“The certain trick” star Ray Brooks: grief for British actors

Ray Brooks (1939-2025), star from the love comedy “The certain trick” and narrator of “Mr. Benn”, died at the age of 86, as “BBC” reported. The British actor also played in many other productions such as “Big Deal”, “Taxi!”, “Eastenders” and “Coronation Street”. His family informed the broadcaster that Brooks died on August 9 after a short illness. He has suffered from dementia in recent years.

Brooks was born on April 20, 1939 in Brighton, Great Britain, and began his career in film and television in the early 1960s with appearances in the Miniseries “Julius Caesar” and “The Secret Kingdom” (1960). He then got the role of Terry Mill in the “Taxi!” Series, which ran from 1963 to 1964. At about the same time, he also played Norman Phillips in the British soap opera “Coronation Street”.

In 1965, Brooks embodied the experienced female hero Tolen in the film “The Certain Kniff” – alongside Rita Tushingham, Donal Donnelly and Michael Crawford. He became the best known in his homeland through his narrative role in “Mr. Benn”. Brooks spoke the title character from 1971 to 1972. His sons Will and Tom reminded “BBC”: “Although only 13 episodes were shot, they were repeated twice a year for 21 years.” Many people kept asking their father, the slogan known from the series “As if by magic!” (Original: “As if by Magic”).

Ray Brooks also had roles in the television drama “Big Deal” and in the “Running Wild” series. He later played the role of Joe Macer in the soap opera “Eastenders”.

The actor leaves his two sons and wife Sadie Elcombe. His daughter Emma died in 2003.