One of Putney's Most Famous Voices Passes Away
Ray Brooks narrated the Mr Benn stories in the children's TV series
Mr. Benn. Picture: David McKee. Ray Brooks. Picture: BBC
August 11, 2025
Ray Brooks, who passed away recently at the age of 86, leaves behind a rich legacy in television, film, and voice work. Not least he is arguably the best-known voice associated with Putney having narrated the Mr Benn cartoon series.
The beloved children’s TV programme, Mr Benn, first aired in 1971 and although only 13 episodes were ever made, Brooks’s warm, distinctive voice—especially the catchphrase “as if by magic!”—became a fixture of British childhoods, with episodes repeated twice a year for over two decades.
His narration gave life to the bowler-hatted adventurer who stepped into a magical costume shop and emerged into a new world each time. The road on which Mr Benn lived was based on Festing Road the home of the series creator, David McKee.
In recent years inhabitants have clubbed together and got the adjoining pathway named Festive Walk. Hugh Thompson who lives in David McKee’s old house says, “His catch phrase was. “as if by magic” and already as if by magic I have already heard Ray Brooks voice rustle in the bushes of Festive Walk.”
Beyond Mr Benn, Brooks’s career spanned five decades. He starred in Ken Loach’s Cathy Come Home (1966), a groundbreaking drama that helped spark the founding of Shelter. He also appeared in The Knack… and How to Get It, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and had roles in Coronation Street, EastEnders, Big Deal, and Running Wild.
Born in Brighton and later became a long-time resident of Kew after moving there in the sixties. He was a familiar face at community events like the original Kew Festival, and often spoke fondly of the area’s strong sense of community. Fellow actor Robin Askwith remembered him as a “friend and neighbour” in Kew, and Brooks himself lamented the changing character of the neighbourhood as he felt it became more affluent and less communal.
He was also a passionate supporter of Fulham Football Club and spent his final years in Kew living with dementia, surrounded by family.
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