Ray Brooks began as a television actor. He appeared in the long-running ITV soap Coronation Street, and played Terry Mills in the series Taxi! with Sid James. He played small roles in British films such as H.M.S. Defiant, Play It Cool and Some People, and then rose to prominence in the UK after starring alongside Michael Crawford and Rita Tushingham in the 1965 filmThe Knack …and How to Get It. The film, directed by Richard Lester, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965. Brooks followed up this success starring in the ground-breaking 1966 television drama Cathy Come Home. Through the 1960s, he also had small roles in a number of other cult television series: including The Avengers, Danger Man, and Doomwatch. He played the major role of David Campbell in the Doctor Who film Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. Major film roles in the 1970s were less numerous. These included roles in the all-star Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and in Carry On Abroad as oversexed waiter Giorgio. He also appeared in a number of Pete Walker films including The Flesh and Blood Show, Tiffany Jones and House of Whipcord. In this decade Ray released an album of his own songs, and built a successful career doing voiceovers for television advertisements, and children's television seriesMr Benn.
The 1980s
Brooks returned to prominence with the BBC comedy drama Big Deal, where he co-starred with Sharon Duce. After Big Deal ended, Duce and Brooks starred together, as different characters, in the popular Growing Pains about a pair of middle-aged foster parents. Brooks was also the narrator of the well known children's animations by David McKee: Mr Benn and King Rollo. From 1980-1983, he played Detective Sergeant Dave Brook in a BBC Radio 4 detective series, rebroadcast as Robert Barr - Detective on BBC Radio 4 Extra from 2013 to 2017. Brooks starred in another Edward Boyd thriller, Castles in Spain, on BBC Radio 4 in 1987. In 1987, the BBC chose Brooks as one of the principal character voices for the acclaimed French animated science fiction filmLes Maîtres du temps, which the BBC had co-produced in 1982.
The 2000s
Brooks was the original 'next stop' announcement voice of the Tramlink system, before being replaced by Nicholas Owen. In 2002, he acted in BBC drama Two ThousandAcres of Sky. He joined the cast of the long-running BBC soap operaEastEnders as Joe Macer in 2005. On 30 September 2006, it was announced that Brooks' EastEnders character would depart in January 2007 following the departure of Joe's wife, Pauline Fowler, at Christmas. His final appearance was on 26 January when his character confessed to killing Pauline, before falling from a window to his death. He starred as Detective Sergeant Brook in the BBC Radio 2 police series: Robert Barr - Detective; series 1: 13 episodes, series 2: 10 episodes, series 3: 8 episodes and series 4:8 episodes. These have been re-broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra since 2013. The series is written by Robert Barr.
