Ray Brooks, the esteemed TV actor known for his roles in some of the UK’s most iconic programs over a five-decade career, has passed away at the age of 86.
Brooks lent his voice as the narrator of the beloved 1970s children’s series “Mr. Benn” and starred as the male lead in the groundbreaking 1960s BBC drama “Cathy Come Home.”
He also featured prominently in the 1980s primetime shows “Big Deal,” where he portrayed the endearing rogue gambler Robbie Box, and “Running Wild,” taking on the comedic lead as Max Wild.
Notably, Brooks was one of the few actors to appear in both “Coronation Street” and “EastEnders.” He played Norman Philips in the ITV soap during the 1960s and, 40 years later, arrived in Albert Square as Joe Macer, infamous for murdering his wife, Pauline Fowler.
His family confirmed to the BBC that he died on Saturday following a short illness.
In a statement, his sons Will and Tom shared that their father believed he was most recognized for “Mr. Benn,” recalling that “people continually asking him to say the catchphrase ‘as if by magic!'”
The cartoon centered on Mr. Benn, who, by donning costumes in a magical shop, found himself embarking on a new adventure each episode.
Brooks’s sons added: “Although only 13 episodes were made, they were repeated twice a year for 21 years.”
The extensive list of TV shows featuring Brooks in the 1960s and 1970s reads as a catalogue of British television’s greatest hits of the era.
His credits include roles in “Danger Man,” “Dixon of Dock Green,” “Emergency-Ward 10,” “The Avengers,” “Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased),” and “Z Cars.”
He also achieved success in film, including the 1965 film “The Knack… and How to Get It,” which was awarded the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1972, he portrayed Georgio, the waiter in the dilapidated hotel, in “Carry On Abroad,” and also appeared in the 1966 “Dr Who” movie “Daleks’ Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.”
Brooks also graced the stage, including in Alan Ayckbourn’s “Absent Friends” alongside Richard Briers, Peter Bowles, and Phyllida Law. He also starred opposite Felicity Kendal in Tom Stoppard’s “On The Razzle.”
An early career highlight was his role as Reg in the poignant BBC TV play “Cathy Come Home,” which depicted Britain’s housing crisis in the late 1960s.
Directed by Ken Loach and presented in a documentary style, the play chronicled a young couple’s struggle with homelessness and is widely considered one of the most influential television broadcasts of all time.
Brooks experienced considerable mainstream success in the 1980s, securing two consecutive primetime leading roles.
In “Big Deal,” his character Robbie Box attempts to earn a living through poker and betting on horses and dogs while striving to maintain his relationship with his partner Jan, played by Sharon Duce.
The quick-witted Londoner became a beloved working-class character during an era that also featured Del Boy Trotter and Arthur Daley.
Duce subsequently appeared in an episode of “Running Wild,” Brooks’s next major hit, where he switched to ITV for a sitcom centered on a former Teddy Boy undergoing a mid-life crisis.
Their popular partnership with Duce was rekindled by the BBC in 1992’s “Growing Pains,” which featured the pair as a couple who become foster parents.
Throughout his career, his distinctive voice led to numerous roles as a narrator, including the cherished children’s show “Mr. Benn,” “The Pickwick Papers,” and 30 episodes of reading stories to young viewers on “Jackanory.”
He also voiced thousands of advertisements for companies such as Guinness, Whiskas, Marmite, and R Whites Lemonade.
Nonetheless, his sons noted that Brooks “shunned the limelight” in his personal life.
They shared: “His three true loves were family [he also had a daughter Emma, who died in 2003], Fulham Football Club, and spending time in Brighton, where he was born.”
He was among the celebrity Fulham fans who opposed the club’s proposed merger with QPR in the 1980s, with his son Will recalling that Brooks even wore a “Save Fulham” badge during an interview on Wogan at the time.
The family revealed that he had been living with dementia for the past few years but passed away peacefully on Saturday with his family by his side.
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