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Bernard Cribbins (born 29 December 1928) is an English character actor and musical comedian who has performed in numerous films and television shows.

Career

Born in Derker, Oldham, Lancashire, Cribbins served an apprenticeship at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, taking a break during his years of study to undertake National Service with the Parachute Regiment in his late teens.^[1]

Cribbins made his first West End theatre appearance in 1956 at the Arts Theatre playing the two Dromios in A Comedy of Errors and co-starred in the first West End productions of Not Now Darling, There Goes the Bride and Run For Your Wife. He also starred in the revue An Another Thing, and recorded a single of a song from the show entitled "Folksong". In 1962 he recorded two highly popular and well-remembered comic songs, "Right Said Fred" (in which a group of workmen struggle to relocate a large unspecified object, possibly a piano) and "Hole in the Ground" (in which an embittered workman murders a bowler-hatted harasser).^[1]

Cribbins appeared in films from the early 1950s, his credits include three Carry On films, the second Doctor Who film Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD, and as the station porter, Perks, in The Railway Children (1970). He was the narrator of the British animated children's TV series The Wombles. He also narrated a celebrated BBC radio adaptation of The Wind in the Willows and provided the voice of the Tufty character in RoSPA road safety films in the 1960s. He was the reader in more episodes of Jackanory than any other person, with a total of 114 appearances. Other television appearances included Fawlty Towers, as the spoon salesman Mr. Hutchinson (mistaken by Basil Fawlty for a hotel inspector) in the episode "The Hotel Inspectors" (1975). He also provided the voice of Buzby, a talking cartoon bird that served as the mascot for the then Post Office,^[2] He also appeared reduced to OO gauge in adverts for Hornby model trains.^[3]

In 2003 he played Wally Bannister in the long running soap Coronation Street. He is also the narrator of The Way We Were, a 2008 series broadcast on ITV.

In January 2007 he guest starred as glam rock promoter Arnold Korns in the Doctor Who radio play Horror of Glam Rock for BBC Radio 7. In December he appeared as Wilfred Mott in the Doctor Who Christmas television special, "Voyage of the Damned"; he then reappeared as the same character throughout the 2008 series, as the grandfather of companion Donna Noble^[4] He also appeared in the "The End of Time", the 2-part Christmas 2009 special that saw the end of David Tennant in the role of the Doctor.

Right Said Fred campaign (2010)

An online campaign started at the beginning of 2010 to get Bernard Cribbin's top ten hit, "Right Said Fred" back in the charts. It was to get as many people as possible to buy "Right Said Fred" from 7th - 13th March.

The campaign was similar to that of the Girls Aloud's to get Untouchable into the top ten.

Reception

Robert Ross praised him as Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker in Carry On Jack, describing his bemused cheerfulness and comic ineptitude as a stunning debut performance.^[5]

Television

Films

UK chart singles

Albums

References

External links

• Bernard Cribbins at the Internet Movie Database
• Autograph
• The Actors Compendium
• Carry On Line: Official Website of the Carry On films Detailed information on the Carry Ons