Biography
Born on 29 December 1928 in Oldham, Lancashire, England, Cribbins joined a local repertory company as an actor while still in his early teens. He had become a regular presence on London stages by his twenties. Beginning in the late 1950s, he accumulated numerous film credits across subsequent decades, most often in supporting parts that benefited from his commanding screen presence. Starting in the 1960s he also featured in many well-known television programmes. In 1962 he unexpectedly enjoyed chart success with novelty singles: Ted Dicks and Myles Rudge supplied the songs “The Hole In The Ground” and “Right Said Fred,” both of which entered the UK Top 10, while Trevor Peacock’s “Gossip Calypso” peaked at number 25. The latter track’s title later supplied the name of a camp 90s pop group. Cribbins issued only one further record, the 1967 coupling “When I’m Sixty-Four”/“Oh My Word.”
His screen debut was an uncredited role in The Yangtse Incident (1957), after which he appeared in Dunkirk (1959), Make Mine A Million (1959), Two Way Stretch (1960), The Mouse On The Moon (1963), Carry On Jack (1963), Carry On Spying (1964), You Must Be Joking! (1965), Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150: A.D. (1966), Casino Royale (1967), The Railway Children (1970), The Water Babies (1978), Carry On Columbus (1992) and Blackball (2003). Television work encompassed The Night Of The Big Heat and Interpol Calling (both 1960), multiple Comedy Playhouse episodes (1963-66), regular storytelling duties on Jackanory (1965), The Avengers (1968), the series Cribbins (1969), narration of The Wombles (1973), Fawlty Towers (1975), Simon In The Land Of Chalk Drawings (1976), The Plank (1979), Tales Of The Unexpected, the title role in Cuffy (both 1983) and narration of Original Sylvanian Families (1988). During the 1990s he made frequent appearances on Noel’s House Party (1991) and guest spots in programmes such as Dalziel And Pascoe (1999). In 2003 he played Wally Bannister in the long-running UK soap Coronation Street.
His screen debut was an uncredited role in The Yangtse Incident (1957), after which he appeared in Dunkirk (1959), Make Mine A Million (1959), Two Way Stretch (1960), The Mouse On The Moon (1963), Carry On Jack (1963), Carry On Spying (1964), You Must Be Joking! (1965), Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150: A.D. (1966), Casino Royale (1967), The Railway Children (1970), The Water Babies (1978), Carry On Columbus (1992) and Blackball (2003). Television work encompassed The Night Of The Big Heat and Interpol Calling (both 1960), multiple Comedy Playhouse episodes (1963-66), regular storytelling duties on Jackanory (1965), The Avengers (1968), the series Cribbins (1969), narration of The Wombles (1973), Fawlty Towers (1975), Simon In The Land Of Chalk Drawings (1976), The Plank (1979), Tales Of The Unexpected, the title role in Cuffy (both 1983) and narration of Original Sylvanian Families (1988). During the 1990s he made frequent appearances on Noel’s House Party (1991) and guest spots in programmes such as Dalziel And Pascoe (1999). In 2003 he played Wally Bannister in the long-running UK soap Coronation Street.
Albums
