VERY SAD NEWS to report today, Derek Fowlds has sadly passed away aged 82. He was best known for playing Bernard Woolley in the British television comedies 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister', and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama 'Heartbeat', a role he played for 18 years. Fowlds was familiar to British television viewers as 'Mr. Derek' in the children's series The Basil Brush Show, replacing Rodney Bewes as presenter. He co-starred with Peter Cushing in Hammer's Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
MANY COMMENTS and tributes to Derek today at the . Many remembering him for his Mr Fowlds with Basil Brush, but also of course his connection with Peter Cushing and role of the slimy Johan in #Hammerfilms 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN'. In his youth, Fowlds had very much aspired in the ambition to become a footballer. He first
tried acting in school plays as a bit of a lark. "Just for kicks" he
later decided to pursue the profession more seriously, going on to train at RADA where he debuted on stage in a 1961 production of "The Miracle Worker" at
London's Wyndham Theatre. Thereafter, he popped up in the occasional
motion picture, but was considerably more prolific on the small screen
where he regularly alternated between comedy and drama. Early on, he
played the lead in his own short-lived detective series, Take a Pair of Private Eyes (1966). His autobiography "A Part Worth Playing" was released in 2015.
READ ALL ABOUT Susan Denberg, Derek Fowlds and the cast of Hammer Films 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN' in the above feature : HERE
DEREK WAS A very approachable and friendly chap, for the past few years Derek
enjoyed appearing at various signing meetings in London, where he proved
to be popular and made quite a few new friends between collectors and
other signers during the well attended weekends. Again, another actor
who maybe Hammer films should have utilised in other films during the
mid and late 1960's. His playing of Johann, always makes me want to
'throttle him!' .... well played indeed. Goodbye Mr Fowlds, we won't
forget you
Derek Fowlds 1937 -2020
