Franks was born in London and is the only child of Patricia and Robert Franks. His father was a squadron leader pilot in the Royal Air Force. Franks maintains that he first fell in love with theatre at age six, when his parents took him along to see a production of The Tempest. The following year, his parents were going to a production of Hamlet, and Franks insisted on going with them; at age seven, he was hooked for life.
Career
Franks is best known for his role as the tax inspector Cedric "Charley" Charlton in the English sitcomThe Darling Buds of May, and also as Sgt. Raymond Craddock on Heartbeat. He has also been a guest star in Absolutely Fabulous, Pie in the Sky, Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War, Bleak House, Martin Chuzzlewit, The Buddha of Suburbia, The Green Man and To Serve Them All My Days. For the role of his character in Martin Chuzzlewit, Franks shaved off all of the hair on his head leaving wispy strands at the sides. When he was recognized in the street by fans they asked if he had done it for religious reasons. He also made regular appearances alongside Susie Dent in the 'Dictionary Corner' on the British quiz showCountdown until 2006. From December 2012 Franks played The Narrator in the 40th anniversary UK touring production of Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show. Franks is also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In addition, he has directed many plays including "Kafka's Dick" and "The Kiss of the Spiderwoman" ; "The Cocktail Party" ; "Rebecca" ; "Hamlet" ; "Macbeth" and "The Duchess of Malfi" ; "Private Lives" and "The Heiress" ; "The White Devil" ; "Nicholas Nickleby" ; and "The Tempest". He has also directed many BBC Radio dramas including "A Patriot For Me" by John Osborne starring Richard Goulding, Peter Egan, Amanda Root, Michael Pennington. BBC Radio 3. Franks also directed "A Cold Supper Behind Harrods" by David Morley which starred David Jason, Anton Lesser, Stephanie Cole, and Sophie Roberts. When three former Special Operations Executive agents are reunited in 1997 their meeting forces them to look at their own conduct during World War Two. The story was inspired by real events. Anton Lesser played code maker Leo Marks and Stephanie Cole played Vera Atkins.
