Derek Fowlds
Encyclopedia
Derek Fowlds is an English actor, known for playing Bernard Woolley
in popular British television comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV
police drama Heartbeat.
, London, the son of Ketha Muriel (née Treacher) and James Witney Fowlds, a salesman. He attended a Secondary Modern School
in Berkhamsted
, Hertfordshire.
Fowlds was previously married to actress Adrienne Corri
and Blue Peter
presenter and dancer Lesley Judd
.
and made his debut on the West End
stage in The Miracle Worker
. He appeared in various film roles, including East of Sudan
(1964), Hotel Paradiso
(1966), Frankenstein Created Woman
(1967) and The Smashing Bird I Used to Know
(1969), prior to becoming familiar to British television viewers as 'Mr. Derek' in the children's series The Basil Brush
Show, replacing Rodney Bewes
as presenter. Perhaps his most famous role was that of Bernard Woolley
in Yes Minister
and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister alongside Paul Eddington
and Nigel Hawthorne
.
From 1983–1985 he played the lead role in the sitcom Affairs of the Heart
. He featured in a more sinister role in the 1990 political thriller Die Kinder
. Fowlds then played Oscar Blaketon in the long running ITV
police drama nostalgia series Heartbeat for its entire run. The character first appeared as the local police sergeant, then retired from the force and ran the post office before becoming a publican
.
Bernard Woolley
Sir Bernard Woolley GCB is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. He was portrayed by Derek Fowlds.-Character:...
in popular British television comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama Heartbeat.
Personal life
Fowlds was born in WandsworthWandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, London, the son of Ketha Muriel (née Treacher) and James Witney Fowlds, a salesman. He attended a Secondary Modern School
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
in Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
, Hertfordshire.
Fowlds was previously married to actress Adrienne Corri
Adrienne Corri
Adrienne Corri is an actress of Italian parentage.She is probably best known for her role as the rape victim Mrs. Alexander in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange, and for her appearances as Valerie in Jean Renoir's The River and as Lara's mother in David Lean's Dr. Zhivago...
and Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
presenter and dancer Lesley Judd
Lesley Judd
Lesley Judd is an English dancer and TV presenter, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter. She was educated at the independent Royal Ballet School...
.
Career
After amateur acting, he trained at RADARada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
and made his debut on the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
stage in The Miracle Worker
The Miracle Worker
The Miracle Worker is a cycle of 20th century dramatic works derived from Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life. Each of the various dramas describes the relationship between Keller—a deafblind and initially almost feral child—and Anne Sullivan, the teacher who introduced her to...
. He appeared in various film roles, including East of Sudan
East of Sudan
East of Sudan is a 1964 British action film directed by Nathan Juran and featuring Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms and Derek Fowlds. All of the action scenes were taken from the 1939 film The Four Feathers, and the 1956 films Odongo and Safari....
(1964), Hotel Paradiso
Hotel Paradiso (film)
Hotel Paradiso is a 1966 film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play Hotel du Libre Echange by Maurice Desvallières and Georges Feydeau.-Synopsis:...
(1966), Frankenstein Created Woman
Frankenstein Created Woman
Frankenstein Created Woman is a 1967 British Hammer Horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Susan Denberg as his new creation...
(1967) and The Smashing Bird I Used to Know
The Smashing Bird I Used to Know
The Smashing Bird I Used to Know is a 1969 British drama/sexploitation film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Madeleine Hinde, Maureen Lipman, Patrick Mower and Dennis Waterman. As with other Hartford-Davis films, The Smashing Bird I Used to Know contains elements from different...
(1969), prior to becoming familiar to British television viewers as 'Mr. Derek' in the children's series The Basil Brush
Basil Brush
Basil Brush is a fictional anthropomorphic fox raconteur, best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts and comic strips...
Show, replacing Rodney Bewes
Rodney Bewes
Rodney Bewes is an English television actor and writer who is best known for playing Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom The Likely Lads and its colour sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? , and in the various radio series based on them , and in the big screen film The Likely Lads...
as presenter. Perhaps his most famous role was that of Bernard Woolley
Bernard Woolley
Sir Bernard Woolley GCB is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. He was portrayed by Derek Fowlds.-Character:...
in Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister alongside Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
and Nigel Hawthorne
Nigel Hawthorne
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the...
.
From 1983–1985 he played the lead role in the sitcom Affairs of the Heart
Affairs of the Heart (TV series)
Affairs of the Heart is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1983 to 1985. Starring Derek Fowlds, it was written by Paul Daneman. It was made for the ITV network by Granada Television.-Cast:*Derek Fowlds - Peter Bonamy*Sarah Badel - Jane Bonamy...
. He featured in a more sinister role in the 1990 political thriller Die Kinder
Die Kinder
Die Kinder is a 1990 BBC political thriller written by Paula Milne, a six-part series made for television, and starred Miranda Richardson in the lead role as Sidonie Reiger. It also featured Frederic Forrest, Hans Kremer and Derek Fowlds.The story follows Sidonie as she tried to rescue her...
. Fowlds then played Oscar Blaketon in the long running ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama nostalgia series Heartbeat for its entire run. The character first appeared as the local police sergeant, then retired from the force and ran the post office before becoming a publican
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
.
Comedy
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1969–1973 | The Basil Brush Basil Brush Basil Brush is a fictional anthropomorphic fox raconteur, best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts and comic strips... Show |
Mr Derek |
| 1980–1984 | Yes Minister Yes Minister Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but... |
Bernard Woolley |
| 1982 | Minder Minder (TV series) Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV... |
Meadhurst |
| 1983–1985 | Affairs of the Heart Affairs of the Heart (TV series) Affairs of the Heart is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1983 to 1985. Starring Derek Fowlds, it was written by Paul Daneman. It was made for the ITV network by Granada Television.-Cast:*Derek Fowlds - Peter Bonamy*Sarah Badel - Jane Bonamy... |
Peter Bonamy |
| 1986–1988 | Yes, Prime Minister | Bernard Woolley |
| 1988 | The Settling of the Sun Inspector Morse (TV series) Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes.... |
Kurt Friedman/Michael Robson |
Drama
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1992–2010 | Heartbeat | Oscar Blaketon |
| 1990 | Die Kinder Die Kinder Die Kinder is a 1990 BBC political thriller written by Paula Milne, a six-part series made for television, and starred Miranda Richardson in the lead role as Sidonie Reiger. It also featured Frederic Forrest, Hans Kremer and Derek Fowlds.The story follows Sidonie as she tried to rescue her... |
Lomax |