FAREWELL TO FOWLDS
‘Mr Derek’ Fowlds dies at the age of 82
Tributes were paid last night to Derek Fowlds, who has died aged 82. He played Bernard Woolley in the BBC’s satire, Yes Minister and also portrayed Oscar Blaketon in the long-running police drama, Heartbeat, which was filmed in North Yorkshire.
FROM THE corridors of power in Westminster to the rural tranquility of the North York Moors, the breadth of roles assumed by Derek Fowlds was an indication of his acting prowess.
Best known for playing the Private Secretary Bernard Woolley in the BBC’s political satire, Yes Minister, Fowlds also found fame as Oscar Blaketon in the longrunning police drama, Heartbeat, which was filmed high on the moors in North Yorkshire, in the village of Goathland.
And yesterday, tributes were paid from leading figures in the world of entertainment to the actor after it was announced that he had died at the age of 82.
He passed away at the Royal United Hospital, in Bath, during the early hours of yesterday after suffering from pneumonia which had 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 was his personal assistant and friend of many years.
She 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 was the last of the surviving original stars of Yes Minister, following the deaths of Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington,
He appeared alongside both actors in the acclaimed BBC series from 1980 to 1984, as well as its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister which ran from 1986 to 1988. He was in Heartbeat for its entire run of 18 years on ITV until 2010, first as a local police sergeant, then running the post office after the character retired from the force, before becoming a publican.
Jason Durr, who starred alongside Fowlds in the series, said he was “a great actor and a kind, intelligent man” and that he would “treasure the memories” of working with him.
Before that, Fowlds found fame with children as ‘Mr Derek’ on The Basil Brush Show, alongside the glove puppet fox with the famous catchphrase: “Boom! Boom!”
A post on the official Twitter page of Basil Brush claimed the puppet was “so desperately sad” at the news, describing the star as “my best friend forever”.
Fowlds worked on the BBC children’s show as a presenter between 1969 and 1973, when he replaced Rodney Bewes.
Fowlds’ 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.
He also appeared in After That, This for a string of episodes in 1975.
Fowlds released his autobiography, A Part Worth Playing ,in 2015 and his most recent credited TV appearance was in Doctors in 2017.
Gavin and Stacey star and former EastEnders actor Larry Lamb paid tribute to his “dear old colleague”.
In a post on Twitter, Lamb said: “Derek Fowlds was a truly lovely man and a fantastic actor... my condolences to all his family and friends... a REAL legend.”
And film 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.”
He was the most beloved man to everybody who ever met him. Personal assistant Helen Bennett.