Derek Fowlds has died aged 82.
The actor – who was best known for his roles as Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley in ‘Yes Minister’ and Oscar Blaketon in ‘Heartbeat’ – has sadly passed away on Friday (17.01.20), according to his family.
His assistant Helen Bennett said: "He was the most beloved man to everybody who ever met him, he never had a bad word to say about anybody and he was so well respected, adored by everyone.
"You couldn’t have met a nicer person ever, he was just a wonderful man and I will miss him terribly."
The BBC reports that he died at Royal United Hospitals Bath after a battle with pneumonia.
He leaves behind two children – including actor Jeremy Fowlds – and was previously married to Wendy Tory and former ‘Blue Peter’ presenter Lesley Judd.
Following some amateur training, he went onto train at RADA, which led to his West End debut in ‘The Miracle Worker’.
He enjoyed a successful career on the big and small screen, appearing as Mr. Derek on ‘The Basil Brush Show’ from 1969 to 1973 and taking on roles in the likes of ‘East of Suden’, ‘Tower of Evil’ and ‘Mistress Pamela’.
After initially playing Benard in political satire ‘Yes Minister’ from 1980 to 1984, he went on to reprise the role in the BBC’s sequel show ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ two years later until 1988.
In 1992, he joined the cast of police drama ‘Heartbeat’ as Sgt. Oscar Blaketon, and he remained on the show until its final episode aired in 2010.
Fans flooded social media with tributes to Derek, with many having fond memories of his most famous roles.
One tweeted: "RIP Derek Fowlds. Such a fab career, but Yes Minister is the one.
"The perfect buffer between 2 comedy titans, sat quietly during hilarious arguments between both – & then effortlessly stealing the entire scene with a one-sentence punchline. Thank you, Bernard, that will be all."
Another wrote: "Sad to learn of the death of actor Derek Fowlds.
"Some will remember him as Bernard Woolley Yes Minister.
"Others will remember him as Oscar Blaketon Heartbeat.
"I will always remember him as Mr Derek, the straight man to Basil Brush. #Derek #RIP (sic)"
Yes Minister’s Derek Fowlds dies aged 82
