Keith Barron (8 August 1934 – 15 November 2017) was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and, playing Gregory Wilmot in period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.

Career Born in Mexborough in the West Riding of Yorkshire,'South Yorkshire' did not exist before 1 April 1974. 'West Riding of Yorkshire' is correct. Barron completed his national service in the Royal Air Force and his acting career started at the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, where he worked with a young Patrick Stewart and also met his wife, Mary, a stage designer. He became well known to British television viewers in the early 1960s as the easygoing Detective Sergeant Swift in the Granada TV series The Odd Man and its spin-off. His major breakthrough, however, was as Nigel Barton in the writer Dennis Potter's semi-autobiographical plays Stand Up, Nigel Barton and Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton (both 1965) in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology series; he later played a very similar character in Potter's Play For Today episode Only Make Believe (1973).

Barron made many one-off television appearances, from Redcap and Z-Cars in the mid-1960s, to Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Strange Report, The New Avengers, Thriller, The Professionals, Foyle's War, and A Touch of Frost. He made two appearances in Upstairs, Downstairs as Australian Gregory Wilmot. In 1982, he appeared in the Dutch show De lachende scheerkwast. In March 1983 he was a guest in the Doctor Who story Enlightenment, replacing Peter Sallis who was unavailable. He was a frequent voiceover artist for British TV commercials and public information films. Barron also played a starring role as Bob Ferguson in the 1993 Granada series The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, entitled The Last Vampyre.

In 1989 he starred on television in a story of relationships in a new town in the Midlands entitled Take Me Home, with Annette Crosbie as his wife and Maggie O'Neill as his girlfriend. One of his best-loved and best-remembered roles was in the 1980s Yorkshire Television sitcom Duty Free. In the 1990s he co-starred in the sitcoms Haggard and All Night Long. In 1990, he appeared as a contestant on Cluedo, facing off against fellow actor Andrew Sachs.

On the big screen he appeared in Baby Love (1968) and David Puttnam's film Melody (1971) as Mr Latimer.

Barron voiced the character of Morgan Jefferies in the 1995 BBC Radio 4 sitcom England's Glory opposite Lynda Baron.

Barron also appeared as a celebrity guest in Dictionary Corner on several episodes of the Channel 4 words and numbers game Countdown between 1999 and 2008.

In the 2000s he was a regular character on the ITV Sunday-night drama Where the Heart Is. In 2014 he reprised his role of David Pearce in the touring stage show of the TV series 'Duty Free'. He also starred in the first series of the BBC drama The Chase.

He was the star on Bunn and Co., a radio show that was broadcast from March 2003 to April 2004 on BBC Radio 4. Barron's performance in the BBC's Test the Nation IQ test show on 2 September 2006 gave him an IQ of 146. In 2007 Barron joined ITV1's Coronation Street as George Trench. In 2011, Barron starred in the BBC show, Lapland, a role which he returned to for a series, Being Eileen, from February 2013. His last television appearance was in BBC comedy Not Going Out as a toy store employee in the Christmas Special which was shown after his death. He was given an "In Memory Of" at end of credits.

Personal life Barron served in the RAF as part of his National Service. In 1980, he and his wife opened a restaurant in Hayle in Cornwall. After three years they returned to London and Barron resumed his acting career full time.

Barron died on 15 November 2017 after a short illness. He lived in the Surrey town of East Molesey, a short distance from Hampton Court Palace and had a second home in St Ives, Cornwall.

Selected filmography

Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1969Baby LoveDoctor Robert Quayle1970The Man Who Had Power Over Women Jake Braid1971The Firechasers Jim MaxwellShe'll Follow You Anywhere Alan SimpsonMelody Mr. Latimer – Daniel's father UncreditedFreelance Gary1973Nothing But The Night Dr. Haynes1974The Land That Time ForgotBradley1976At the Earth's CoreDowsettVoyage of the DamnedPurser Mueller1986God's Outlaw Henry VIII1996La passioneRoy1997Police 2020Eddie Longshaw2012In Love with Alma CoganCedric

Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1961A Chance of ThunderBank Cashier1 episodeThe Night of the MatchBobTV movieThe AvengersTechnicianEpisode: "Dragonsfield"1962/1976Z-CarsBarry Hulme/Billy CatlinEpisodes: "Further Enquiries"/"Prisoners"1962-3The Odd ManDet. Sgt. Swift17 episodes1964It's Dark Outside8 episodes1964-6RedcapCpl. Harkness/Captain LynneEpisodes: "It's What Comes After"/"The Alibi"1965Crane Rene LeclercEpisode: "A Violent Animal"The Troubleshooters MilesEpisode: "The Way It Crumbles"1965-7The Wednesday PlayVarious - Including Nigel Barton episodes4 episodes1967SpywatchFurther Adventures of Lucky JimJim Dixon7 episodes1967-76JackanoryHimself43 episodes1969Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)JarvisEpisode: "When Did You Start to Stop Seeing Things?"1972 A Family at WarMajor HarknessEpisode: "Two Fathers"1973Thinking Man as a HeroDavid DuncanTV movieArmchair TheatreHenryEpisode: Red Riding Hood1973/1980Play for TodayHarry/Christopher HudsonEpisodes: Only Make Believe/Jessie1974Upstairs, Downstairs Gregory Wilmot2 episodesNo StringsDerek6 episodes1976The New AvengersDrakerEpisode: "Target!"1977The FoundationDon PrinceEpisode: "Accident"Crown CourtTimothy Dorney7 episodesThe Professionals Charles NesbittEpisode: "Private Madness, Public Danger"1979Telford's ChangeTim Hart7 episodesPrince RegentCharles James Fox7 episodes1981Stay with Me Till Morning Stephen Belgard3 episodes1982Tales of the UnexpectedGeorge HitchmanEpisode: "A Harmless Vanity"Holding the FortTrevor Chesterton2 episodesDe lachende scheerkwastMr. Carrington1982-1983West Country TalesNarrator / Healer / The Rev. Anthony Shaw6 episodes1983Doctor WhoMr. StrikerSerial: "Enlightenment"1984MinderJohnny CaineEpisode: "Senior Citizen Caine"1984-5LeavingDaniel Ford12 episodes1984-6Duty FreeDavid Pearce22 episodes1986-8Room at the BottomKevin Hughes13 episodes1989Take Me HomeTom3 episodes1990-2HaggardSquire Amos Haggard14 episodes1992The Good GuysGuy Lofthouse16 episodes1993The Case-Book of Sherlock HolmesRob FergusonEpisode: "The Last Vampyre"1994Under the HammerNed NunellyEpisode: "The Jolly Joker"1996The Ruth Rendell MysteriesInspector MastersEpisode: "A Case of Coincidence"Theatre of the AirEddie MostynEpisode: "I've Been Eddie Mostyn"1997Dalziel and PascoeDick ElgoodEpisode: "Deadheads"Pie in the SkyEric DunfriesEpisode: "Ugly Customers"1998Hetty Wainthropp InvestigatesGordon GregsonEpisode: "Digging for Dirt"2000Madame BovaryL'heureuxPeak PracticeJeff BartonEpisode: "Last Orders"2001Take MeDon Chambers 5 episodes2003Clocking OffRoy FletcherEpisode: "Pat and Roy's Story"2003-4Where the Heart IsAlan Boothe15 episodes2004Midsomer MurdersAlan CliffordEpisode: "The Straw Woman"2005Dead Man WedsSandy Ball4 episodesNew TricksRonnie RossEpisode: "A Delicate Touch"2006Foyle's WarDavid BarrettEpisode: "Invasion"Judge John DeedWilliam GlynEpisode: "One Angry Man"HustleHemmingsEpisode: "Price for Fame"2006-7 The ChaseGeorge Williams10 episodes2007Coronation StreetGeorge Trench11 episodes2008A Touch of FrostDavid CrewesEpisode: "Mind Games"HeartbeatLes HepplewhiteEpisode: "Strike Up the Band"2008-13CasualtyWardrobe/Basil King/Howard CoombesVarious2009Law & Order: UKVernon MortimerEpisode: "Buried"BenidormDeputy Mayor1 episode2010My FamilyHarryEpisode: "Ben Behaving Badly"2011LaplandMauriceTV movie2011-15DoctorsArthur Barrett/Ludo Jameson/Brian Olsen3 episodes2012-16DCI BanksArthur Banks10 episodes2015-16Holby CityHugh Musgrove3 episodes2017Not Going OutMichaelEpisode: "The True Meaning of Christmas"

Radio Not as Far as Velma, as Commissaire Henri Castang (1990)Freeling, Nicholas. Not as far as Velma. suttonelms.org.uk To the Manor Born, as Richard Devere (1997) My Turn to Make the Tea as Mr Pellet (2006)

Notes

References

External links

Keith Barron at Aveleyman