Brian Croucher

Brian Croucher (born 23 January 1942 in Surrey) is an English actor and director perhaps best known for his role as Ted Hills, which he played from 1995 to 1997, in the soap opera EastEnders. Since the death of Blake's 7 co-star Paul Darrow in June 2019, Croucher is the oldest surviving cast member of that series.

Brian Croucher at the Blake's 7 series 2 DVD launch, 2005.

Biography

Croucher has appeared in three science fiction programmes — as the second actor to portray Travis in Blake's 7 and also as Borg in the Doctor Who story The Robots of Death. He also appeared in the Doctor Who spin-off Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans. Earlier, in 1973, he played a key protagonist in the children's adventure series The Jensen Code.[1]

In 1978, Croucher played a major role opposite Tom Bell in the Thames Television/Euston Films thriller series Out. He also played the role of Rooky in the Southern Television series, The Famous Five, in the double episodes "Five Get Into Trouble".

One of Croucher’s earliest film roles was in the Carol Reed's film musical of Lionel Bart's Oliver!; he played one of the London Bridge bargemen - a small uncredited speaking part. His other film roles included Burke & Hare (1971), the 1972 film Made (1972) starring Carol White, the comedy short The Waterloo Bridge Handicap (1978), A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979), Deadly Game (1982), Scrubbers (1983) and Underworld (1985).

Croucher also appeared as a ’Pay Cop’ Lieutenant in the ITV serial Quatermass, starring Sir John Mills and which was broadcast in the UK in 1979. He played ‘Big John’ in Monday Night Fever, the ninth episode of the first series of Minder, and was also in the 1985 drama serial Edge of Darkness, playing the chief of security 'Connors'.[2]

Croucher appeared in the episode "Parade" in the second season of Bottom as ‘Ted Nugent’ who Eddie calls ‘Harry the Bastard’ . He also appeared in a supporting role in the Clive Owen film I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. He has directed two short films, Rank (2009, co-written with Nick Wilkinson), and Vodka & Coke (2013), also written and produced by Wilkinson.

In 2012, Croucher played the character of Lonnie in the feature film Coolio (C.O.O.L.I.O – Change Original Ordinary Lives Interface Oracle), which was released in 2014.[3] In 2018, he was seen on the big screen as the mysterious Stubbs in the British psychological thriller Welcome to Curiosity.

Croucher now lives in Kent with his wife and two children, and their dog ‘Smokey’.

Other television appearances include: Grange Hill, Public Eye, Callan, Dixon of Dock Green, Softly, Softly: Taskforce, Villains, Six Days of Justice, Warship, The New Avengers, The XYY Man, Shoestring, Minder, The Gentle Touch, The Professionals, The Chinese Detective, The Young Ones, Filthy, Rich and Catflap, Dempsey and Makepeace, C.A.T.S. Eyes, Rockliffe's Babies, Bread, Lovejoy, Wycliffe, Casualty, The Bill, Doctors and New Tricks.

Croucher is a patron of The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.[4]

References
  1. "The cult of...The Jensen Code". The Cult of TV Fan Site. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  2. Credits to the BBC DVD 1179 Edge of Darkness
  3. "C.O.O.L.I.O Time Travel Gangster".
  4. http://www.themusichallguild.com/about.php
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