He was also a puppeteer and voice actor in two Muppet feature films and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

After a series of jobs behind the scenes in theatres, he became stage manager in a West End production of Little Shop Of Horrors, where he looked after Audrey II – the giant plant.

Bookaboo, 2009 BAFTA-award-winning kids' TV series has Clarke puppeteering a "rock puppy" who is unable to play the drums before one of his friends has read him a story.

[2] Designed to back the 2008 National Year of Reading campaign,[3] Bookaboo's friends are celebrities such as Meat Loaf and David Seaman.

He created a short film with young people at Clayfields House, a secure children's home in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire.

Clarke is also on the Board of Funny Wonders Inc, a community interest company, co-organisers of the Buxton Puppet Festival.

[11] Clarke has been nominated for and won a number of awards, including two BAFTAs for Pre-school Live Action.

[15] The young people in Clarke's puppet film, Clayfields House, won two writing awards from the Koestler Trust.