Derek Griffiths (born 15 July 1946) is a British actor, singer, and voice artist who appeared in numerous British

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

in the 1960s to present and has more recently played parts in television drama.

Career

Griffiths was known in his early years for his '' Play School'' appearances alongside the likes of Chloe Ashcroft, Johnny Ball and Brian Cant. A talented multi-instrumentalist, he voiced over and sang the theme tune to ''Heads and Tails'', a series of short animal films for children produced by

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

, and also sang and played the theme tune to the cartoon '' Bod''. Another children's TV role was in

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

's early 1980s series ''Film Fun'', in which he played the entire staff of a cinema (the manager, the commissionaire (with the catchphrase "Get on with it!"), the projectionist, the usherette and also himself) while also showing cartoons such as

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

and Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. He appeared on ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and W ...

'' (1973) as an accused fraudster Raoul Lapointe, from the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

. In 1975, Griffiths played Ko-Ko in '' The Black Mikado'' at London's

Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and construction It was de ...

. He was also the English voice of SuperTed (SuperTed was originally made in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

). In 1997, Griffiths originated the role of Lumière in the original West End production of ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'' at the

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

and played the role of the Child Catcher in the West End run of ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...

'' at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

. In 2014, Griffiths was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge of Merit award. This was in acknowledgement of his unique contribution to music. From 2016, he played

Freddie Smith Freddie Matthew Smith (born March 19, 1988) is an American television actor. He is best known for his character Sonny Kiriakis, the first openly gay contract role on the daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. He also briefly portrayed Marco S ...

in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'': he left the role in March 2017 to star in a stage production of ''

Driving Miss Daisy '' Driving Miss Daisy'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Alfred Uhry, based on his 1987 play of the same name. The film stars Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, and Dan Aykroyd. Freeman reprised his r ...

''. In 2021, he joined the London cast of ''

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...

''.

Children's television work

*'' Play School'' (1971–81) *'' Play Away'' (1971) *'' Cabbages and Kings'' (1972) *Various '' Look and Read'' stories as singer, including: **"

Cloud Burst ''Cloud Burst'' is a ten-part story within the ''Look and Read'' series of BBC Television programme for primary schools, aimed at improving children's literacy skills. The first episode of Cloud Burst was first broadcast on 24 September 1974; ...

" (1974) as singer. **" The King's Dragon" (1977) as singer. **"Sky Hunter" (1978) as singer. **"The Boy From Space" (1980) as singer. **" Dark Towers" (1981) as singer. **"Fair ground!" (1983) as singer. **" Geordie Racer" (1988) as singer. **" Through The Dragon's Eye" (1989) as singer. **"

Earth Warp ''Earth Warp'' is a story produced by the BBC as part of their '' Look and Read'' programme. It originally aired on BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wid ...

" (1994) as voiceover and singer. *"Watch It!" (1980–83) regular continuity announcer on children's ITV segment for Yorkshire Television. *'' Bod'' (1975) where he composed the theme music for each of the main five characters. *"Ring-a-Ding!" (1975) stories & singer *"Heads and Tails" (1978) as voiceover and singer. *"Insight" (1980) as presenter and various characters in this Yorkshire Television educational series for deaf and hearing-impaired children *''Dinosaurs: Fun, Fact and Fantasy'' (1982) as the voice of Dil the Crocodile. *'' SuperTed'' (1983–1985) as the voice of SuperTed. **'' The Further Adventures of SuperTed'' (1989) as the voice of SuperTed in the UK version. *'' Muzzy in Gondoland'' (1986) as the voice of Bob and Corvax. *''King Greenfingers'' (1989) as narrator. *''

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends ''The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends'' is a British animated anthology television series based on the works of Beatrix Potter, featuring Peter Rabbit and other anthropomorphic animal characters created by Potter. 14 of Potter's stories were ...

'' (1993) as Simpkin in animated short stories based on the popular book series. *'' Christopher Crocodile'' (1993) as narrator. *''

Dragon Tales ''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker and developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser and produced by Sony Pi ...

'' (1999–2005) as narrator for the audiobooks *'' Mio Mao'' (2005) as the narrator and all of the characters in the UK dub. *''Film Fun'' *''

Little Red Tractor ''Little Red Tractor'' is a British children's television series produced by The Little Entertainment Company and was co-produced by Entertainment Rights for the first two series. The ten-minute episodes were broadcast in the United Kingdom by ...

'' (2004) as the voices of Mr Jones and Walter *'' Animal Antics'' (1997–2015) as narrator.'' *''

Tinga Tinga Tales ''Tinga Tinga Tales'' is a British flash animated children's television series based on African folk tales and aimed at 4 to 6-year-olds. It was commissioned by the BBC for its CBeebies channel, and by Disney Channel for its Disney Junior bl ...

'' (2010-2011) as the voices of Cricket and Skunk. *'' Sarah & Duck'' (2014) Series 2 Episode 3: "Cloud Tower" as Cloud Captain *''

Hilda Hilda is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. ...

'' (2020) Series 2 Episode 8: "The Fifty Year Night" as Mr. Ostenfeld *'' The Dumping Ground'' (2021) as Larry Meadow

Comedy television work

*'' Please Sir!'' (1968) *'' Till Death Us Do Part'' (1972 Christmas Special) *''The Cobblers of Umbridge'' (1973) as The people of Umbridge. *''Marty Back Together Again'' (1974) *'' Don't Drink the Water'' (1974) as Carlos. *''Battle of the Sexes'' (1976) *''Hi, Summer!'' (1977) *'' Terry and June'' (1985) as the Prince. *'' The Funny Side'' (1985) *'' Porkpie'' (1995) as Benji. *''

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff ''The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff'' is a four-part comedy series produced by BBC, which premiered on BBC Two on 19 December 2011. It is a parody of the works of Charles Dickens, drawing its title from ''Bleak House'' and ''The Old Curiosity Shop''. I ...

'' (2012) as Pusweasel. *'' Way to Go'' (2013) as Elroy. *'' Man Down'', Series 4 Episode 5 (2017), as Blind Jim

Other television work

*''

'' (1973) as Raoul Lapointe. *'' Don't Ask Me!'' (1974) *'' Casualty'' (1999) as Duke Baines. *''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'' as Greg Martin (2004) and Ted O'Connor (2011). *'' Doctors'' as Renton Miles (broadcast 15 May 2015) and Roger Saintfield (7 June 2022). *''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel ...

'' " River’s Edge" broadcast 2 February 2016, as DS Malcolm Guillam. *''

'' 2016–2017 as

*'' Small Axe'' (2020) as C. L. R. James. *''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'' (2021) as Rev. Nigel Brookthorpe. *'' Casualty'' (2022) as Donald Charles.

Appearances

*Derek Griffiths appears in ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

Advertising work

Griffiths is also used frequently in advertising. In the past, he has won the Italian advertising Oscar for a series of comedy commercials.

Film work

*'' Up Pompeii!'' (1971) as Steam Slave *'' Up the Chastity Belt'' (1971) as Saladin *''

Up the Front ''Up the Front'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and starring Frankie Howerd, Bill Fraser, and Hermione Baddeley. It is the third film spin-off from the television series ''Up Pompeii!'' (the previous films being ''Up th ...

'' (1972) as El Puncturo *''

Rentadick ''Rentadick'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Jim Clark and starring James Booth, Richard Briers, Julie Ege, Ronald Fraser and Donald Sinden. It is a spoof spy/detective picture, the plot of which involves attempts to protect a new ...

'' (1972) as Henson *'' The Alf Garnett Saga'' (1972) as Rex *'' Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' (1974) as Johnny *'' All I Want Is You... and You... and You...'' (1974) as Taxi Driver *'' Are You Being Served?'' (1977) as the Emir *'' The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It'' (1977) as Bus Conductor *''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Berkshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural ...

'' (1978) as Voice of Vervain and Chervil *'' Rising Damp'' (1980) as Alec *'' Fierce Creatures'' (1997) as Gerry Ungulates *'' Run for Your Wife'' (2012) as Actor on Swing *''Gallowwalkers'' (2012) as Mosca

Theatre

In the theatre, Griffiths has been particularly associated with the

Royal Exchange, Manchester The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

. His roles include: * Ko-Ko, '' The Black Mikado'' adapted from Gilbert & Sullivan. Directed by

Braham Murray Braham Sydney Murray, OBE (12 February 1943 – 25 July 2018) was an English theatre director. In 1976, he was one of five founding Artistic Directors of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and the longest-serving (he retired in 2012). Ear ...

at the

, London (1975). * ''

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale '' Dic ...

'' by Derek Griffiths. World premiere directed by Derek Griffiths at the

(1977). * Athos, ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' by

and Derek Griffiths. World premiere directed by Braham Murray at the

(1979). * Frontignac, ''Have you anything to declare?'' by

Maurice Hennequin Maurice Hennequin (10 December 1863 – 3 September 1926) was a French-naturalized Belgian playwright. Biography A great-grandson of the painter Philippe-Auguste Hennequin, Maurice Hennequin was the son of Alfred Hennequin (1842–1887), hims ...

. British premiere directed by

for the

the Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhous ...

, London (1980). * Rick, '' The Nerd'' by Larry Shue. European premiere directed by

at the

(1982). * Khlestakov, ''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...

'' by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

. Directed by

at the

(1983). * ''The bluebird of unhappiness'' by

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

. Directed by

at the

(1987). * Feste, ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

''. Directed by

at the

(1988). * Oscar, '' The Odd Couple'' by

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

. Directed by

Ronald Harwood Sir Ronald Harwood (né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for ''The Dresser'' (for wh ...

at the

(1989). * Sergeant Kite, '' The Recruiting Officer'' by

George Farquhar George Farquhar (1677The explanation for the dual birth year appears in Louis A. Strauss, ed., A Discourse Upon Comedy, The Recruiting Officer, and The Beaux’ Stratagem by George Farquhar' (Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1914), p. v. Strauss notes ...

. Directed by

at the

(1992). * Feste, ''

'' at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

, Stratford-upon-Avon (1994) and the Theatre Royal,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

(1994). * Sebastien, ''

Nude With Violin ''Nude with Violin'' is a play in three acts (later revised into two acts) by Noël Coward. A light comedy of manners, the play is a satire on "Modern Art", criticism, artistic pretension and the value placed on art. It is set in Paris in 1956 ...

'' by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

. Directed by Marianne Elliott at the

(1999). * Truscott, ''

Loot Loot may refer to: Film *''Loot'' (1919 film), a film by William C. Dowlan * ''Loot'' (1970 film), a British film by Silvio Narizzano * ''Loot'' (2008 film), a documentary * ''Loot'' (2011 film), an Indian film * ''Loot'' (2012 film), a Nepali fi ...

'' by

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...

. Directed by

at the

(2001). * Harpagon, ''

The Miser ''The Miser'' (french: L'Avare; ; also known by the longer name ''L'Avare ou L'École du Mensonge,'' meaning The Miser, or the School for Lies) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September ...

'' by Moliere. Directed by

Helena Kaut-Howson Helena Kaut-Howson is a British theatre director. Early life and education Helena Kaut-Howson was born (as Helena Kaut) in 1940 in Lviv, which was then in Poland. She grew up in Wrocław, Poland. Her training as a director was first at the Po ...

at the

(2009). * Lumiére "Beauty and the Beast" Dominion Theatre (1994) * Rev. Tooker, ''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams. An adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", the play was written by him between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his p ...

'' (2009). * The Engineer. Miss Saigon (1990's)

Audio

Ladybird Books Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books. It is an imprint of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary o ...

Classic Collection (1995) as Narrator of Tales from

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...

and The Wind in the Willows

Honours

Griffiths was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to drama and diversity.

References

External links

*.
Cat on a hot tin roof
at Novello Theatre London. {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Derek 1946 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Audiobook narrators BBC television presenters Black British male actors English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Ghanaian descent English television presenters Male actors from Surrey Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Woking