ABOUT GUY HARRIS

Guy Harris is a British voice actor and narrator, known under the brand VoiceoverGuy, and considered one of the most in-demand commercial voices in the United Kingdom and beyond. He is also an award-winning voice actor who has received multiple VOX Awards of the years. He has also been nominated for international honours from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, highlighting his recognition within the global voiceover industry.

Over the years, Guy has voiced hundreds of thousands of projects, including commercials, television adverts, educational content, applications, and video games. His voice has been used by major companies such as BBC and Disney. In the gaming industry, he is known in particular as the voice of Lt. Hammerman in the game Boom Beach, where his performance helped create a memorable and charismatic antagonist.

A significant part of his career is dedicated to character voices and impressions: Guy often parodies the documentary narration style associated with David Attenborough, and performs a wide variety of roles ranging from announcers to animated and game characters. In the United Kingdom, he is also well known as the “voice of Santa”, taking part in seasonal projects and radio broadcasts where his warm and recognizable tone is used to portray the iconic Christmas figure. Thanks to his combination of technical skill, acting experience, and versatility, Guy remains a prominent figure in the modern voiceover industry.

INTERVIEW

Q: Hello Guy. Would you have time to talk about Voiceovers?

Guy: You know what? Yeah I’ve got some time right now. Let me just grab a chair. Ok… what would you like to know??

Q: When did you realize that your voice could become more than a tool - that it could actually be a career?

Guy: I started imitating people when I was a kid including my doctor and teachers. I never even thought of it as a career. I always wanted to be a cameraman or a stuntman. Sadly my physique stopped that one. But once someone paid me to do a character voice later in life I realised I could perhaps make a career out of it. Here we are 26 years later and I’m still voicing.

Q: What were your first steps in the voiceover industry like? What was the biggest challenge early on, and what kept you going?

Guy: First steps were actually quite easy when I started in 2000 as there were not many people doing it compared to today. I came in with a tonne of character voices and a passion for learning, that I think producers warmed to. I always gave 100% and genuinely, even today was always super grateful to be booked and I think people liked that. What kept me going? I think the fact I was being booked lots and the money was pretty g too haha.

Q: You’ve voiced hundreds of major brands - from Disney to Apple. Was there a particular project that made you feel you had truly “arrived” in the industry?

Guy: I’d say Apple was pretty big and following that I got booked lots, and still do, for that Apple style delivery. But even though I never grew up playing it. Being part of the WORMS game franchise and hearing how big that was, I was really blown away. Funny as they started doing voices ‘in house’ but in December 2025 they came back to me for a whole bunch more characters for the next new game. Can’t say much more at the moment though.

Q: With over 100,000 scripts behind you, how do you keep your work fresh and unique every time?

Guy: I’m not really in control of keeping it fresh as I don’t choose what I’m sent. However, I do treat every day like day one, so every day feels exciting. A lot of days I start the day with nothing in the diary and by the evening I could have voiced multiple jobs over a mixture of genres.

Q: How do you decide on the vocal style for a project - calm and informative, emotional, or fully character-driven? What influences that decision?

Guy: I’d like to say it’s down to me, however I’m booked by people who know what my style is and what I’m capable of. As my website voiceoverguy.co.uk has dozens of different styles and demos, I’m usually booked based on something they’ve heard already. However in some character work I will suggest other options based on what I feel I could deliver even better or what might fit. I don’t have all the answers, but it’s nice to have some input.

Q: Do you often get involved creatively - offering script tweaks, suggesting tone changes, or adding a bit of humor?

Guy: Oh yes, see previous answer. Sometimes I’ll be asked, what do I think. Thats quite nice to take it in an another direction and quite often, my style is chosen.

Q: Your iconic characters - from Santa to the movie trailer voice, are instantly recognizable. How do you go about developing these voices? Is it technique, instinct, or both?

Guy: Well, I’ve never claimed to be the next DonLaFontaine, however, I am able to reach quite low and deliver that deep movie style. I just launched a new Movie Trailer Website movietrailervoice.co.uk , quite a fun looking website and it showcases some of the work I’ve done and gives people a flavour of what they could have. As for Santa… well, he is my favourite character. I like to think my Santa is a more fun and cheeky Santa. Especially if I’m performing him live on a radio show or asked to ad-lib. I love this voice and despite it being nowhere close to my own, I could stay speaking like him all day. He’s a bit maverick and that was the direction I wanted to take my version. I didn’t want to go down the route of serious whimsical Father Christmas. I wanted to appeal to the slight more fun jobs. Again I also set up a new SantaGuy.co.uk micro site for all things Santa. I have even built a Santa Tracker for Christmas Eve.

Q: One of your standout roles is Lt. Hammerman in Boom Beach. How did you approach voicing that character? Did you have any references or inspirations?

Guy: I was told he was a bit sinister and evil so I looked at the characters I perform for Halloween and combined those together. The guys behind Boom Beach made some fun videos a while back with him and it was great to be part of.

Q: Hammerman is a villain with a larger-than-life personality. How did you strike the right balance between comic exaggeration and believable menace?

Guy: I think that was down to the game makers. I sent a whole bunch of different styles and they chose the one that best suited. I’d like to do more as him, but nothing new has come recently.

Q: Were there any specific challenges in voicing Hammerman - maintaining tone across updates, vocal strain, emotional variation?

Guy: The voice is based on some the Haloween styles I get to do each year and as I’m able to stay in character quite easily in that darker tone, I didn’t find it much of a challenge. Apart from not laughing when in one of the videos I’m in a bath tub.

Q: What’s it like knowing your voice is part of a major mobile gaming franchise? Have you received any memorable feedback from players or fans?

Guy: Thats pretty cool. It was suggest I go to one of these Comic Con things or game conventions, as I do a few other well known characters, like Santa for Go Jetters, Mr Messy and Mr Funny of the Mr Men and also a few characters on Thomas the Tank Engine. Multiple WORMS voices over the last 4 games, also, some of the Goblins on Clash of Clans too. It’s very exciting to be a part of it and something I don’t take for granted. I’d like to do more.

Q: What does a typical workday look like for you? Do you stick to a schedule, or is each day different?

Guy: Every day is different. If nothing booked I’ll often go for a bike ride and during which when I stop and check email there will always be something to go back to the studio to voice. As I write this, I’d just finished 9000 words on Pregnancy and child birth for the UK’s NHS. Completely different to character work, but I love the variety. I do like to work smart and efficiently. I try to get audio back to producers as quick as possible as I know they appreciate having longer to work with it. Work doesn’t stop at 5pm either. Because I work in so many different countries, I’m happy to work in the evening, especially for clients in the US market. That being said, I’ve voiced sessions at 6am too for clients in the Middle East and Asia.

Q: Beyond having a great voice, what other skills do you believe are essential in this profession - marketing, editing, communication?

Guy: I think the voice is only a small. Part of it. If you want to move forward and certainly make it a full time job, you’ve got to be a voice, a marketer, a great communicator, a business person and you’ve got to get on with people. It’s all very well saying, you’ve got a great voice, but unless you know how to use it and how to conduct yourself in a Live session with multiple people listening in and directing you, you might not get booked as often. Live sessions to anyone who hasn’t done it before can be quite daunting. Recently I did an advert in Dubai and there were 16 people connected and all throwing their input in. Personally I love direction, but to others it can be pretty daunting.

Q: You frequently record remotely via SourceConnect, Cleanfeed, etc. What do you consider the key to a smooth remote session - technical setup, preparation, or chemistry with the client?

Guy: I learnt as much as I could about the technology, so I know each session will happen without a hitch. I hear stories of clients being ready on the line and then voices fumbling and not connecting because they don’t know what they are doing. In this business and more than ever, you have to get your stuff together. Great quality equipment and working every time is key. A client won’t come back if you’ve made it hard work for them to connect. Personally I do love Cleanfeed. If you’ve not tried it you should. The PAID Version is also pretty awesome with the extra recording features. It pays for itself often with the 1st job.

Q: Voiceover can be physically demanding. Have you ever faced vocal burnout or creative fatigue? How do you recover and recharge?

Guy: Touch wood, I’ve never had a day off for illness in 26 years of doing it. I’ve had a demanding character session, like WORMS and not had a voice left for a corporate video after, but most clients will wait for a day or 2 if needed. Burnout?? You are joking?? In this job? It’s the most fun job in the world. If you are burning out, you are not doing it right or you’ve accepted the wrong job. That’s another thing. Don’t take every job! I let more stuff go rather than do a bad job. I’ve recommended other voices, including strong competition for a job where I knew they would do it better. It’s about knowing what you are capable of and not accepting jobs if you think it might burn you out.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception people have about being a voiceover artist?

Guy: Haha… that it’s just ‘having a great voice’. It’s having a great voice but knowing how to use it properly is the part where you can call yourself professional. Another misconception is that people say they are a VoiceOver and then say ‘why am I not getting any work?’ I’ve always said, “there is plenty of work out there, you just gotta know where to look”, and thats it! You can’t wait for it to come in.

Q: How do you feel about the rise of AI in voiceover work? Is it a threat, a tool, or just another shift in the industry?

Guy: AI! Well, it was always coming and it’s arrived a bit quicker than we all imagined. However, you might save money with AI. But will your audience believe a word of it? I’ve lost work to AI the same as most and I’ve had clients tell me they are now using AI. If it’s a money thing I get it, everyone wants to save money. Is it good? I’ve heard great examples and I’ve heard poor examples. If a client is bothered about quality then they’ll book a human if the only reason they are doing it is to save money then yeah, give up the chance to give great direction and get the AI version. I have clients who say they don’t want to use it, as they don’t want to lose credibility when their end clients brand name is not said the way it should be said. I heard a study recently that more people switch off to AI voices than human voices. Well, good luck if you are putting a training video together for a pilot or the online training manual for a surgeon and they don’t listen properly to the content. Today’s generation are growing hearing the same AI voices on TikTok and social media and they don’t really mind. But there will always be a place for a human voice and for creatives who understand the value of a real voice. Hey, why advertise a product you want your buyer to believe is genuine and then go use a FAKE voice to sell it??

Q: What types of projects truly inspire you? Do you have any “dream roles” you’d love to voice one day?

Guy: On my whiteboard I wrote the word ‘Pixar’ 20 years ago, however that never came, however, the fact I’ve managed this long out of it, I’m super grateful. I hope I can get a few more years yet. I still really enjoy every day. And whether it’s an on hold prompt, an in-store commercial, a radio or tv advert or a game character, it’s something as a kid I never thought I’d be doing. So, I have no regrets, not working for Pixar… yet, at the same time I’m at a stage that I’m very happy with what I’ve had already.

Q: Where do you see yourself and the voiceover industry in near future? What do you think will remain timeless, and what might fade away?

Guy: I’ve no idea how it’s going to pan out, but I know, talking to peers in the business, that the amount of work is slowing. I’d like to think people will still book my voice and I’ll be happy with any character work that comes in. I have a few other side projects I work on too which keeps me busy. If I can mention VoiceoverStudioFinder.com ? I set up this website as my studio gets booked a lot for people who need a studio here in Yorkshire. It started out with local actors, then travelling voiceovers, so I set up a listing site for other studios to list theirs for voice work. We’ve over 500 studios listed and lots get extra work from voice booths that are empty. We don’t have any part in the booking, it’s purely a listing site, but it’s really easy to make a great profile and get your studio a better presence than some of the outdated studio websites I’ve visited in my research for it. Free to add a studio but it would be nice if a few more did the premium listing as it will help pay for it. By the way the SEO is great too on each profile.

What might fade away?? Well, there will always be an appetite for saving money with am alternative AI voice and I think a lot of Explainers went that way and will continue to do so. However, who knows, maybe people will then find a human voice a novelty and come back to it. I’ve no idea, but let’s hope the phone keeps ringing and the emails come in.

Guy Harris’s social networks and links

If you’d like to see more from Guy, you can follow him on his official social medias:

YouTube - (www.youtube.com/@voiceoverguyharris)
Official website - (www.voiceoverguy.co.uk/)