This Is Your Life: Bernard Cribbins

Bernard CRIBBINS (1928-2022)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Bernard Cribbins, actor and singer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews - dressed as Uncle Bulgaria of The Wombles - in central London (White House Hotel?) having been led to believe he was being filmed for Australian television for Dangerous Davis.

Bernard, who was born in Oldham, began his career at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, before making his West End theatre debut in 1956. During the 1960s, he released a series of novelty records, including The Hole in the Ground and Right Said Fred, and appeared in several comedy films including Two-Way Stretch and The Wrong Arm of the Law.

Bernard's other notable film role was in The Railway Children in 1970, while on television he was a regular reader for the BBC children's programme Jackanory in addition to narrating the animated series The Wombles.

"I'll read the bugger later!"

programme details...

Edition No: 567
Subject No: 563
Broadcast date: Wed 25 Feb 1981
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 4 Feb 1981
Venue: Royalty Theatre
Series: 21
Edition: 20
Code name: Cot

on the guest list...

Joyce Blair
Ronnie Fraser
Moira Lister
Gill - wife
Joss Ackland
Dora Bryan
Ethel - mother
Kath - sister
Eric - brother-in-law
Suzanne - niece
Paul - nephew
Veronica - sister
Christine - niece
Jim Cassidy
Laurie Cassidy
Tilly Cassidy
John Howarth
Pat Connor
Francis Connor
Bill Cunningham
Bill Newell
Doreen Newell
Frank Woodcock
Esther Garratt
Ann McGann
Eddie McPherson
Shaun O'Callaghan
Theresa Ingram
Joe Major
Lil Major
John Geary
Peter Pickup
Lionel Jeffries
Wilfred Brambell
Sally Thomsett
Dinah Sheridan
Jenny Agutter
Claude Whatham
Beryl Reid
Millicent Martin

production team...

Researcher: Cathy Parnall
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Stuart Hall, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

It's a Funny Old Life

it's all about the comedy

the programme's icon

Screenshots of Bernard Cribbins This Is Your Life

Bernard Cribbins recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Bernard Who?...

The worst experience we had in that hut was when one of the Pennine Rangers came in t'hut after having a tinkle and the wind slammed the door shut so hard that the beans fell off the Primus stove onto the floor and we all got a right sooting! Jim and I ended up writing a song about this called 'Three Pennine Rangers' and we used to sing it every time we went there. Now, if you'd have asked me a month ago what the lyrics were to that song I'd have told you not to be so flaming daft! After all, it was over seventy years ago. Then, my pal in the know the one with his finger on the inter-thingamabob - managed to find a clip from my appearance on This Is Your Life, which took place back in 1981. I'd completely forgotten about this but the producers managed to track down the surviving members of the original Pennine Rangers and as part of a little film they made for the episode they re-enacted 'beangate' and even sang the flipping song! How about that then? They even managed to get a very famous folk band called the Oldham Tinkers to accompany them, and then afterwards, as was often the way when they staged one of these tributes on This Is Your Life, all the people involved walked through those big double doors and said hello in person. Because of all the laughter I could only make out the opening lines, but here they are anyway.

Three Pennine Rangers went up to the hut,

the beans were on the Primus, cov-er-ed in soot,

one Pennine Ranger went to shut the door,

the beans fell off the Primus and cov-er-ed the floor.

That brought back some memories, I can tell ya.

Series 21 subjects