Like many others of a certain age I felt a strange devastation at hearing the news that Brian Cant has died. He was one of those reassuring voices of my childhood, along with Oliver Postgate, narrating some of the best children’s programmes in the golden era of children’s television. His on-screen antics on Play School and Playaway were wonderfully silly and now looking back, rather quaintly British and Python-lite.

I had the great pleasure of seeing the great man on stage at the Fringe in 2007. Phil Jupitus and he had a lovely cosy chat along with extracts from Trumpton, Camberwick Green and Chigley and if my memory serves me right I think there was an audience vote to pick an episode from one of the three series to be screened at the end. I can recall the atmosphere in the room, it was a total love-in, there was so much palpable affection in the air for this man, he did seem genuinely touched by the standing ovation by his adoring fans at the end.

Thank you Brian Cant for being part of my life  💛