GOODBYE MR FOWLDS! ACTOR DEREK FOWLDS DIES AGED 82 TODAY

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

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: GIFS OF TRAINS, CREEPY SHOP KEEPERS, TEMPTRESSES AND A DREAM

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: NO MATTER HOW much you may hate or dislike the character of Johnny Alucard in Hammer films, 'Dracula AD 1972' you have to admire the playing of the role by actor, Christopher Neame. Upstart, swanky, dis-likeable and rude, you most certainly could not tag, Mr Neame. Born in London, in 1947, Neame was educated at the independent, "King's School" in Canterbury, Kent, UK. He started his film career at the beginning of 1970s, with two outings with Hammer films,  Lust for a Vampire (1971), and after some TV work, he was cast in Dracula AD (1972), where he played Christopher Lee's personal assistant, one... Johnny Alucard. From that moment, he fell into a little type-cast, being usually cast as a villain. He continued to work on television in the 1970's making an impression with the viewing public in the BBC TV series "Colditz" (1972-1974), "Edward The King" (1975) and "Secret Army" (1977)

IN THE 1980's he started to make an impression in US films and TV series, Steel Dawn (1987) and D.O.A. (1988) and a nine year run in the television series,  "Dynasty" in 1981, after which he returned to UK, appearing small roles in films like, the James Bond film License to Kill (1989). Returning to the US in 1990, he appeared in Ghostbusters 2 (1989), Edge of Honor (1991), Diplomatic Immunity (1991) and Suburban Commando (1991). He played villains in 'Street Knight' (1993), opposite Jeff Speakman and 'Hellbound' (1994) opposite Chuck Norris.

BUT, WE'LL TAKE  Alucard over any of the above, as indeed does Angie McDonald who requested this gif!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY! LET'S FACE IT, would you buy anything from a man who peeps out from his shop like this? But, all the characters in 'From Beyond The Grave' quite happily, skipped into Temptations Limited, and thought they could also con, Cushing's proprietor into the bargain! How wrong they were! 

OUR #MONSTERMONDAY TRIBUTE 

FROM A FEW MONTHS AGO

WITH BOTH 'Dr Terror's House of Horror' and 'Beyond The Grave' Cushing took the role of character device, that was the narrative bridge between each tale. Small roles, but as ever, he was able to make each role, much more than was written on the page. Stan Partridge requested this GIF,and this particular shot!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: HERE is a very interesting GIF selected by Gavin Porter, from the UK. He has chosen this particular shot, and asked if we knew the relevance of the guard who looks out from the train carriage... We do. But do YOU? If you know the answer, send us an email to the address at the bottom of this post.... 

#SILENTBUTDEADLY!: MORE TRAINS.... and here is the perfect example of why you should never talk to strangers on a train, pulling out of Karlsbadd! A young Derek Fowlds long before, his Mr Fowlds stint with a certain fox-hand puppet called Basil Brush and his excellent playing of Bernard Woolley in the BBC 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister. 

THE VICTIM OF Susan Denberg's Christina Kleeves, in Frankenstein Created Woman in 1967, Fowlds gives an excellent commentary on the BLU RAY release of the film, revealing that Denberg was far from being the raving sex kitten during the making of this film, that the UK tabloids would have you believe. Many trued to date her from the pool of actors and technicians at Bray...but only Fowlds actually dated her. Fowlds didn't quite kiss and tell, but let's just say, they had a good time together!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: CRUSHING! That is the only way to describe the closing moments of Cushing's 1973 film, 'The Creeping Flesh'. Here Cushing's Emmanuel Hildern is visited by his step-brother, James Hildern played with fine line in villainy by Christopher Lee. It's the beginning of the final psychological spiral downwards of Emmanuel's life...or is it?

THE CREEPING FLESH is a film that stays with you, long after the credits role, as you realize, the plot has left you with more questions than answers. It's got more twists and turns, than a roller-coaster at Coney Island. To quote John Lennon..'Was it just a dream?' I guess we'll never really know, for sure....

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