Bernard Cribbins

2022 - 7 - 28

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Bernard Cribbins, star of Doctor Who and Jackanory, dies aged 93 (The Guardian)

The actor, comedian and singer had a career spanning eight decades from Fawlty Towers to hit single Right Said Fred.

The actor Elaine Page, whoappeared alongside Cribbins in Davies’ BBC One adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, said “I’m so very sad. He was awarded the OBE in 2011 for services to drama. He loved being in Doctor Who. He said, ‘Children are calling me grandad in the street!’ His first day was on location with Kylie Minogue, but all eyes, even Kylie’s, were on Bernard.” “I never met the gentleman,” he told the Guardian in 2014. His dulcet tones meant he was a perfect fit for the BBC’s storytelling show, Jackanory, on which he appeared more times than any other reader, 114, between 1966 and 1991. Bernard Cribbins has died at the age of 93.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Deadline"

Bernard Cribbins Dies: Veteran British Actor Who Starred In 'The ... (Deadline)

Cribbins' agent, Gavin Barker Associates, confirmed the news with Deadline in a statement.

The statement continued: “Bernard’s contribution to British entertainment is without question. “Beloved actor Bernard Cribbins OBE has passed away at the age of 93. Bernard Cribbins, the veteran British actor who narrated The Wombles and starred in the popular film adaptation of The Railway Children, has died.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

Bernard Cribbins, Star of the Railway Children and Doctor Who ... (Bloomberg)

Children's TV star and entertainer Bernard Cribbins has died aged 93, his agent said. The veteran actor starred in the Carry On films, Doctor Who and the ...

Post cover
Image courtesy of "North Wales Pioneer"

Bernard Cribbins: All-round entertainer beloved by generations of ... (North Wales Pioneer)

The actor, voice-over artist, musician and comedian has died at the age of 93.

“That was a long time ago now. Working well into his 80s, Cribbins said: “I love it. I’d have been tripping over that scarf all the time.” I can’t stop. That was it. Bernard Cribbins was one of the most versatile and popular entertainers of his generation, managing to be a favourite on children’s TV while also starring in the bawdy Carry On films.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Redditch Advertiser"

In Pictures: Remarkable career of beloved actor Bernard Cribbins (Redditch Advertiser)

The star of The Railway Children, Doctor Who and many other films and TV shows has died at the age of 93.

The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. His diverse talents ensured he was always in demand, regardless of whether the role called for a straight or comedic performer, and during the 1970s and ’80s he was never far from TV screens. As well as finding time to make novelty records including the top 10 hit Right Said Fred, Cribbins was a children’s television fixture, narrating The Wombles in the 1970s and also playing the title role in Old Jack’s Boat on CBeebies in recent years.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "National Post"

Bernard Cribbins, actor who delighted UK kids, dies at 93 (National Post)

LONDON (AP) — Bernard Cribbins, a beloved British entertainer whose seven-decade career ranged from the bawdy “Carry On” comedies to children's television ...

A legend has left the world.” A younger generation knew Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, a companion to David Tennant’s titular Doctor, when “Doctor Who” was revived in the early 21st century. “Bernard’s contribution to British entertainment is without question,” it said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "TVLine"

Doctor Who's Bernard Cribbins Dead at 93 — Read Russell T ... (TVLine)

British actor Bernard Cribbins, who played Wilfred 'Wilf' Mott, grandfather of Catherine Tate's Donna on 'Doctor Who,' has died at 93.

Across the pond, Cribbins was a legend of children’s programming. A legend has left the world.” A love story for the ages.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The A.V. Club"

R.I.P. Bernard Cribbins, star of Doctor Who (The A.V. Club)

Cribbins is known for playing Wilfred Mott on Doctor Who as well as narrating children's show The Wombles.

“Beloved actor Bernard Cribbins OBE has passed away at the age of 93. Bernard Cribbins, a veteran actor known for his role as Wilfred Mott on Doctor Who, has passed away at the age of 93. In a long and varied career, Cribbins was possibly best known for his work in children’s entertainment.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Bernard Cribbins, British Actor Known for 'Doctor Who,' Is Dead at 93 (The New York Times)

Mr. Cribbins's long career included roles on stage, film and television.

In 1975, Mr. Cribbins appeared in an episode of the comedy series “Fawlty Towers,” starring John Cleese as the hapless manager of a seaside hotel. He had also appeared in a Doctor Who movie, “Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.,” in 1966. What if I attack a Dalek with a paintball gun?!’ Okay, Bernard, in it went!” In addition to dozens of roles in film and television, he recorded the 1960s novelty song “Right Said Fred.” And the stories, as I said before, were wonderful,” he said. And you pull them in.” Mr. Davies wrote that Mr. Cribbins had once “turned up with a suitcase full of props, just in case, including a rubber chicken.” He added, “He’d phone up and say, ‘I’ve got an idea! This period of onstage work broadened into other media, including television and film, for which he became widely known, according to IMDB. In the TV series, which the producer Russell T Davies revived in 2005, Mr. Cribbins played a recurring role as the grandfather of one of the Doctor’s companions, Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Mr. Davies wrote that Mr. Cribbins “loved being in Doctor Who. He said, ‘Children are calling me grandad in the street!’” Mr. Cribbins was born in Oldham, England, just outside Manchester, on Dec. 29, 1928, according to IMDB. After his early stage career, he narrated “The Wombles,” a 1970s animated television program created from a series of books about underground creatures, and joined the cast of the science-fiction TV series “Doctor Who” from 2007 to 2010. In one of his more than 100 readings, of “ The Wizard of Oz” in 1970, Mr. Cribbins infused the voices of Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Wizard and other characters with a full dramatic repertoire of whispers, tremors and shrieks. When he was awarded a BAFTA Special Award in 2009, he grew serious in an interview when asked about the hugely popular “Jackanory” and how it had influenced young audiences.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Variety"

'Doctor Who' Star and 'Wombles' Narrator Bernard Cribbins Dies at 93 (Variety)

Bernard Cribbins, the beloved narrator of 1970s British children's show 'The Wombles' and 'Doctor Who' actor, has died. He was 93.

He was unique, typifying the best of his generation, and will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him.” The actor in 2009 was the recipient of a Special Award at the British Academy Children’s Awards. The honor was presented by his former “Doctor Who” co-star Tate. Cribbins was later appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s 2011 Birthday Honors list, for services to drama. Oh, really though, what a wonderful actor.” Cribbins’ recent work included a couple of 2022 podcasts: “Dr. Who & The Daleks: The Official Story of the Films” and “The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories.” I love him.” And what an actor.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "New York Post"

Bernard Cribbins, star of 'Doctor Who,' dead at 93 (New York Post)

Beloved actor Bernard Cribbins, best known for his role in "Doctor Who" and "The Railway Children," died at the age of 93, his agent said.

A legend has left the world.” Former “Doctor Who” showrunner Russel T. Davies led tributes, writing, “I’m so lucky to have known him. “Bernard’s contribution to British entertainment is without question,” the statement continued.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Bernard Cribbins obituary (The Guardian)

Character actor especially loved by young audiences for film and TV including Jackanory, The Wombles and The Railway Children.

As if to prove that he left no television stone unturned, he cropped up in Worzel Gummidge with Jon Pertwee, Last of the Summer Wine with Peter Sallis and Bill Owen and, in 2003, Coronation Street, in which he played Wally Bannister, a lecherous gardener passing himself off as a wealthy haulage firm owner. A BBC Play of the Month in 1977 – William Wycherley’s sexually explicit Restoration masterpiece The Country Wife – in which he played the irascible husband of Helen Mirren’s lubricious Margery Pinchwife – was a reminder that he had been away from the stage for too long. In 1969, ITV gave him two series of his own comedy show, Cribbins, and a decade of high-profile television work culminated in Shillingbury Tales by Francis Essex, six hour-long episodes of everyday life in a fictional village, filmed on location in Aldbury, Hertfordshire. His character of Cuffy, the colourful tinker, was so successful that it earned him a 1983 spin-off series, Cuffy, in which he was joined by Linda Hayden and Jack Douglas from the original Shillingbury cast. He divided his time in the 1960s between stage and screen. He stayed in the job for seven years, playing increasingly larger, then leading, roles, with an interruption in 1947 to complete his national service with the Parachute Regiment in Aldershot, Hampshire, and then in Palestine. He explained his connection to young audiences by saying that his job was to look straight down the lens and imagine one child sitting there, transfixed.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CTV News"

Bernard Cribbins, actor who delighted U.K. kids, dies at 93 (CTV News)

Bernard Cribbins, a beloved British entertainer whose seven-decade career ranged from the bawdy 'Carry On' comedies to children's television and 'Doctor Who ...

The PBO's latest fiscal sustainability report finds that Canada's overall debt level is projected to decline steadily over time. So if workers are leaving their jobs, where are they going? With so many restaurant owners desperate to find workers, could virtual cashiers taking orders via video chat from places like Bolivia or Nicaragua be a solution? The PBO's latest fiscal sustainability report finds that Canada's overall debt level is projected to decline steadily over time. What are the symptoms? What happens if I get monkeypox? 1 hr ago So if workers are leaving their jobs, where are they going? A legend has left the world." "Thanks for everything, my old soldier. A younger generation knew Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, a companion to David Tennant's titular Doctor, when "Doctor Who" was revived in the early 21st century. "Bernard's contribution to British entertainment is without question," it said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "NPR"

Actor Bernard Cribbins, who delighted U.K. kids for generations ... (NPR)

Bernard Cribbins, a beloved British entertainer whose seven-decade career ranged from the bawdy "Carry On" comedies to children's television and "Doctor Who ...

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Bernard Cribbins: a warm, kindly titan of children's entertainment (The Guardian)

Over eight decades, Cribbins enthralled generations of young people. He leaves a remarkable legacy, from The Railway Children to Jackanory – not to mention ...

Cribbins, who was born into a poor Oldham family, left school at 13 to work in a local theatre, meaning he had a professional career of eight decades. In his brief peak as a movie star, Cribbins also, for contrast, made Alfred Hitchcock’s 1972 horror flick Frenzy. For the British film industry, he had numerous cameos in comedies, including as Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker in Carry On Jack. Both were character solos, with Cribbins embodying the sort of bluff, baffled workman who was a feature of British streets and building sites at the time. Appearing in shows with a long shelf life – because new child viewers arrive all the time – does not seem to have been a deliberate career strategy, but it gave Cribbins extraordinarily enduring recognisability. When Russell T Davies rebooted the show for BBC One in 2005, his scholarly interest in the show’s past led him to cast Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, an occasional companion of David Tennant’s Doctor. Older viewers recognised the actor from the film; younger ones knew his voice from his narration of The Wombles, originally screened on BBC One from 1973-75 but repeated for decades. He played Tom Campbell, one of the earthlings trying to resist takeover by the malevolent rolling salt cellars, in Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150AD, a movie spin-off from the original series.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CTV News"

Bernard Cribbins, beloved British entertainer, dies at 93 (CTV News)

Bernard Cribbins, a beloved British entertainer whose seven-decade career ranged from the bawdy 'Carry On' comedies to children's television and 'Doctor Who ...

The PBO's latest fiscal sustainability report finds that Canada's overall debt level is projected to decline steadily over time. So if workers are leaving their jobs, where are they going? With so many restaurant owners desperate to find workers, could virtual cashiers taking orders via video chat from places like Bolivia or Nicaragua be a solution? The federal government has unveiled how much they are planning to pay gun owners for the banned firearms they turn over as part of the mandatory buyback program. So if workers are leaving their jobs, where are they going? So if workers are leaving their jobs, where are they going? 5 hr ago The federal government has unveiled how much they are planning to pay gun owners for the banned firearms they turn over as part of the mandatory buyback program. A legend has left the world." "Thanks for everything, my old soldier. A younger generation knew Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, a companion to David Tennant's titular Doctor, when "Doctor Who" was revived in the early 21st century. "Bernard's contribution to British entertainment is without question," it said.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Polygon"

Bernard Cribbins helped remind the world Doctor Who is about ... (Polygon)

The beloved British actor had a storied career that included one of the most memorable arcs in Doctor Who history, which included the end of David Tennant's ...

Cribbins makes himself small, aware of his insignificance in the cosmos, and believing the alien in front of him to be more important. In this season, The Doctor was accompanied by Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), a brassy and opinionated Londoner who often kept the Doctor on his toes and at a loss for words. While The Doctor always was in danger of turning sour thanks to his age, Wilfred had seen much, and still remained resolute in his kindness. In season 4, The Doctor was played by fan-favorite actor David Tennant, who would end his tenure as the Tenth Doctor shortly afterward after the season in a series of special episodes. This was a pretty remarkable thing in and of itself — even rebooted Doctor Who was a bit odd and hokey for mid-’00s U.S. airwaves, operating with different sensibilities and rhythms than American science fiction. The next will be played by Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black actor in the role.)

Post cover
Image courtesy of "CNN"

Bernard Cribbins, 'Doctor Who' actor, dead at 93 - CNN (CNN)

Bernard Cribbins, a stage and screen actor who appeared on "Doctor Who" and narrated the British children's series "The Wombles," has died, ...

He was touched to find that Davies later incorporated Cribbins' memory into a scene in "Doctor Who." "And you pull them in. And it works!" A legend has left the world," Davies wrote. "I'm so lucky to have known him. He also appeared in the film "The Railway Children," a film voted one of the 100 best in British film history, per the BBC

Post cover
Image courtesy of "MovieWeb"

Bernard Cribbins, British Film and TV Legend, Dies at 93 (MovieWeb)

Just weeks after filming new episodes of Doctor Who, Bernard Cribbins, whose career spanned seven decades, passed away.

We join them in celebrating a legend, and sending condolences to family and friends at this time. In recent years, he has become known as a lovable grandfather figure to many young children after appearing in the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat, and in Doctor Who as Wilfred Mott. Only weeks after completing filming on his Doctor Who return, it was sadly announced that British TV and movie legend Bernard Cribbins has died at the age of 93. A love story for the ages. It is impossible to remain in the entertainment industry for around seventy years without making a lot of friends along the way and very few enemies. We once took him to the TV Choice Awards and sent him up on his own to collect the award, and the entire room stood up and cheered him.

Explore the last week