Bernard Cribbins: 1928-2022
Doctor Who and Wombles actor Bernard Cribbins has died aged 93, his agent has confirmed.
We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Bernard Cribbins. Known best to Doctor Who fans as the Doctor's friend and Donna's grandad Wilfred Mott, Bernard leaves behind a long legacy in film and TV. ❤️ https://t.co/wDIUnQkJOZ pic.twitter.com/6Dlr1Xj59y
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) July 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/lizo_mzimba/status/1552563836808531968
Bernard Cribbins has died at the age of 93.
From Tom Campbell to Wilfred Mott and so much more. An entertainer for multiple generations.
RIP#DoctorWho #BernardCribbins pic.twitter.com/mpHOEPXA1m
— DWAS ONLINE (@DWASonline) July 28, 2022
During a career that spanned seven decades, Cribbins narrated the 1970s children’s programme The Wombles.
He also played Dr Who’s companion Tom Campbell in the 1966 film Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. returning 41 years later in the revived series.
Cribbins returned to the show a as Wilfred Mott, the grandad of Catherine Tate’s character Donna.
The actor was known by generations of children – he also played the station master Albert Perks in 1970 film The Railway Children.
Former Doctor Who showrunner Russel T Davies led the tributes, posting a picture of him on set, while saying: “I’m so lucky to have known him. Thanks for everything, my old soldier. A legend has left the world.”
A statement from Cribbins’ agent said his career featured “such diverse work”, including the Carry On series, hit 60s song Right Said Fred and as a notorious guest on Fawlty Towers.
“He worked well into his 90s, recently appearing in Doctor Who and the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat,” they added.
“He lost his wife of 66 years, Gill, last year.
“Bernard’s contribution to British entertainment is without question. 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.”
As an actor, comedian, singer and raconteur, he tried his hand at everything, from Shakespeare to pantomime, Jackanory to Top of the Pops.
Born in Oldham in 1928, Cribbins left school at 13 and found work as an assistant stage manager at a local theatre club, taking on small acting roles before serving an apprenticeship at the Oldham Repertory Theatre.
The actor became well-known in the UK for having a string successful novelty records in the 1960s such as Right Said Fred and The Hole in the Ground – a monologue which Noel Coward selected as one of his Desert Island discs.
He also appeared in comedy films like including Two-Way Stretch.
In the 1970s he landed some major big screen roles, playing barman Felix Forsythe in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy.
In the poplar sitcom Fawlty Towers Cribbins appeared memorably as the ostentatious hotel guest and spoon salesman Mr Hutchinson, in the episode where frustrated owner Basil expects a visit from the hotel inspectors.
Cribbins’ voice was a fixture in UK living rooms, thanks to shows like Jackanory, which he frequently read stories on from 1966 to 1991.
He performed the title role in the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat from 2013 2015.
In a 2014 interview with the Guardian, Cribbins gave his thoughts on what makes him such a renowned storyteller.
“Well, I think I’m a good actor, without being boastful,” he said. “I have an array of voices. And intensity is a word you might use. Engage with that little figure on the other side of the lens.”
At the age of nearly 90, he published an autobiography looking back on his years in show business in 2018. Its title was Bernard Who? 75 Years Of Doing Absolutely Everything – and its advice was simple.
“Do your best and be grateful for every single job”.
The aforementioned Russel T Davies posted a lengthy dedication to Cribbins, in which he recalled the late star’s first day back on the Doctor Who set: “His first day was on location with Kylie Minogue, but all eyes, even Kylie’s, were on Bernard. He’d turned up with a suitcase full of props, just in case, including a rubber chicken,” he said. “And what an actor. Oh, really though, what a wonderful actor.”
“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,” he added. “That’s a lovely memory.”
Journalist Aaron Potter said: “[Cribbins was] a British acting legend in his own right, sure, but he always brought a charm, heart, and soul to modern Doctor Who as Wilf, lighting up the screen whenever he showed up.
“Watching him reappear during the 60th will come with a tinge of melancholy now.”
“It was so special to work with Bernard Cribbins,” wrote actress Helen Lederer, describing him as the “king of props and stories to make hair curl”.
The Gold channel, which broadcasts repeats of vintage British TV sitcoms, tweeted: “We’ll be having a cheese salad for lunch, in honour of his memorable appearance in Fawlty Towers.”
Singer Tim Burgess tweeted: “Farewell Bernard Cribbins. Safe travels.”
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1957 | Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst | Sonar Operator/1st Cribbage Player |
| 1958 | Davy | Stage Hand, Collins Music Hall |
| Dunkirk | Thirsty Sailor | |
| 1959 | Make Mine a Million | Jack |
| Tommy the Toreador | Paco | |
| 1960 | Two-Way Stretch | Lennie Price |
| The World of Suzie Wong | Otis | |
| 1961 | Passport to China | Pereira |
| Nothing Barred | Newspaperman | |
| The Best of Enemies | Col. Brownlow | |
| 1962 | The Girl on the Boat | Peters |
| The Fast Lady | Man on Stretcher | |
| 1963 | The Wrong Arm of the Law | Nervous O’Toole |
| The Mouse on the Moon | Vincent Mountjoy | |
| Carry On Jack | Midshipman Albert Poop-Decker | |
| 1964 | A Home of Your Own | The Stonemason |
| Carry On Spying | Harold Crump | |
| Crooks in Cloisters | Squirts | |
| The Counterfeit Constable | Bob, l’agent 202 | |
| 1965 | She | Job |
| Cup Fever | Policeman | |
| You Must Be Joking | Sgt. Clegg | |
| 1966 | The Sandwich Man | Harold – Photographer |
| Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. | Tom Campbell | |
| 1967 | Casino Royale | Carlton Towers, Taxi Driver |
| 1968 | A Ghost of a Chance | Ron |
| Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower the River | Fred Davies | |
| 1970 | The Railway Children | Albert Perks |
| 1972 | Frenzy | Felix Forsythe |
| 1976 | Night Ferry | Pyramid |
| 1978 | The Water Babies | Mr. Masterman/Voice of Eel |
| The Adventures of Picasso | Gertrude Stein/Narrator | |
| 1981 | Dangerous Davies – The Last Detective | Dangerous Davies |
| 1992 | Carry On Columbus | Mordecai Mendoza |
| 2003 | Blackball | Mutley |
| 2012 | Run for Your Wife | Hospital patient |
| A Fantastic Fear of Everything | The Voice | |
| 2016 | The Bed-Sitting Room | Mate |
| 2018 | Patrick | Albert |
| Woodland | Narrator |
Television
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1956 | David Copperfield | |
| 1960 | Interpol Calling | |
| 1961 | Winning Widows | |
| 1965 | Comedy Playhouse | Ambrose Twomby |
| 1973–1975 | The Wombles | Narrator and Voices |
| 1975 | Fawlty Towers | Mr. Hutchinson |
| 1976 | Space: 1999 | Captain Michael |
| 1977 | Play of the Month | Pinchwife |
| Once Upon a Classic | Pyramid | |
| 1979 | The Plank | House Painter |
| 1981 | Shillingbury Tales | Cuffy |
| Worzel Gummidge | Jolly Jack | |
| 1982 | It’s Your Move | Neighbour |
| 1983 | Tales of the Unexpected | Charlie Krebs |
| Cuffy | Cuffy Follett | |
| 1986 | Langley Bottom | Seth Raven |
| 1987 | High & Dry | Ron Archer |
| Super Gran | Officer P. Brain | |
| When We Are Married | Herbert Soppitt | |
| 1990 | Bertie the Bat | Narrator |
| 1991 | Tonight at 8.30 | Mr. Wadhurst |
| 1996 | Dennis and Gnasher | Clint Katzenberger |
| 1999 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Uncle Henry |
| 2000 | The Canterbury Tales | Carpenter |
| 2003 | Last of the Summer Wine | Gavin Hinchcliffe |
| Barbara | Frank | |
| Coronation Street | Wally Bannister | |
| 2005 | Down to Earth | Frank Cosgrove |
| 2007–2010, 2023 | Doctor Who | Wilfred Mott |
| 2013–2015 | Old Jack’s Boat | Old Jack |
| 2014 | Midsomer Murders | Duggie Wingate |
| 2015 | New Tricks | DCI Ronald Sainsbury |
| 2016 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Tom Snout |
| The Wombles | Great Uncle Bulgaria |
Discography / Albums
| Year | Album |
| 1962 | A Combination of Cribbins |
| 1970 | The Best of Bernard Cribbins |
| 1975 | Paddington Bear Volume 1 |
| Paddington Bear Volume 2 | |
| Hans Andersen – Original Soundtrack Album | |
| 1983 | The Snowman |
| 2005 | The Very Best of Bernard Cribbins |
Chart singles
| Year | Title | UK peak position |
| 1962 | “Hole in the Ground” | 9 |
| “Right Said Fred” | 10 | |
| “Gossip Calypso” | 25 |