Ray Brooks dead: Coronation Street and EastEnders actor who voiced Mr Benn dies

Legendary actor Ray Brooks has died at the age of 86, his family has confirmed. The actor, who is one of the few actors to appear in both Coronation Street and EastEnders, died on Saturday after a short illness, his family told the BBC.

He was also the famous voice of Mr Benn, narrating the classic 1970s children’s show. The actor’s sons Will and Tom shared a touching statement to confirm his death.

They said that while their father thought he was best known for his role on Mr Benn, people would be “continually asking him to say the catchphrase ‘as if by magic!'”.

In the cartoon, the character was always dressed in a black lounge suit and bowler hat. In each episode of the iconic children’s animation which, surprisingly, only ran on the BBC from 1971 to 1972, Mr Benn would leave his house at 52 Festive Road, London, and visit a fancy-dress costume shop.

There, he would inevitably be invited by the moustachioed, fez-wearing shopkeeper to try on a particular outfit – and end up going on a magical adventure.

In the statement to the BBC, his family added: “Although only 13 episodes were made, they were repeated twice a year for 21 years.”

And the family’s moving statement also said: “His three true loves were family [he also had a daughter Emma, who died in 2003], Fulham Football Club, and spending time in Brighton, where he was born..”

In the soap world, Ray joined the Corrie cobbles in the 1960s, taking up the role as Norman Philips in the long-running ITV soap. Almost 40 years later, he switched allegiances, joining BBC’s EastEnders as Joe Macer.

His character will be best remembered for murdering his wife Pauline Fowler. but throughout his long career in showbiz, Ray also had a large resume to look back on.

After being the male lead in the ground-breaking 1960s BBC drama Cathy Come Home, he later starred in 1980s hit Big Deal. He played the part of Robbie Box and the series before later appearing in Running Wild as the comic lead Max Wild.

Other roles included appearances on Danger Man, Dixon of Dock Green, Emergency-Ward 10, The Avengers, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Z Cars.

And Ray also had success on the big screen too. Movie appearances came on the likes of Carry On Abroad in 1972, and also the 1966 Dr Who movie Daleks’ Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

In the theatre world he played roles in Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends alongside Richard Briers, Peter Bowles and Phyllida Law, while also featuring in Tom Stoppard’s On The Razzle.

And his voiceover success didn’t just stop at Mr Benn. Ray also voiced thousands of adverts for huge companies. These included the likes of Guinness, Whiskas, Marmite and R Whites Lemonade.

Speaking about his career to Sussex Life, the humble actor once confessed, “I don’t think I was ever that good an actor. I was more an image of a young man. I was never as good looking as, say, my contemporary, David Hemmings. And don’t forget this was the period of Terence Stamp. So there was a lot of competition.’

The family revealed that Brooks had lived with dementia for the past few years, but died peacefully on Saturday with his family at his bedside.

Fans of Ray’s work were quick to pay tribute to him on social media following the sad news. One Twitter/X account wrote: “Well, this is sad. Ray Brooks has died. As 80s kids, a lot of us will know him as the voice of Mr Ben. “

“In later life, I’ve become a big fan of Big Deal (usually watch every other year) where he played Robbie Box. RIP Ray.”

Another added: “Our lovely friend Ray Brooks has left us for the cinema in the sky. His talents knew ‘The Knack,’ was always a ‘Big Deal’ and he will be forever the voice of ‘Mr Benn.’ Rest in peace dear friend.”

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