Bernard Cribbins death: Doctor Who and Wombles star dies aged 93

Cribbins, a veteran actor with a career spanning seven decades, is remembered as ‘typifying the best of his generation’

Bernard Cribbins, the veteran actor and musician who narrated The Wombles, played Albert Perks in The Railway Children and starred in Doctor Who, has died aged 93.

A statement from his agents at Gavin Barker Associates said: “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.”

Cribbins’ career spanned seven decades. The actor, born in Oldham in 1928, was best known for narrating the Seventies children’s programme The Wombles and starring in the 1970 film The Railway Children as kind-but-firm station porter Mr Albert Perks.

He also played the Doctor’s companion, Tom Campbell, in the 1966 movie Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., returning four decades later in the revived Doctor Who TV series to play Wilfred Mott, the grandfather of Catherine Tate’s character Donna Noble, from 2007 to 2010.

Cribbins starred in three Carry On films and was known for his novelty records “The Hole in the Ground” and “Right Said Fred”. Both songs were top 10 hits in 1962.

In a 2009 interview with The Independent, Cribbins talked about how Noël Coward chose “Hole in the Ground” as his ultimate Desert Island Discs pick. He said: “When Roy Plomley asked why he’d chosen it, Coward said: ‘I could translate it into French as I walked up and down the beach.’ Isn’t that great? I never met the gentleman, but I would have loved to and say ‘it was me! I did “Hole in the Ground”!’ He would have patted me on the head and said: ‘Of course you did, dear!’ Wonderful.”

His famous guest appearance on Fawlty Towers saw him play pretentious guest Mr Hutchinson, a spoon salesman mistaken by Basil Fawlty for a hotel inspector.

Cribbins appeared on BBC’s storytelling show, Jackanory, more times than any other reader (114 times, between 1966 and 1991).

He also starred in 11 episodes of Coronation Street in 2003 as Wally Bannister. In 2011, he was awarded the OBE for services to drama.

Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins, Gary Warren and Sally Thomsett in ‘The Railway Children’ (Moviestore/Shutterstock)

Cribbins’ wife of 66 years, Gill, died last year.

Russell T Davies, who worked with Cribbins on Doctor Who, posted a tribute to the actor on Instagram, writing: “He’d phone up and say ‘I’ve got an idea! What if I attack a Dalek with a paintball gun?!’ Okay, Bernard, in it went!

“He loved Gill with all his heart; he mentioned her in every conversation we ever had. A love story for the ages. I’m so lucky to have known him. Thanks for everything, my old soldier. A legend has left the world.”

Read more tributes to Cribbins here.

In 2018, Cribbins released his memoir, Bernard Who?, in which he talked about becoming the nation’s “Uncle Bernard”.

The son of the writer who created The Wombles praised Cribbins for the way in which he brought the famous characters to life.

Elisabeth Beresford published her first Wombles story in 1968, with the original stop-motion series, which ran between 1973 and 1975, commissioned after the stories were read on Jackanory.

Marcus Robertson, Beresford’s son, said: “He was always great fun and an amazing bloke, but obviously The Wombles was the thing from our point of view. Each Womble was based on members of the family.

“So every character in The Wombles was actually really just a member of our family. And Bernard was extraordinary, because mum sort of explained to him what the characters were like in real life, as it were.

“So, for instance, Orinoco was based on me, which was the fattest, laziest and greediest of them. I was only 13 or 14 when she first wrote them, not even that probably. But I’m not thinking about myself so much as my grandfather, because the character Great Uncle Bulgaria was based on my paternal grandfather.

“He obviously is kind of the sage of The Wombles. And Bernard was just brilliant at taking the characters of all of us and reflecting them in how he did things, but particularly Great Uncle Bulgaria. When I watch The Wombles even now it is as if my grandfather is still alive.”

Composer and conductor Mike Batt, who helped create The Wombles on TV and wrote much of their material, recalled Cribbins’ “mischievous” nature and questioned why he was never knighted.

“He was rather mischievous and great, funny, giggly company to be with, but he took his work very seriously and he was a fine actor on all levels. He will be so badly missed by so many friends and, of course, the audiences who enjoyed his work."

Dame Floella Benjamin said Cribbins was “a creative genius, a great storyteller and knew just how to communicate with an audience”.

Sir Tim Rice, the lyricist best known for his work on shows such as Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Andrew Lloyd Webber, also remembered Cribbins for his turn in Anything Goes.

He tweeted: “RIP Bernard Cribbins. Brilliant film/theatre actor. Lovely chap. Got to know him co-producing Anything Goes w/elaine-paige (rare example of my co-production that didn’t lose a packet). BC a brill Moonface Martin.”