Derek Fowlds

Derek Fowlds (born 2 September 1937) is an English actor, best known for playing Bernard Woolley in popular British television comedies Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat.

Fowlds was born in Wandsworth, London, the son of Ketha Muriel (née Treacher) and James Witney Fowlds, a salesman.

Fowlds was educated at Ashlyns School, a former Secondary Modern School in the historic town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire.

After amateur acting, Fowlds trained at RADA and made his debut on the West End stage in The Miracle Worker. He appeared in various film roles, including Tamahine (1963), East of Sudan (1964), Hotel Paradiso (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Smashing Bird I Used to Know (1969), Tower of Evil (1972) and Mistress Pamela (1974), prior to becoming familiar to British television viewers as 'Mr. Derek' in the children's series The Basil Brush Show, replacing Rodney Bewes as presenter. He played the role of Lord Randolph Churchill in the ATV series Edward the Seventh in 1975.

Perhaps his most famous role was that of Bernard Woolley in Yes Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister alongside Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne.

From 1983–85, Fowlds played the lead role in the sitcom Affairs of the Heart. He featured in a more sinister role in the 1990 political thriller Die Kinder. Fowlds then played Oscar Blaketon in the long running ITV police drama nostalgia series Heartbeat for its entire run. The character first appeared as the local police sergeant, then retired from the force and ran the post office before becoming a publican.

Fowlds was previously married to Wendy Tory and Blue Peter presenter and dancer Lesley Judd. He is the father of two children including the actor Jeremy Fowlds. Reports that he was formerly married to the actress Adrienne Corri are false.