Ray Brooks obit

Actor Ray Brooks, voice of Mr Benn, dies aged 86

 He was not on the list.

TV actor Ray Brooks, who starred in some of the UK's best-known programmes in a career spanning five decades, has died aged 86.

Brooks narrated the classic 1970s children's show Mr Benn and played the male lead in the ground-breaking 1960s BBC drama Cathy Come Home.

He also starred in primetime 1980s programmes Big Deal, in which he played loveable rogue gambler Robbie Box, and Running Wild, as the comic lead Max Wild.

Brooks also became one of few actors to appear in both Coronation Street and EastEnders. He played Norman Philips in the ITV soap in the 1960s, and arrived in Albert Square 40 years later to portray Joe Macer, who infamously murdered his wife Pauline Fowler.

He died on Saturday after a short illness, his family told the BBC.

In a statement, the actor's sons Will and Tom said their dad thought he was best known for Mr Benn, "with people continually asking him to say the catchphrase 'as if by magic!'".

The cartoon followed Mr Benn who, through dressing up in a magical costume shop, found himself in a new adventure every episode.

Brooks's sons added: "Although only 13 episodes were made, they were repeated twice a year for 21 years."

The list of TV shows in which Brooks appeared in the 1960s and 1970s reads like a run-down of the British small screen's biggest hits of the era.

They included roles in Danger Man, Dixon of Dock Green, Emergency-Ward 10, The Avengers, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Z Cars.

He also had a number of film successes, including in the 1965 film The Knack... and How to Get It, which won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

He played Georgio, the waiter in the crumbling hotel, in Carry On Abroad in 1972, and also appeared in the 1966 Dr Who movie Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

Brooks also enjoyed appearances in the theatre, including Alan Ayckbourn's Absent Friends alongside Richard Briers, Peter Bowles and Phyllida Law. He also starred opposite Felicity Kendal in Tom Stoppard's On The Razzle.

His most acclaimed role came early in his career when he played Reg in the gritty BBC TV play Cathy Come Home, which chronicled Britain's housing shortage in the late 1960s.

Directed by Ken Loach and filmed in a documentary style, it followed a young couple's struggle with homelessness. It is regularly cited as one of the most influential TV broadcasts of all time.

But arguably Brooks's biggest mainstream successes came in the 1980s, with two successive primetime leading roles.

In Big Deal, his character Robbie Box seeks to make a living playing poker and betting on horses and dogs - while trying to keep his relationship together with his partner Jan, played by Sharon Duce.

The fast-talking Londoner became one of TV's best-loved working-class characters in an era of Del Boy Trotter and Arthur Daley.

Duce went on to appear in an episode of Running Wild, Brooks's next big hit - where he switched channels to ITV for a sitcom about a former Teddy Boy going through a mid-life crisis.

His popular partnership with Duce was revived by the BBC in 1992's Growing Pains, which saw the pair play a couple who become foster parents.

Throughout his career his unmistakeable voice saw him land several roles as narrator, including the beloved children's show Mr Benn, The Pickwick Papers and 30 episodes reading the stories to young viewers in Jackanory.

He also voiced thousands of adverts for companies including Guinness, Whiskas, Marmite and R Whites Lemonade.

Nonetheless, his sons said Brooks "shunned the limelight" in real life.

They said: "His three true loves were family [he also had a daughter Emma, who died in 2003], Fulham Football Club, and spending time in Brighton, where he was born.

He was among the celebrity Fulham fans who fought against the club's proposed merger with QPR in the 1980s - and son Will recalled that Brooks even wore a "Save Fulham" badge during an interview on Wogan at the time.

The family revealed that he had spent the last few years living with dementia but died peacefully on Saturday with his family at his bedside.

 

Actor

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures (2012)

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures

9.1

Podcast Series

Drax (voice)

2016

1 episode

 

EastEnders (1985)

EastEnders

4.8

TV Series

JoeJoe Macer

2005–2007

119 episodes

 

Mr Benn (1971)

Mr Benn

7.6

TV Series

Narrator (voice)

1971–2005

14 episodes

 

Michelle Collins in Two Thousand Acres of Sky (2001)

Two Thousand Acres of Sky

8.1

TV Series

Terry Marsh

2002–2003

6 episodes

 

Scott Chisholm in BBC Future Generations (1998)

BBC Future Generations

6.9

TV Short

Mr. Benn (voice)

1998

 

My Funny Valentine

Short

Narrator

1997

 

Woof! (1989)

Woof!

7.1

TV Series

Mr Tully

1994

1 episode

 

Ray Brooks and Sharon Duce in Growing Pains (1992)

Growing Pains

8.1

TV Series

Tom Hollingsworth

1992–1993

20 episodes

 

The World of Eddie Weary

TV Movie

Alex Conway (aka Eddie Weary)

1990

 

Blackwater Summer

Short

Husband

1989

 

Ray Brooks, Michelle Collins, and Janet Key in Running Wild (1987)

Running Wild

TV Series

Max Wild

1987–1989

13 episodes

 

Ray Brooks in Big Deal (1984)

Big Deal

8.0

TV Series

Robby Box

1984–1986

30 episodes

 

Patrick Malahide, Nigel Stock, and Clive Swift in The Pickwick Papers (1985)

The Pickwick Papers

7.1

TV Series

Narrator (voice)

1985

12 episodes

 

Rumpole of the Bailey (1978)

Rumpole of the Bailey

8.4

TV Series

Tony Timson

1983

1 episode

 

Ray Brooks and Suzanne Burden in Office Romances (1983)

Office Romances

TV Movie

Gordon Spelle

1983

 

Death of an Expert Witness (1983)

Death of an Expert Witness

7.4

TV Mini Series

Dr. Henry Kerrison

1983

7 episodes

 

Some of Your Bits Ain't Nice

Short

Narrator

1982

 

King Rollo (1980)

King Rollo

7.8

TV Series

Narrator

1980

12 episodes

 

Gerry Cowper and Stephen Garlick in Two People (1979)

Two People

6.5

TV Series

John Moffat

1979

5 episodes

 

Quadrophenia (1979)

Quadrophenia

7.2

Voice in advert (uncredited)

1979

 

Oscar, Kina and the Laser (1978)

Oscar, Kina and the Laser

6.8

Narrator (UK serialised adaptation) (voice)

1978

 

Jackanory (1965)

Jackanory

7.1

TV Series

Storyteller

1969–1978

30 episodes

 

Play for Today (1970)

Play for Today

7.8

TV Series

Raymond Collis

1978

1 episode

 

Your Move

TV Series

1977

1 episode

 

Jan Francis in Rooms (1974)

Rooms

7.4

TV Series

Lionel

1975

2 episodes

 

Greenback Hill (1974)

Greenback Hill

Short

Narrator

1974

 

House of Whipcord (1974)

House of Whipcord

5.8

Tony

1974

 

A Thinking Man as Hero (1973)

A Thinking Man as Hero

TV Movie

Steve Abelman

1973

 

Assassin (1973)

Assassin

6.1

Craig

1973

 

Oranges and Lemons (1973)

Oranges and Lemons

TV Series

Douglas Sewell

1973

1 episode

 

Black and Blue (1973)

Black and Blue

7.3

TV Series

Peter Queech

1973

1 episode

 

Anouska Hempel in Tiffany Jones (1973)

Tiffany Jones

4.7

Guy

1973

 

Ian Hendry and Geraldine McEwan in Late Night Theatre (1972)

Late Night Theatre

TV Series

Albert Peacock

1973

1 episode

 

Pathfinders (1972)

Pathfinders

7.8

TV Series

Flight Lieutenant Benson

1973

1 episode

 

Softly Softly: Task Force (1969)

Softly Softly: Task Force

7.3

TV Series

Dawes

1973

1 episode

 

Leonard Nimoy and Susan Hampshire in Baffled (1972)

Baffled

5.6

TV Movie

George Tracewell

1972

 

Carry on Abroad (1972)

Carry on Abroad

6.5

Giorgio

1972

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

5.7

5 of Spades

1972

 

The Flesh and Blood Show (1972)

The Flesh and Blood Show

5.3

Mike

1972

 

BBC Play of the Month (1965)

BBC Play of the Month

6.8

TV Series

Yasha

1971

1 episode

 

Armchair Theatre (1956)

Armchair Theatre

7.6

TV Series

Paul

1971

1 episode

 

Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Paul Scofield, and Anna Calder-Marshall in ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969)

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

6.0

TV Series

Dennis

1969–1971

2 episodes

 

Joby Blanshard, John Paul, and Robert Powell in Doomwatch (1970)

Doomwatch

7.2

TV Series

Geoff Harker

1970

1 episode

 

The Last Grenade (1970)

The Last Grenade

5.3

Lt. David Coulson

1970

 

Z Cars (1962)

Z Cars

7.1

TV Series

Ken JacksonJimmo

1963–1970

3 episodes

 

My Partner the Ghost (1969)

My Partner the Ghost

7.7

TV Series

Marty

1969

1 episode

 

Marius Goring in The Expert (1968)

The Expert

8.2

TV Series

Eric Redmond

1969

1 episode

 

NET Playhouse (1964)

NET Playhouse

7.4

TV Series

Reg

1969

1 episode

 

Softly Softly (1966)

Softly Softly

7.0

TV Series

Ted Collins

1969

1 episode

 

Boy Meets Girl (1967)

Boy Meets Girl

6.9

TV Series

CliveBruce

1967–1968

2 episodes

 

The Avengers (1961)

The Avengers

8.3

TV Series

Farrington

1968

1 episode

 

Richard Beckinsale, Freddie Fletcher, Arthur Lowe, Jack Rosenthal, and Paula Wilcox in ITV Playhouse (1967)

ITV Playhouse

7.1

TV Series

Sgt. Dangerfield

1968

1 episode

 

Alfred Burke in Public Eye (1965)

Public Eye

8.5

TV Series

JagoTony Naylor

1965–1968

2 episodes

 

Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965)

Thirty-Minute Theatre

7.2

TV Series

The ManRon Baxter

1966–1967

2 episodes

 

Theatre 625 (1964)

Theatre 625

7.6

TV Series

Albert SmithPhilip

1967

2 episodes

 

Barbara Jefford and Hayward B. Morse in Trapped (1967)

Trapped

TV Series

Ray

1967

1 episode

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

6.7

TV Series

Thomas

1967

1 episode

 

Dinsdale Landen in Mickey Dunne (1967)

Mickey Dunne

8.1

TV Series

Fred

1967

1 episode

 

Emergency-Ward 10 (1957)

Emergency-Ward 10

6.3

TV Series

Stan Martin

1966

1 episode

 

The Wednesday Play (1964)

The Wednesday Play

7.2

TV Series

Reg

1966

1 episode

 

Patrick Wymark in The Power Game (1965)

The Power Game

8.0

TV Series

Andrew

1966

1 episode

 

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

5.9

David

1966

 

Jack Warner in Dixon of Dock Green (1955)

Dixon of Dock Green

6.9

TV Series

Ken Hardy

1966

1 episode

 

Patrick McGoohan in Secret Agent (1964)

Secret Agent

8.2

TV Series

Frank Lucas

1965

1 episode

 

Diane Cilento in Blackmail (1965)

Blackmail

7.2

TV Series

Frederick

1965

1 episode

 

Six of the Best

TV Series

Charlie

1965

1 episode

 

Rita Tushingham in The Knack... and How to Get It (1965)

The Knack... and How to Get It

6.3

Tolen

1965

 

Gideon C.I.D. (1964)

Gideon C.I.D.

8.1

TV Series

Frank Romano

1965

1 episode

 

Anthony Bate, Tenniel Evans, Mary Kenton, Hugh Manning, and David Sumner in The Sullavan Brothers (1964)

The Sullavan Brothers

7.4

TV Series

Rick Fortune

1964

1 episode

 

Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)

Coronation Street

5.6

TV Series

Norman Phillips

1963–1964

10 episodes

 

Julie Samuel in It's a Woman's World (1964)

It's a Woman's World

TV Series

Casanova

1964

1 episode

 

Taxi! (1963)

Taxi!

7.1

TV Series

Terry MillsTerry Miles

1963–1964

26 episodes

 

Walter and Connie (1963)

Walter and Connie

5.2

TV Series

Peter

1963

1 episode

 

Suspense (1962)

Suspense

5.9

TV Series

Christopher

1963

1 episode

 

The Face They See

TV Movie

Charlie

1962

 

Billy Fury, Helen Shapiro, and Bobby Vee in Play It Cool (1962)

Play It Cool

5.6

Freddy

1962

 

Some People (1962)

Some People

6.3

Johnnie

1962

 

Bob Dylan, David Warner, Ursula Howells, Reg Lye, and Maureen Pryor in The Madhouse on Castle Street (1963)

BBC Sunday-Night Play

8.5

TV Series

Peter GilmanAlfie

1960–1962

2 episodes

 

Damn the Defiant! (1962)

Damn the Defiant!

7.1

Hayes

1962

 

ITV Television Playhouse (1955)

ITV Television Playhouse

8.1

TV Series

Johnny Primrose

1961

1 episode

 

A Schoolboy's Hero

TV Movie

Alec Ross

1961

 

Saturday Playhouse (1958)

Saturday Playhouse

TV Series

Sprog

1961

1 episode

 

Waveney Lee in Girl on a Roof (1961)

Girl on a Roof

7.6

TV Movie

Red Mayne

1961

 

Julius Caesar (1960)

Julius Caesar

TV Mini Series

Lucius

1960

3 episodes

 

The Secret Kingdom

TV Mini Series

Figgins

1960

5 episodes

 

Captured (1959)

Captured

6.9

Soldier (uncredited)

1959

 

Additional Crew

Oscar, Kina and the Laser (1978)

Oscar, Kina and the Laser

6.8

narrator (english version)

1978

 

Self

The Many Faces of... (2009)

The Many Faces of...

6.4

TV Series

Self

2013

2 episodes

 

This Morning (1988)

This Morning

4.3

TV Series

Self

2006

1 episode

 

Secret History (1991)

Secret History

6.7

TV Series

Self - Narrator (voice)

2000

1 episode

 

Mysteries of Magic (1997)

Mysteries of Magic

8.1

TV Series

Self (narrator)

1997

1 episode

 

Noah's Flood

7.2

TV Movie

Narrator

1997

 

Horizon (1964)

Horizon

8.5

TV Series

Self - Narrator

1996

1 episode

 

Time Signs

7.9

TV Series

Self - Narrator (voice)

1991

1 episode

 

The Paul Daniels Magic Show (1979)

The Paul Daniels Magic Show

7.4

TV Series

Self

1987

1 episode

 

Des O'Connor Tonight (1977)

Des O'Connor Tonight

5.9

TV Series

Self

1986

1 episode

 

Paddy McGuinness in A Question of Sport (1970)

A Question of Sport

6.3

TV Series

Self

1985

1 episode

 

Terry Wogan in Wogan (1982)

Wogan

6.1

TV Series

Self

1985

1 episode

 

Helen Atkinson Wood, Nell Campbell, Simon Hickson, Brian Travers, and Trevor Neal in Juke Box Jury (1959)

Juke Box Jury

7.6

TV Series

Self - Panellist

1965

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

L'énigme Charlotte Rampling (2023)

L'énigme Charlotte Rampling

6.3

TV Movie

Self (archive footage)

2023

 

Dr. Who & The Daleks: The Official Story of the Films (2022)

Dr. Who & The Daleks: The Official Story of the Films

Podcast Series

David (archive footage)

2022

 

EastEnders: Greatest Exits

TV Movie

Joe Macer (archive footage, uncredited)

2011

 

Drama Trails

6.0

TV Series

Farrington (archive footage, uncredited)

2008

1 episode

 

Philip Madoc: A Villain for All Seasons

6.1

Video

David (archive footage)

2007

 

On Location

TV Series

Georgio (archive footage, uncredited)

2000

1 episode

 

Dalekmania (1995)

Dalekmania

6.3

Video

David (archive footage, uncredited)

1995

 

Doctor Who: Thirty Years in the TARDIS (1993)

Doctor Who: Thirty Years in the TARDIS

7.8

TV Movie

David (archive footage, uncredited)

1993

 

Carry on Laughing (1981)

Carry on Laughing

6.4

TV Series

Georgio (archive footage)

1981

2 episodes

 

That's Carry On! (1977)

That's Carry On!

5.3

Georgio (archive footage, uncredited)

1977