Charlie Tymms is a world-renowned puppet designer and maker who creates wonderful creatures for the theatre. Their work includes Hamlet, Spirited Away, The Wicker Husband, and Watermill Theatre’s production of Lord of the Rings. They also created Marvin the Paranoid Android for the new theatrical version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. We caught up with Charlie to find out more.
How did you end working on Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
A cast of puppets, maybe led by Shelob, recommended me.
What was the appeal of making puppets for this project?
I grew up listening to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and have long followed Douglas Adams. I think, like most fans, Marvin the Paranoid Android had a big emotional connection for me, so I was enchanted by the idea of realising him as a puppet for the stage.
What’s the coolest thing that you know that most people don’t know about puppets?
Puppets can see you.
What was your first introduction to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
A teacher called Haggis introduced the radio series to my brother when I was little. It became a family favourite and to this day we still quote from it, and in particular Marvin.
Do you know where your towel is? What does that turn of phrase mean to you?
The towel is essential to me because I live on a ship and it serves not only multiple water-related purposes but porthole insulation on a cold night, a baffle when he plays the cajón and a robe when fending off a surprise attack from the pirates in the early hours. For the hitchhiker, it is the most important item they will ever carry.
What has been the biggest technical challenge?
The primary function of any puppet is the performance of life, and part of my job is to make an armature that can be expressive according to the actions needed within the script. Technically it was a challenge; we had one puppeteer who needed to have full mobility in all Marvin’s limbs, be able to wheel Marvin across the floor, sit him down and not lose control of his legs in the process. Andy Evans, our puppeteer, was brilliant in getting the right balance to enable all this to happen. Finding Marvin’s character and what he could look like was the hardest challenge due to the sheer weight of my perceived expectations from the fans. Marvin has a very emotional connection to so many people.
How do you describe your job to someone who’s never heard of Douglas Adams?
Zark, that’s a difficult question! Imagine a galaxy governed by alien bureaucrats called the Vogons who destroy our small insignificant planet, with only a ten-minute warning, to make way for their hyperspace express route. With the help of an alien claiming to be your best friend Ford, you are persuaded to hitch a ride on the Vogons’ spaceship where you are very unwelcome. My job is to make a personified robot puppet called Marvin with red eyes to help guide you on this journey through space and time. Douglas Adams was a visionary in imagining Marvin built as one of the many failed attempts at Genuine People Personalities, hence with a brain the size of a planet he suffers from severe depression, boredom and total contempt for most life forms he is bound to serve. At the heart, Douglas Adams was a brilliant, unpredictable, digressive author trying to make sense of all the data out there often by imagining radically different perspectives. He loved gadgets and technology but mercilessly satirised its users.
What’s your favourite thing about the project so far?
I love making puppets and so collaborating with the director, Arvind, on finding Marvin was an extraordinary process and working closely alongside the puppeteer Andy and puppetry director Romina to bring Marvin to life has been very rewarding.
What would your dream project be?
The Jungle Book.
What’s next?
We are in the very early stages of research and development for a puppet theatre production of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.
Thunderbirds or Captain Scarlet?
Neither. Muppets!
Tea or Coffee?
Coffee.
Truth or Beauty?
That’s a trial I am not willing or qualified to testify at and the courts have found life the guilty party anyway so why are you asking me?
Charlie can be found on Instagram and their own website. You can read our review of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy here.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy runs until the 15th of February 2026 at the Riverside Studios London, you can book here.
