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Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths (born 15 July 1946) is a British actor, singer and voice artist who has appeared in numerous British children's television series from the 1970s to the present and has played parts in adult television drama.
Griffiths appeared in Play School with fellow presenters/performers including Chloe Ashcroft, Johnny Ball and Brian Cant. A talented multi-instrumentalist, he narrated and sang the theme tune to Heads and Tails, a series of short animal films for children, produced by BBC Television, and sang and played the theme to the cartoon Bod. Another children's-TV role was in Granada Television's early-1980s series Film Fun, in which he played the entire staff of a cinema (the manager, the commissionaire (with the catchphrase "Get on with it, Reg!"), projectionist Reg, usherette Doreen) and also himself, showing cartoons such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.[citation needed]
Griffiths appeared on Crown Court (1973) as accused fraudster Raoul Lapointe, from the Belgian Congo. In 1975 Griffiths played Ko-Ko in The Black Mikado at London's Cambridge Theatre. He provided the English voice of SuperTed (the series SuperTed was originally made in Welsh).
In 1997 Griffiths debuted the role of Lumière in the original West End production of Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre and played the Child-Catcher in the West End run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.
In 2014 Griffiths was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge of Merit award. This was in acknowledgement of his unique contribution to music.
From 2016 Griffiths played Freddie Smith in Coronation Street: he left the role in March 2017 to star in a stage production of Driving Miss Daisy. In 2021, he joined the London cast of The Mousetrap.
In 2011 English writer, television presenter, producer and satirist Charlie Brooker wrote,
[As a child] I had an inherent (albeit incredibly condescending) sense that I liked black people, and wanted them to like me. And I genuinely believe a lot of that was thanks to Derek Griffiths. Griffiths was the first black person I can remember encountering anywhere in my life, and he existed only on my television. He presented Play School, appeared in Play Away, and created the music for Bod. And as far as I'm concerned he's one of the most brilliant TV presenters this country has ever produced: instantly warm and likeable, clearly very talented, and possessing the rare knack of appearing to speak directly to young viewers without patronising them. His colour absolutely didn't matter, yet at the same time it did – precisely because it didn't matter. Even this four year old could see that.
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Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths (born 15 July 1946) is a British actor, singer and voice artist who has appeared in numerous British children's television series from the 1970s to the present and has played parts in adult television drama.
Griffiths appeared in Play School with fellow presenters/performers including Chloe Ashcroft, Johnny Ball and Brian Cant. A talented multi-instrumentalist, he narrated and sang the theme tune to Heads and Tails, a series of short animal films for children, produced by BBC Television, and sang and played the theme to the cartoon Bod. Another children's-TV role was in Granada Television's early-1980s series Film Fun, in which he played the entire staff of a cinema (the manager, the commissionaire (with the catchphrase "Get on with it, Reg!"), projectionist Reg, usherette Doreen) and also himself, showing cartoons such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.[citation needed]
Griffiths appeared on Crown Court (1973) as accused fraudster Raoul Lapointe, from the Belgian Congo. In 1975 Griffiths played Ko-Ko in The Black Mikado at London's Cambridge Theatre. He provided the English voice of SuperTed (the series SuperTed was originally made in Welsh).
In 1997 Griffiths debuted the role of Lumière in the original West End production of Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre and played the Child-Catcher in the West End run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.
In 2014 Griffiths was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge of Merit award. This was in acknowledgement of his unique contribution to music.
From 2016 Griffiths played Freddie Smith in Coronation Street: he left the role in March 2017 to star in a stage production of Driving Miss Daisy. In 2021, he joined the London cast of The Mousetrap.
In 2011 English writer, television presenter, producer and satirist Charlie Brooker wrote,
[As a child] I had an inherent (albeit incredibly condescending) sense that I liked black people, and wanted them to like me. And I genuinely believe a lot of that was thanks to Derek Griffiths. Griffiths was the first black person I can remember encountering anywhere in my life, and he existed only on my television. He presented Play School, appeared in Play Away, and created the music for Bod. And as far as I'm concerned he's one of the most brilliant TV presenters this country has ever produced: instantly warm and likeable, clearly very talented, and possessing the rare knack of appearing to speak directly to young viewers without patronising them. His colour absolutely didn't matter, yet at the same time it did – precisely because it didn't matter. Even this four year old could see that.