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"Jackanory" (1965) More at IMDbPro »

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18 February 2013 5:19 AM, PST | Digital Spy | See recent Digital Spy - TV news news »

The sad news broke today (Monday, February 18) that actor Richard Briers has died, following a battle with lung disease. Perhaps best known for his role in '70s BBC sitcom The Good Life, Briers had a long acting career that spanned five decades and included both dramatic and comedic roles.

His extensive theatre work, which included a number of Shakespearean roles, later extended into cinema when he appeared in nine of Kenneth Branagh's films including 1993's Much Ado About Nothing, 1996's Hamlet and most recently 2006's As You Like It - but it is in the arena of television that Briers is perhaps best remembered.

Digital Spy pays tribute to Briers - who passed away at the age of 79 - and recalls his best-known roles below:

The Good Life (1975-1978)

To many fans, Briers will always be Tom Good, the amiable former draughtsman who turned his back on the »

21 January 2013 2:30 AM, PST | Digital Spy | See recent Digital Spy - Movie News news »

Bernard Cribbins has criticised the current state of children's television in the UK. The veteran actor - who previously starred in a number of classic kids' TV shows including The Wombles and Jackanory - said that shows today are too "fast and noisy". He also said that current shows drop intelligent storytelling for the "gratuitous" use of CGI graphics. The 84-year-old told BBC News: "You can't help but notice how children's TV has changed." Cribbins will return to children's TV in CBeebies show Old Jack's Boat, which begins today (January 21). He said: "It's all very fast and noisy now I think. You think of the gentleness of Jackanory, somebody would walk onto the set, sit down and say 'hello I'm going to tell you about Ratty and Mole and the Wind in the Willows' (more) »

- By Tom Eames

2 items from 2013