Rodney Bewes
Born	Rodney Bewes 27 November 1938 (1938-11-27) (age 71) Bingley, West Yorkshire
Years active	1952 - present

Rodney Bewes (born 27 November 1938 in Bingley, near Bradford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English television actor probably best known for playing the lovable Bob Ferris in the classic BBC sitcoms The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Bewes was raised mainly in Luton^{[citation needed]}, where he attended Stopsley Boys School. From the age of 12 he appeared in several television plays for the BBC, and then at 14 he moved to London to attend RADA's preparatory school.

After several odd jobs and National Service in the RAF, he fell into RADA training and got his break in the early 1960s with appearances in rep theatre as well as the TV shows Z-Cars and Dixon of Dock Green. He also appeared in the classic film version of Billy Liar alongside his close friend Tom Courtenay.

In between his two stints as a 'Likely Lad' in the 1960s and 1970s, Bewes also appeared in Man in a Suitcase, Father Dear Father and starred in his own ITV sitcom Dear Mother...Love Albert, which he created and co-wrote. He also starred in the James Mason drama 'Spring And Port Wine' in 1970, and played the Knave of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972). Although Bewes is mainly remembered for his comedic and light acting roles, an example of his talent as a serious actor was in the made-for-TV film adaptation of John Ford's play, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.

Some of his later film and television roles include Jabberwocky (1977), The Spaceman and King Arthur (1979), The Wildcats of St. Trinian's (1980) and the 1984 Doctor Who serial Resurrection of the Daleks. Bewes played 'Mr Rodney' with the TV puppet Basil Brush in the late 1960s.

On stage he has enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s and since with one-man versions of Three Men in a Boat and Diary of a Nobody, both of which shows he has toured extensively in the UK.

His autobiography, A Likely Story, was finally published in September 2005. Although born in the north of England, he now regards himself as a Londoner, albeit one with a slight northern accent in his speech. He also lived in Cornwall for many years. Many people were not happy with him being cast as a Newcastle lad in the The Likely Lads, however his charm and acting ability eventually won over viewers and the British Onion Marketing Board, who would appoint him their spokesman in 1982.

He revealed in the book, and also on Michael Parkinson's BBC Radio 2 show in 2005, that he has not spoken to his 'Likely Lads' co-star James Bolam for nearly 30 years ^[1]

He supports Chelsea FC. This is referred to in the Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads episode, "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner", where Terry, James Bolam sneers at a Londoner the lads have met, "A Chelsea fan eh? I hate Chelsea - them and all their showbiz supporters..."

He now lives in Henley, Oxfordshire^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 Television Roles 2 Filmography 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Television Roles

Year	Title	Role
1964 to 1966 1973 to 1974	The Likely Lads Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?	Bob Ferris
1967	Hicks and Stokes	Billy Hicks
1969 to 1972	Dear Mother...Love Albert	Albert Courtnay
1980	Just Liz at the Internet Movie Database	Reg Last

[edit] Filmography

• A Prize of Arms (1962)
• Heavens Above! (1963)
• Billy Liar (1963)
• San Ferry Ann (1965)
• Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher (1968)
• Spring and Port Wine (1970)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
• The Three Musketeers (1973)
• The Likely Lads (1976)
• Jabberwocky (1976)
• Saint Jack (1979)
• The Spaceman and King Arthur (1979)
• The Wildcats of St Trinian's (1980)

[edit] References

1. ^ Interview with The Independent

[edit] External links

• Rodney Bewes at the Internet Movie Database