The Brighton-born actor Ray Brooks has died at the age of 86 after a career that started in the 1950s.
Brooks starred in the influential drama Cathy Come Home, the award-winning film The Knack … and How to Get It and the animated children’s television programme Mr Benn which he narrated.
He appeared in Coronation Street and Doctor Who in the 1960s, Carry On Abroad in the 1970s, the comedy dramas Big Deal and Running Wild in the 1980s and Growing Pains in the 1990s.
In 2005, he joined EastEnders as Joe Macer. His character killed his wife Pauline Fowler, played by Wendy Richard, on Christmas Day 2006 before falling to his death a month later.
His many other TV credits included the Avengers, Dixon of Dock Green, Danger Man, Emergency Ward 10, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Rumpole of the Bailey and Z Cars.
Having had a leading role in the 1966 Doctor Who film Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD, he returned to the franchise 50 years later to voice a Drax in an audio story.
The actor died peacefully yesterday (Saturday 9 August) after a short illness, with his loved ones at his bedside, according to a statement shared by his family with the BBC.
The statement said that Brooks had spent his final years living with dementia.
His sons, Will and Tom, 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.”
The BBC journalist Steve Rosenberg, currently the broadcaster’s Moscow correspondent, tweeted a musical tribute to “one of the voices of my childhood”.
Sad to hear that actor Ray Brooks has died. I will always remember him as the narrator of my favourite TV show as a kid, Mr Benn. Here’s my musical tribute to one of the voices of my childhood. pic.twitter.com/CEcXIwGOZs
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) August 10, 2025
RIP to a brilliant actor and true Brighton boy. That explains why one of Ray’s old friends who I know said he hadn’t heard from Ray in a long time. Since they hadn’t fallen out, he suspected his old friend must have dementia.
My condolences to his family. His mother was a neighbour and he always visited. Farewell to a lovely man and a very good, underrated actor. God bless.
As if my magic rhe shop keeper and whacked Pauline Fowler on the head.
It’s rare for an actor to be associated with two national treasures.
I used to love Big Deal.
RIP Mr Brooks
The Doctor Who film he was in was in 1966, not 1996.
Sorry, that was a typo. Thanks for pointing it out. It’s been corrected now.