Geoffrey Bayldon


Albert Geoffrey Bayldon was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series Catweazle. Bayldon's other long-running parts include the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge and Magic Grandad in the BBC television series Watch.

Early life

Bayldon was born in Leeds and attended Bridlington School and Hull College of Architecture. Following service in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he appeared in amateur theatricals and then trained at the Old Vic Theatre School.

Career

Bayldon enjoyed a substantial stage career, including work in the West End and for the RSC. He made several film appearances in the 1960s and 1970s, including King Rat, To Sir, with Love, Casino Royale , the Envy segment of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, the Marc Bolan/T. Rex film Born to Boogie, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, as well as the film versions of Steptoe and Son, Steptoe and Son Ride Again as the vicar, and Porridge as the Governor. Bayldon also appeared in several horror films; Dracula and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed for Hammer Films and The House That Dripped Blood, 'Asylum' and Tales from the Crypt for Amicus. In 2004, after many years of successful television work he appeared in the film Ladies in Lavender.
He appeared in Doctor Who with a guest appearance as Organon in The Creature from the Pit opposite Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Subsequently, he played an alternative First Doctor in two audio plays based on the Doctor Who television series by Big Finish Productions in the Doctor Who Unbound series: Auld Mortality and A Storm of Angels. In 1963, Bayldon had been one of the first actors offered the role of the Doctor.
Bayldon's other television roles include, ITV Play of the Week, The Avengers, Z-Cars, Theatre 625, The Wednesday Play, ITV Sunday Night Theatre, , The Tomorrow People, Tales of the Unexpected, Blott on the Landscape, Star Cops, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Chronicles of Narnia. He later took part in a number of BBC Schools programmes, where he displayed a number of otherwise unexploited talents. In 1993, he played Simplicio in the Open University video Newton's Revolution.
In 1986, Bayldon provided the vocals on Paul Hardcastle's The Wizard which was also used as the theme for BBC1's Top of the Pops.
Among his later television appearances were the Five game show Fort Boyard, Waking the Dead, Heartbeat and Casualty. His final television appearances, before his retirement, were New Tricks and My Family.

Death

Bayldon died on 10 May 2017, aged 93, from undisclosed causes. His partner of many years, fellow actor Alan Rowe, had predeceased him in 2000.

TV and film credits