Latest news with #RayBrooks
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ray Brooks obituary
The actor Ray Brooks, who has died aged 86 after suffering from dementia, will be remembered by many television viewers for his mop of curly hair as he enjoyed a string of comedy successes in the 1980s and 90s. Later, switching to soap with EastEnders, he played Pauline Fowler's second husband, Joe Macer, who killed Pauline in a Christmas Day row in 2006 that ended with him hitting her over the head with a frying pan. But Brooks had made an indelible mark on screen early in his career in two productions that captured contrasting sides of the swinging 60s. First came a starring role in the 1965 film comedy The Knack … and How to Get It, as Tolen, the sharp-dressing womaniser who tutors his fellow lodger, Colin (played by Michael Crawford), a shy teacher, in the art of seduction, with Rita Tushingham as Nancy, their guinea pig. The New York Times described Brooks as 'the ultimate in cool, with his dark suit, dark glasses, hipster haircut, droopy eyelids and disrobing voice'. The director Richard Lester's 'new wave' style helped to make The Knack, based on Ann Jellicoe's stage play, a landmark film of the 60s featuring fast-moving visual gags intercut with documentary-like asides from an older generation deploring the collapse of public morals. It won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the Cannes film festival. Brooks was collected from his London flat by a Rolls-Royce at the start of a journey that ended at the Carlton Cannes hotel. 'Every big star of the day you can think of was there and anything we wanted we just signed for it,' he recalled. 'It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.' Glamour was replaced by social realism when Brooks was suggested to Ken Loach – another pioneering director who shot documentary-style – and cast as Reg, the husband of Carol White's title character, in Cathy Come Home, based on a story by Jeremy Sandford. This 1966 Wednesday Play on BBC television was an uncompromising attack on council house waiting lists and the policy of separating husbands from their homeless wives and children. Twelve million viewers watched the story of Reg losing his lorry-driver's job, plunging his family into a downward spiral of poverty. Public and political outrage followed, and councils changed their rules on separating couples. Industry professionals later voted it the best television drama of the 20th century in a British Film Institute poll. But Brooks's career failed to soar as he might have expected. In an interview in 2010, he said: 'I don't think I was ever that good an actor. I was more an image of a young man. I was never as good looking as, say, my contemporary, David Hemmings. And don't forget this was the period of Terence Stamp. So there was a lot of competition.' He kept working, popping up as a character actor, mostly in television dramas, and building up a profitable career as a voiceover artist on commercials for products such as Flora, Whiskas, Marmite and R White's lemonade. Brooks also narrated the fondly remembered BBC cartoon series Mr Benn (1971-72), adapted by David McKee from his own children's books about a bowler-hatted man taken on adventures via a fez-wearing fancy-dress shop owner. Only 13 episodes were made, although they were repeated for more than 20 years – but Brooks earned nothing on top of his original fee. His television acting career was revived when he landed the role of a no-hope gambler, Robby Box, the poker-playing boyfriend of Jan Oliver (Sharon Duce), in the comedy-drama Big Deal (1984-86). He followed it by playing Max Wild, who walks out on his wife and grown-up daughter as he faces a midlife crisis, in the sitcom Running Wild (1987-89). Less successful was Roy Clarke's comedy-drama The World of Eddie Weary (1990), with Brooks as Alex Conway, an actor playing a private detective in a TV programme. A series never followed the pilot episode. But he was back to winning ways as Tom Hollingsworth in the sitcom Growing Pains (1992-93), teamed again with Duce, this time with the pair as a middle-aged couple becoming foster parents. They had previously played the same parts in a BBC radio version (1989-90). Another fallow period ended when Brooks enthusiastically accepted the role of the widowed Joe in EastEnders (2005-07). But he was soon disillusioned with what he later called the 'shabby sets and poor scripts' and 'lack of rehearsal time'. Wendy Richard, who played Pauline Fowler, complained about the producers' plans for her character's marriage to Joe. After they went ahead, Richard resigned and was written out of the soap. Pauline's death was followed weeks later by Joe's, in a fall from a first-floor window. It was Brooks's last screen role. Brooks was born in Brighton, East Sussex, to a single mother, Adelaide Roach, who worked as a bus conductor. She later told him that his father was called John Brooks and lived with a wife and two children just a short distance away. His mother went on to marry three times as Ray grew up. She introduced her son to the arts, taking him to see films in the town's cinemas and concerts at the Brighton Dome, and sent him for elocution lessons. He acted in local amateur dramatics and, on leaving Xaverian college, a Roman Catholic school, worked in the wages office for a bus company. In 1956, aged 17, he joined Nottingham Playhouse as an assistant stage manager and made his acting debut there, with two lines as John Hunter in a production that year of Treasure Island. Brooks's early television parts included Lucius, Brutus's servant, in Julius Caesar (1960), Terry Mills, training as a driver with a cab owner played by Sid James, in the sitcom Taxi! (1963-64) and Norman Phillips (1963-64), who replaced Dennis Tanner as an agency's talent scout, in Coronation Street. In films, he appeared alongside Billy Fury in the pop musical Play It Cool and Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde in HMS Defiant (both 1962), as well as playing one of three teenage tearaways in Some People the same year. He also played a resistance fighter tackling Doctor Who's enemies in Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966) and a Spanish waiter in Carry On Abroad (1972). While slipping below star billing on TV, he found some compensation on the West End stage in the 70s and, at the National Theatre in 1981, he was acclaimed for his role as Weinberl in Tom Stoppard's farce On the Razzle. He was a regular Jackanory storyteller on TV from 1969 to 1979 and wrote an autobiography titled Learning My Lines: From Cathy Come Home to EastEnders (2009). In 1963, Brooks married Sadie Elcombe (nee Markins). She and their sons, Will and Tom, survive him. Their daughter, Emma, died in 2003. Raymond Michael Brooks, actor, born 20 April 1939; died 9 August 2025
STV News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- STV News
Ray Brooks, voice of Mr Benn, dies aged 86
English actor Ray Brooks has died at the age of 86 after a short illness. Brooks was best known for narrating the 1970s children's TV show Mr Benn and for his role in EastEnders playing Joe Macer, who killed his wife Pauline Fowler. The actor died peacefully on Saturday with his loved ones at his bedside, according to a statement shared by his family with the BBC. The statement also revealed that Brooks had spent the last few years living with dementia. BBC/EastEnders Ray Brooks played Joe Macer in EastEnders. BBC/EastEnders Brooks' sons, Will and Tom, 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.' The cartoon Mr Benn, narrated by Brooks, follows the character who enters a magical costume shop and travels to new places based on the costumes he wears. Despite the cartoon only releasing 13 episodes, it became well known for generations of children as episodes were repeated twice a year for more than 21 years. Brooks went on to appear in a host of different primetime television shows including ITV's Coronation Street, in which he played Norman Philips. He also starred in the BBC comedy drama Big Deal, which followed gambler Robbie Box as he tried to make a living by betting while also trying to maintain his relationship with Jan, played by Sharon Duce. Brooks earned himself a number of film credits, including a role in The Knack… And How To Get It, which won the 1965 Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later he starred in Ken Loach's Cathy Come Home, which documented the impact of Britain's housing shortage in the late 1960s. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
EastEnders, Coronation Street and children's TV legend dies, aged 86
EastEnders, Coronation Street and children's TV legend dies, aged 86 Brooks earned himself a number of film credits Ray Brooks narrated Mr Benn English actor Ray Brooks has died at the age of 86 after a short illness. Brooks was best known for narrating the 1970s children's TV show Mr Benn and for his role in EastEnders playing Joe Macer, who killed his wife Pauline Fowler. The actor died peacefully on Saturday with his loved ones at his bedside, according to a statement shared by his family with the BBC. The statement also revealed that Brooks had spent the last few years living with dementia. Brooks' sons, Will and Tom, 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.' The cartoon Mr Benn, narrated by Brooks, follows the character who enters a magical costume shop and travels to new places based on the costumes he wears. Ray Brooks and Janet Key appearing together in television series 'Running Wild' (Photo by Fox Photos/) Despite the cartoon only releasing 13 episodes, it became well known for generations of children as episodes were repeated twice a year for more than 21 years. Article continues below Brooks went on to appear in a host of different primetime television shows including ITV's Coronation Street, in which he played Norman Philips. He also starred in the BBC comedy drama Big Deal, which followed gambler Robbie Box as he tried to make a living by betting while also trying to maintain his relationship with Jan, played by Sharon Duce. Brooks earned himself a number of film credits, including a role in The Knack… And How To Get It, which won the 1965 Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later he starred in Ken Loach's Cathy Come Home, which documented the impact of Britain's housing shortage in the late 1960s.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actor Ray Brooks, voice of Mr Benn, dies aged 86
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.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ray Brooks, British actor and voice of Mr Benn, dies aged 86
Ray Brooks, the British actor who starred in EastEnders, Ken Loach's drama Cathy Come Home and narrated the 1970s children's TV show Mr Benn, has died at the age of 86. Brooks died peacefully on Saturday with his loved ones at his bedside after a short illness, according to a statement shared by his family with the BBC. The statement also revealed that Brooks had spent the last few years living with dementia. Brooks' sons, Will and Tom, 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.' The cartoon Mr Benn, narrated by Brooks, follows the character who enters a magical costume shop and travels to new places based on the costumes he wears. Only 13 episodes were released but the cartoon became well known with generations of children because episodes were repeated twice a year for more than 21 years. 'I was asked to do other cartoons because of Mr Benn – including Rupert the Bear, which was the worst thing I've ever done. I used to have a couple of pints before recording it, to numb my brain for his terrible rhymes,' Brooks told the Guardian in 2017, adding: 'Grandmas come up to me and say their grandchildren are fed up with today's cartoons, but they love the simplicity of Mr Benn, the fact that he's very moral, always sorting out people's problems – including dragons.' Brooks went on to appear in a host of different primetime television shows including ITV's Coronation Street, in which he played Norman Phillips, and EastEnders, where he played Joe Macer, who memorably killed his wife, the long-running character Pauline Fowler. Brooks also starred in the BBC comedy drama Big Deal, which followed gambler Robbie Box as he tried to make a living by betting while also trying to maintain his relationship with Jan, played by Sharon Duce. Brooks earned a number of film credits, including a role in The Knack … And How To Get It, which won the 1965 Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival. A year later he starred in Ken Loach's Cathy Come Home, a BBC drama filmed like a documentary, which explored the impact of Britain's housing shortage in the late 1960s. In 2000, a British Film Institute poll of 100 industry figures rated it as the second-best British television programme ever made, after Fawlty Towers. Press Association contributed to this report.
