Leslie Hulme (9 January 1933 – 29 July 2016), known professionally as Ken Barrie, was an English voice actor and singer. He was best known for voicing the titular character and several other characters in the children's television series ''

Postman Pat ''Postman Pat'' is a British stop motion animated television series, animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a Mail carrier, postman who works for the Royal ...

'', as well as singing the theme tune. He also sang the theme tunes of the

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

programmes '' Hi-de-Hi!'' and '' Charlie Chalk''.

Biography

Barrie was born on 9 January 1933 in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

. Under the stage name Les Carle, he recorded for Embassy Records, an offshoot of Woolworths that released inexpensive cover versions of pop hits, between 1962 and 1965. He changed his stage name when a friend told him it was French for "the Charlies", and took his new name of Ken Barrie from the names of his wife's brothers. His singing and narrating voice and whistling was heard in many movies and television commercials. Barrie provided singing voices in feature films for many actors, including

George C. Scott George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor. He had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his portrayal of stern but complex ...

, in ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

'' (1970), Horst Buchholz in '' The Great Waltz'' (1972), and

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American actor, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera ''Dallas'', and the handsome astronaut Major Anthon ...

in '' Applause'' (1973). He became the voice of the

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

show ''

'' in 1981, narrating the first and second series and also providing the voices of the characters Postman Pat, Ted Glen, Granny Dryden, Peter Fogg, Major Forbes, George Lancaster, Jeff Pringle, Alf Thompson, Reverend Peter Timms, P.C. Arthur Selby, and Sam Waldron. He retired from voicing Pat in 2008 when the series was revamped as ''Postman Pat Special Delivery Service'', though stayed on as the voice of Ted, Alf, P.C. Selby and Reverend Timms for the show's first series (sixth series overall) before leaving the show completely in 2013. A single of the theme song, credited to Barrie, reached number 44 on the UK singles chart in 1982, and re entered the chart the following year. He sang the soundtrack for the television show '' Charlie Chalk'' and recorded the soundtracks for the films '' Sharks' Treasure'' (1975), '' Emily'' (1976) and '' Silent Scream'' (1979). He also whistled the tune for the theme song of the 1987

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

series ''

My Family and Other Animals ''My Family and Other Animals'' (1956) is an autobiography, autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and wid ...

'', based on the book by

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservation movement, conservationist, and television presenter. He was born in Jamshedpur in British Ind ...

, and sang the theme song to the hit long running

sitcom '' Hi-de-Hi!''.

Personal life

Barrie was married to Doreen Pye from 1954 until her death in 2009. He also had two children, a son named Paul Hulme and a daughter named Lorraine Hulme Peterson. Barrie's son Paul Hulme was a music engineer who went on to work for the music departments for many films, although Hulme died in a road accident in 1998 at the age of 38. Paul is survived by Lorraine Hulme Peterson.

Death

Barrie died at his home in

Denham, Buckinghamshire Denham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, approximately 17 mi from central London, 2 mi northwest of Uxbridge and just north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. The name is derived from the Old En ...

, on 29 July 2016 from

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

. Retrieved 30 July 2016 He is survived by his daughter Lorraine Hulme Peterson.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

Ken Barry
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrie, Ken 1933 births 2016 deaths 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English male singers 21st-century English male actors 21st-century English male singers Deaths from liver cancer in England English male voice actors English children's musicians People from Tunstall, Staffordshire Male actors from Staffordshire