07e4e1cea1b0c3be3)
A prolific career in TV means fame, right? Actually, the reality is often very different. Many great performances are delivered anonymously, either in a recording booth or under a mountain of prosthetics. That can lead to a strange sort of celebrity status: rubbing shoulders with screen legends on the red carpet one minute, shopping in Tesco without so much as a selfie request the next. So who are these unrecognisable TV icons? How do they bring their much-loved characters to life? And do they long for screaming fans?