Derek Griffiths facts for kids

Derek Griffiths MBE was born on July 15, 1946. He is a British actor, singer, and voice artist. You might know him from many British children's television series from the 1970s until today. He has also acted in TV dramas more recently.

Derek Griffiths' Amazing Career

Derek Griffiths became well-known early in his career for appearing on Play School. He worked alongside other famous presenters like Chloe Ashcroft and Brian Cant. Derek is a very talented musician who can play many instruments.

He sang the theme song for Heads and Tails, a BBC series about animals. He also sang and played the theme tune for the cartoon Bod. Another fun children's TV show he was in was Film Fun. In this show, he played all the different people who work at a cinema! He was the manager, the usher, and even the projectionist. He also showed classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

Derek also provided the English voice for SuperTed, a popular cartoon bear.

West End Stage Star

In 1997, Derek played the role of Lumière in the first ever London stage show of Beauty and the Beast. This was a very big show in the West End, which is like Broadway in London. Later, he played the scary Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.

In 2014, Derek received a special award called the BASCA Gold Badge of Merit. This award recognized his amazing contributions to music over the years. From 2016 to 2017, he played Freddie Smith in the popular TV show Coronation Street.

Derek Griffiths' Children's TV Shows

Derek Griffiths has been a part of many beloved children's television shows. Here are some of them:

• Play School (1971–81)
• Play Away (1971)
• Cabbages and Kings (1972)
• Various Look and Read stories as a singer, including:
  • "Cloud Burst" (1974)
  • "The King's Dragon" (1977)
  • "Sky Hunter" (1978)
  • "The Boy From Space" (1980)
  • "Dark Towers" (1981)
  • "Fairground!" (1982)
  • "Geordie Racer" (1988)
  • "Through The Dragon's Eye" (1989)
  • "Earth Warp" (1994) as voiceover and singer
• Bod (1975) – he wrote the theme music for each of the main characters!
• Ring-a-Ding! (1975) – he told stories and sang.
• Heads and Tails (1978) as voiceover and singer.
• Watch It! (1980–83) – he was a regular announcer for children's ITV.
• Insight (1980) – he was a presenter and played characters in this educational show for deaf and hearing-impaired children.
• Dinosaurs: Fun, Fact and Fantasy (1982) as the voice of Dil the Crocodile.
• SuperTed (1983–1985) as the voice of SuperTed.
  • The Further Adventures of SuperTed (1989) as the voice of SuperTed.
• Muzzy in Gondoland (1986) as the voices of Bob and Corvax.
• King Greenfingers (1989) as the narrator.
• The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1993) as Simpkin.
• Christopher Crocodile (1993) as the narrator and all the characters.
• Dragon Tales (1999–2005) as the narrator for the audiobooks.
• Mio Mao (2005) as the narrator and all the characters in the UK version.
• Film Fun
• Little Red Tractor (2004–2007) as the voices of Mr Jones and Walter.
• Animal Antics (1997–2015) as the narrator.
• Tinga Tinga Tales (2010-2011) as the voices of Cricket and Skunk.
• Sarah & Duck (2014) Series 2 Episode 3: "Cloud Tower" as Cloud Captain.
• Hilda (2020) Series 2 Episode 8: "The Fifty Year Night" as Mr. Ostenfeld.
• The Dumping Ground (2021) as Larry Meadow.

Other TV Shows and Films

Derek has also appeared in many other TV shows and films.

Television Roles

He has been in popular dramas like:

• Casualty (1999, 2022)
• Holby City (2004, 2011)
• Doctors (2015, 2022)
• Silent Witness (2016)
• Coronation Street (2016–2017) as Freddie Smith
• Midsomer Murders (2021)

Film Roles

Derek has also acted in several films, often lending his voice or playing fun characters:

• Up Pompeii! (1971)
• Up the Chastity Belt (1971)
• Up the Front (1972)
• Rentadick (1972)
• The Alf Garnett Saga (1972)
• Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1974)
• All I Want Is You... and You... and You... (1974)
• Are You Being Served? (1977)
• The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)
• Watership Down (1978) as the voice of Vervain and Chervil
• Rising Damp (1980)
• Fierce Creatures (1997)
• Run for Your Wife (2012)
• Gallowwalkers (2012)

Theatre Performances

Derek Griffiths has a strong connection with the Royal Exchange, Manchester theatre. Some of his notable stage roles include:

• Ko-Ko in The Black Mikado (1975)
• Athos in The Three Musketeers (1979)
• Lumiére in "Beauty and the Beast" (1994)
• The Engineer in Miss Saigon (1996–1997)
• Harpagon in The Miser (2009)

Audio Work

Derek has also narrated audiobooks, including:

• Ladybird Books Classic Collection (1995) where he narrated Tales from The Jungle Book and The Wind in the Willows.

Awards and Honours

In 2020, Derek Griffiths was given a special award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This honour was for his great work in drama and for promoting diversity in entertainment.