Ray Brooks, the much-loved British actor whose career spanned five decades, has died aged 86 after a short illness, his family announced.
Best known to generations of children as the narrator of the 1970s animated classic Mr Benn, Brooks was also celebrated for his versatility on stage and screen. His sons, Will and Tom, said their father often joked that people remembered him most for uttering the show’s famous line, “as if by magic!” Although only 13 episodes were made, the series was repeated twice a year for more than two decades, cementing its place in British television history.
Brooks’s early career featured appearances in some of the 1960s and 70s’ most iconic TV shows, including Danger Man, Dixon of Dock Green, The Avengers, Z Cars and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). His breakthrough came in Ken Loach’s ground-breaking 1966 BBC drama Cathy Come Home, where he played Reg in a harrowing portrayal of homelessness that remains one of the most influential British TV dramas ever made.
In the 1980s, Brooks achieved primetime fame with leading roles in Big Deal, as charming gambler Robbie Box, and ITV’s Running Wild, a sitcom about a former Teddy Boy in mid-life crisis. He also enjoyed a successful partnership with Sharon Duce, which was revived in the 1992 BBC drama Growing Pains.
On film, Brooks appeared in the Palme d’Or-winning The Knack… and How to Get It (1965), the cult favourite Daleks’ Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966), and Carry On Abroad (1972). He also graced the stage in acclaimed productions such as Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends and Tom Stoppard’s On the Razzle.
His distinctive voice brought life to numerous narrations, from The Pickwick Papers to 30 episodes of Jackanory, as well as countless adverts for brands like Guinness, Whiskas, Marmite and R Whites Lemonade.
Despite his fame, Brooks “shunned the limelight,” his family said. A passionate supporter of Fulham FC, he campaigned to save the club from a merger in the 1980s and proudly wore a “Save Fulham” badge on Wogan.
In later years, Brooks lived with dementia and passed away peacefully in Brighton, the city of his birth, surrounded by loved ones. His legacy as one of Britain’s most recognisable voices and versatile actors endures.
