Derek Fowlds obit

Derek Fowlds: Yes Minister and Heartbeat actor dies aged 82

Derek Fowlds also starred in The Basil Brush Show, appearing as the iconic puppet fox's loyal friend Mr Derek.

 

He was not on the list.

Yes Minister star Derek Fowlds has died aged 82, his family has said.

The actor was best known for playing the private secretary Bernard Woolley in the popular 80s sitcom, and he later reprised the role in the sequel series Yes, Prime Minister

Fowlds also played Oscar Blaketon in long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat during a successful TV career that began when he took on the role of Mr Derek on The Basil Brush Show.

Derek Fowlds (left) with Yes Minister co-stars Paul Eddington (centre) and Nigel Hawthorne (right)

Image: Derek Fowlds (left) with Yes Minister co-stars Paul Eddington (centre) and Nigel Hawthorne (right)

He appeared alongside the iconic puppet fox with his trademark "boom boom!" catchphrase from 1969 to 1973, replacing Rodney Bewes as presenter.

Basil Brush tweeted: "I don't know what to say, I'm so desperately sad. Such times we had, rest in peace Mr Derek, my best friend forever."

    I don’t know what to say, I’m so desperately sad. 😢😢🦊such times we had, rest in peace Mr Derek, my best friend forever #DerekFowlds #BasilBrushshow pic.twitter.com/iQqI8v1Plm

    — Basil Brush (@realbasilbrush) January 17, 2020

Yes Minister, which also starred Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington, ran from 1980 until 1984, with its follow-up series airing from 1986 to 1988.

Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright tweeted a clip of Fowlds' famous Yes Minister scene about the newspaper industry, saying: "RIP Derek Fowlds AKA 'Mr Derek' AKA Sir Bernard Woolley. This is as classic a scene in British comedy as they come."

Filmography

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1962      The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner         Borstal Inmate   Uncredited[10]

1962      We Joined the Navy        The Midshipman / Carson            

1963      Doctor in Distress             Medical Student Gillibrand          

1963      Tamahine            Bash     

1964      Hot Enough for June       Sun Bathing Man             

1964      East of Sudan     Murchison          

1965      Gideon's Way    Tim Coles             Episode 26: "The Nightlifers"

1966      Hotel Paradiso   Maxime               

1966      Take a Pair of Private Eyes            Ambrose Frayne               6 episodes

1967      Frankenstein Created Woman    Johann

1967      The Solarnauts Tempo Pilot: "Cloud of Death"

1969      The Smashing Bird I Used to Know            Geoffrey             

1969–1973          The Basil Brush Show      Mr Derek             64 episodes

1972      Tower of Evil      Dan       

1973      Mistress Pamela               Sir Percy              

1974      Thriller Dicky     Series 3, Episode 3: "Death to Sister Mary"

1975      Edward the Seventh       Lord Randolph Churchill                Episode: "Dearest Prince"

1976      The Copter Kids                 Captain Peters  

1978      Robin's Nest       Ricky Hart            Series 2, Episode 2: "The Candidate"

1979      My Son, My Son                Newbiggen         1 episode

1980–1984          Yes Minister       Bernard Woolley              22 episodes

1982      Minder Meadhurst          Episode: "Dead Men Do Tell Tales"

1983–1985          Affairs of the Heart          Peter Bonamy    7 episodes

1986–1988          Yes, Prime Minister         Bernard Woolley              16 episodes

1988      Inspector Morse               Kurt Friedman / Michael Robson               Episode: "The Settling of the Sun"

1990      Die Kinder           Crombie               6 episodes

1992      Over the Hill       Dutch   

1992–1994          Firm Friends       John Gutteridge                8 episodes

1992–2010          Heartbeat            Sgt. Oscar Blaketon         342 episodes

2001      Lily Savage's Blankety Blank         Himself[11]         1 episode

2012      Run for Your Wife            Man in hat