He voiced Scrooge's nephew Fred and Charity Man in the Oscar-winning animated television special A Christmas Carol (1971)[4][5] before playing Sgt.
Tapling in 'The Secret of the Foxhunter' episode of the series The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971).
In 1978 he was the Commentator in the film International Velvet and voiced various roles in the original radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1978), including Eddie the Computer, Benjy Mouse, the Allitnils, and the Happy Vertical People Transporter, with Douglas Adams later saying of him that "He was one of the backbones of the series.
Tate provided various additional voices for An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)[6] and The Ticker Talks (1995).
[2][7] He narrated on Story Teller and was on the satirical radio current affairs sketch show Week Ending (1977).