‘Most beloved’ star of Yes Minister dies
● Actor found fame as Mr Derek in The Basil Brush Show and Heartbeat
Actor Derek Fowlds, known to millions for playing Bernard Woolley in the hugely-popular sitcom Yes Minister, has died at the age of 82.
He also appeared in the show’s sequel Yes, Prime Minister, and starred in his role as Oscar Blaketon in the longrunning police drama Heartbeat.
Before that, Fowlds found fame with children as Mr Derek on The Basil Brush Show, alongside the glove puppet fox with the catchphrase “boom boom!”, from 1969 to 1973, replacing Rodney Bewes as the presenter.
The actor died at Royal United Hospitals Bath in the early hours of yesterday morning after suffering from pneumonia that led to heart failure caused by sepsis.
He was surrounded by his family when he died and is survived by sons Jamie and Jeremy.
Helen Bennett, his personal assistant and friend of many years, said: “He was the most beloved man to everybody who ever met him.
“He never had a bad word to say about anybody and he was so well respected, adored by everyone.
“You couldn’t have met a nicer person ever. He was just a wonderful man and I will miss him terribly.”
Fowlds’s first professional acting job was appearing in weekly rep at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Colwyn Bay in 1958, while on summer holiday from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
He made his West End debut in The Miracle Worker before roles in films such as Tamahine, East Of Sudan and Hotel Paradiso and TV series including Z Cars, The Liver Birds and ITV Sunday Night Theatre.
Fowlds also appeared in After That, This for a string of episodes in 1975. He starred in Yes Minister opposite Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington from 1980 to 1984 before the sequel Yes, Prime Minister ran from 1986 to 1988.
The English actor released his autobiography A Part Worth Playing in 2015 and his most recent credited TV appearance was in Doctors in 2017.
Director edgar wright tweeted a clip of Fowlds’ famous Yes Minister scene about the newspaper industry.
He posted: “RIP Derek Fowlds AKA ‘Mr Derek’ AKA Sir Bernard Woolley. This is as classic a scene in British comedy as they come.”
Actor Larry Lamb tweeted: “A dear old colleague passed on today...derek Fowlds was a truly lovely man and a fantastic actor...my condolences to all his family and friends...a REAL legend.”
Basil Brush said he was “so desperately sad” at the news, describing the late star as “my best friend forever” in a post made on the character’s official Twitter feed.
Piers Morgan described Fowlds as “a terrific actor and by all accounts, an incredibly nice man”.
Baby Driver director Edgar Wright tweeted his respects, pointing to “a classic scene in British comedy” in which Jim Hacker explains to Sir Humphrey and Bernard the importance of the newspapers and who reads which.
Fowlds had been the final remaining original of the Yes Minister stars until his passing yesterday, following the earlier deaths of Sir Nigel and Eddington. Jason Durr, who starred alongside Fowlds in Heartbeat, described his former colleague as “a great actor and a kind, intelligent man”.