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Derek Fowlds
English actor (1937–2020)
English actor (1937–2020)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Derek Fowlds |
| image | Derek Fowlds 5 Allan Warren.jpg |
| landscape | Yes |
| caption | Fowlds in 1974 |
| birth_name | Derek James Fowlds |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Wandsworth, London, England |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Bath, Somerset, England |
| occupation | Actor, presenter |
| years_active | 1962–2020 |
| spouse | |
| partner | Jo Lindsay (1976–2012; her death) |
| children | 2 |
Derek James Fowlds (2 September 1937 – 17 January 2020) was an English actor. He played "Mr Derek" in The Basil Brush Show (1969–1973), Bernard Woolley in the sitcom Yes Minister (1980–1984) and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister (1986–1988), and Oscar Blaketon in Heartbeat (1992–2010).
Early life
Derek James Fowlds was born on 2 September 1937 in Wandsworth, London, the son of Ketha Muriel (née Treacher) and James Witney Fowlds, a salesman. In early life he and his mother and sister went to live in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, at his maternal grandmother's home. There Fowlds attended Ashlyns School, a secondary modern school. After leaving school aged 15, Fowlds worked at a printer's firm as an apprentice and, as his National Service, spent two years in the RAF as a wireless operator.
Career
After success in amateur acting, his teacher encouraged him to take it up as a career and Fowlds won a scholarship to RADA in 1958.
Fowlds made his debut on the West End stage in The Miracle Worker. He appeared in various film roles, including Tamahine (1963), East of Sudan (1964), Hotel Paradiso (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Smashing Bird I Used to Know (1969), Tower of Evil (1972) and Mistress Pamela (1974), before becoming familiar to British television child viewers as "Mr. Derek" in the popular British children's series The Basil Brush Show for four series, replacing Rodney Bewes as presenter.
Fowlds played Lord Randolph Churchill in the ATV series Edward the Seventh (1975). In Yes Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister he played the naïve and callow Bernard Woolley alongside Paul Eddington's Jim Hacker and Nigel Hawthorne's Sir Humphrey Appleby.
From 1983 to 1985, Fowlds played the lead role in the sitcom Affairs of the Heart. He had a more sinister role in the 1990 political thriller Die Kinder. Fowlds then played curmudgeonly Oscar Blaketon in the long-running Yorkshire Television police drama nostalgia series Heartbeat for its entire 18-year run beginning in 1992. The character first appeared as the local police sergeant, then retired from the force (due to Oscar's ill health) and ran the post office before becoming a publican.
Personal life
Fowlds married, and later divorced, Wendy Tory. He later married Blue Peter presenter and dancer Lesley Judd. They divorced in 1978. His partner of 36 years, Jo Lindsay, died in 2012. He was the father of two sons, including the actor Jeremy Fowlds. His autobiography, A Part Worth Playing, written with Michael Sellers, was published in 2015 by Fantom Publishing.
Fowlds died at Royal United Hospital in Bath on 17 January 2020 aged 82 from complications of heart failure and sepsis, which had followed pneumonia. His funeral was held at St Katharine's Church in Holt, Wiltshire, on 17 February 2020.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | *The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner* | Borstal Inmate | Uncredited role |
| *We Joined the Navy* | The Midshipman - Carson | ||
| 1963 | *Doctor in Distress* | Medical Student Gillibrand | |
| *Tamahine* | Bash | ||
| 1964 | *Hot Enough for June* | Sun Bathing Man | |
| *East of Sudan* | Murchison | ||
| 1966 | *Hotel Paradiso* | Maxime | |
| 1967 | *Frankenstein Created Woman* | Johann | |
| 1969 | *The Smashing Bird I Used to Know* | Geoffrey | |
| 1972 | *Tower of Evil* | Dan Winthrop | |
| 1973 | *Mistress Pamela* | Sir Percy | |
| 1976 | *The Copter Kids* | Captain Peters | |
| 1992 | *Over the Hill* | Dutch | |
| 1998 | *After Celia* | Gilbert Bentley | |
| 2006 | *Pigeon Post* | John | Short film, also executive producer |
| 2012 | *Run for Your Wife* | Man in Hat |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | *BBC Sunday-Night Play* | The Family | Series 2; episode 7: "The Assassins" | ||
| 1963 | *Love Story* | Brookesey | Series 1; episode 5: "The Wedding of Smith Seven-Nine" | ||
| *ITV Play of the Week* | Ian | Series 8; episode 38: "Breakthrough" | |||
| *Chips with Everything* | 252 Wingate (Chas) | Television film. Scenes from the Royal Court Theatre production | |||
| 1964 | *The Protectors* | Hughie | Episode 14: "The Reluctant Thief" | ||
| *The Villains* | Johnny | Series 2; episode 3: "Victim" | |||
| *Armchair Theatre* | Richard Racey | Series 5; episode 4: "Old Soldiers" | |||
| 1965 | Tom Rogers | Series 5; episode 12: "The Gaming Book" | |||
| *Gideon's Way* | Tim Coles | Episode 26: "The Nightlifers" | |||
| *Cluff* | Jake Winter | Series 2; episode 10: "The Husband" | |||
| *Love Story* | Laurie | Series 3; episode 19: "The Sad Smile of the Mona Lisa" | |||
| 1966 | *Marriage Lines* | Neville | Series 5; episode 4: "Big Business" | ||
| *Take a Pair of Private Eyes* | Ambrose Frayne | Episodes 1–6 | |||
| *The Man in Room 17* | Bruce | Series 2; episode 8: "Goddess of Love" | |||
| *Conflict* | Captain Hawtrey | Episode: "Caste" | |||
| 1967 | *The Solarnauts* | Tempo | Short television film. Pilot for cancelled series: *Cloud of Death* | ||
| *Comedy Playhouse* | Peter Clancy | Series 6; episode 8: "The Old Campaigner" | |||
| 1968 | Jimmy | Series 7; episode 2: "View by Appointment". Pilot for series: *Wink to Me Only* | |||
| *Z Cars* | Ricky Harper | Series 6; episodes 119 & 120: "Some Girls Pick 'Em: Parts 1 & 2" | |||
| *Theatre 625* | Custard Pie Expert | Series 5; episode 25: "The Year of the Sex Olympics" | |||
| 1969 | *Fraud Squad* | Derek Hollister | Series 1; episode 1: "Turbot on Ice" | ||
| *Dr. Finlay's Casebook* | Malcolm Cannock | Series 7; episode 25: "The Cheap Departed" | |||
| *Who-Dun-It* | Septimus Fry | Episode 11: "Murder Goes to School" | |||
| 1969, 1971 | *The Liver Birds* | Peter Crawford | Series 1; episode 5, & series 2; episode 2 | ||
| 1969–1973 | *The Basil Brush Show* | Mr. Derek | Series 2–7; 64 episodes | ||
| 1973 | *Armchair 30* | Brian | Episode 9: "Captain Video's Story" | ||
| 1974 | *ITV Sunday Night Theatre* | Neil | Series 6; episode 8: "Only the Other Day" | ||
| *Thriller* | Dicky | Series 3; episode 3: "Death to Sister Mary" | |||
| 1975 | *After That, This* | Various characters | Episodes 1–6 | ||
| *Edward the Seventh* | Lord Randolph Churchill | Mini-series; episode 7: "Dearest Prince" | |||
| *The Last of the Best Men* | Henry | Television film | |||
| *Comedy Playhouse* | Leonard | Series 15; episode 4: "Captive Audience" | |||
| *The Doll* | Max Lerner | Episodes 1–3 | |||
| 1976 | *Clayhanger* | Jimmy Orgreave | Episode 22: "Dartmoor" | ||
| 1977 | *BBC2 Play of the Week* | Hans von Dohnanyi | Series 1; episode 5: "True Patriot" | ||
| *Crown Court* | Nicholas Higgins | Series 6; episodes 29 & 30: "Such a Charming Man: Parts 2 & 3" | |||
| David Moston | Series 6; episodes 43–45: "Kiss and Tell: Parts 1–3" | ||||
| *Beryl Reid* | Himself | Series 1; episode 1 | |||
| 1978 | *Miss Jones and Son* | Sam | Series 2; episode 3: "Will You Be My Wife?" | ||
| *Send in the Girls* | Miles Filmer | Episode 3: "A Hardy Breed of Girl" | |||
| *Robin's Nest* | Ricky Hart | Series 3; episode 2: "The Candidate" | |||
| *Rings on Their Fingers* | Paul | Series 1; episode 5: "Wholly Deadlock" | |||
| 1979 | *Strangers* | Mike Winter | Series 2; episode 4: "Friends in High Places" | ||
| *My Son, My Son* | Newbiggen | Mini-series; episode 8 | |||
| 1980–1984 | *Yes Minister* | Bernard Woolley | Series 1–3; 22 episodes | ||
| 1981 | *Cribb* | Albert Moscrop | Series 2; episode 1: "Mad Hatter's Holiday" | ||
| 1982 | *Minder* | Meadhurst | Series 3; episode 1: "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" | ||
| *Triangle* | 'Mozz' Barker | Series 2; episodes 15, 16 & 19 | |||
| *Strangers* | Det. Insp. Ken Driver | Series 5; episode 5: "A Free Weekend in the Country" | |||
| *Play for Today* | Hartley | Series 13; episode 4: "Intensive Care" | |||
| *The Funny Side of Christmas* | Bernard Woolley | Christmas Special. *Yes Minister* sketch | |||
| 1983, 1985 | *Affairs of the Heart* | Peter Bonamy | Pilot & episodes 1–6 | ||
| 1983, 1987 | *Call My Bluff* | Himself - Panellist | Series 18; episodes 19 & 20, & series 23; episodes 1 & 2 | ||
| 1986–1988 | *Yes, Prime Minister* | Bernard Woolley | Series 1 & 2; 16 episodes | ||
| 1988 | *Inspector Morse* | Kurt Friedman | Series 2; episode 3: "The Settling of the Sun" | ||
| 1989 | *Rules of Engagement* | Oliver Davidson | Mini-series; episodes 1–6 | ||
| 1990 | *Boon* | Jack Fentiman | Series 5; episode 11: "Best Left Buried" | ||
| *Die Kinder* | Crombie | Episodes 1–6 | |||
| 1990–1991 | *Chancer* | Michael Coley | Recurring role. Series 1 & 2; 6 episodes | ||
| 1991 | *Van der Valk* | Johan Kieft | Series 4; episode 4: "The Little Rascals" | ||
| *Screen Two* | Cumbridge | Series 7; episode 11: "They Never Slept" | |||
| *Perfect Scoundrels* | Watkinson | Series 2; episode 3: "The Carpetbaggers" | |||
| 1992 | *The Darling Buds of May* | Esmond | Series 2; episode 5: "The Season of Heavenly Gifts: Part 1" | ||
| 1992–1994 | *Firm Friends* | John Gutteridge | Series 1 & 2; 8 episodes | ||
| 1992–2009 | *Heartbeat* | Sergeant Oscar Blaketon | Series 1–18; 342 episodes | ||
| 1994 | *Casualty* | Mr. Croft | Series 8; episode 19: "Value for Money" | ||
| *Big Day Out* | Himself - Guest | Episode: "Whitby" (available on YouTube) | |||
| 1996 | *The Detectives* | Derek Alsopp | Series 4; episode 2: "Fur Coat, No Knickers" | ||
| 2001 | *Lily Savage's Blankety Blank* | Himself - Panellist | series=Lily Savage's Blankety Blank | network=ITV | airdate=20 May 2001}} |
| 2003 | *The Royal* | Oscar Blaketon | Series 2; episode 1: "All at Sea" | ||
| 2013 | *Casualty* | Stan Cothern | Series 28; episode 2: "Once There Was a Way Home: Part One" | ||
| 2017 | *Doctors* | Frank Patterson | Series 19; episode 49: "Butterflies" | ||
| 2017 | *Celebrity Antiques Road Trip* | As himself | Series 7, Episode 14 |
References
References
- Anthony Hayward. (17 January 2020). "Derek Fowlds obituary". The Guardian.
- "Derek Fowlds Biography (1937–)".
- Derek Fowlds: A Part Well Played
- ''Who's Who on Television''. Publisher: ''ITV Books Ltd./Michael Joseph Ltd.'' Published: 1985. Retrieved: 27 January 2013.
- Derek Fowlds: A Part Well Played
- "Derek Fowlds: A Part Worth Playing".
- (17 January 2020). "Derek Fowlds: Yes Minister and Heartbeat actor dies aged 82 – BBC News". BBC News.
- (17 January 2020). "Derek Fowlds: Yes Minister and Heartbeat actor dies aged 82". [[Sky News]].
- "Derek Fowlds".
- (April 2025). "Search for releases". British Board of Film Classification.
- Sale, Jonathan. (20 August 1998). "Education: Passed/Failed Derek Fowlds".
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTdKSR3SlfU
- {{cite episode. ITV]]
- IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt2161695/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cst_sm
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