Bernard Cribbins Doctor Who

2022 - 7 - 29

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.

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.

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 ...

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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.)