He made his television début as Marcel in the 'Toddler on the Run' episode of
The Wednesday Play (1966), and played Basil Biggleswade in 'The Portsmouth Defence' episode of the same series later in the same year. He voiced Scrooge's nephew Fred and Charity Man in the
Oscar-winning animated television special
A Christmas Carol (1971) before playing Sgt. Tapling in 'The Secret of the Foxhunter' episode of the series
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971). In 1975, he appeared in
The Basil Brush Show and was Mr. Hawke in the television series
Romance (1977). 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. We had him there every week." In 1981 Tate voiced Eddie and Benjy Mouse in the television series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', while 1982 saw him as Radio Voice in the series
Solo. He was the TV Commentator in
Never Say Die (1987). He provided various voices for the animated television series
Dragonslayer Quark,
Quark and the Long Winter and
Quark and the Vikings (1987). Tate provided various additional voices for
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) and
The Ticker Talks (1995). He narrated on
Story Teller and was on the satirical radio current affairs sketch show
Week Ending (1977). == Death ==