Railway Children, Dr Who, The Wombles and Carry On star Bernard Cribbins loved his childhood Blackpool holidays

The veteran actor starred in the Carry On films, Doctor Who and the 1970 film The Railway Children and was one of the best-loved stars in the UK.

One of his stranger jobs was providing the voice of a robot at a Space 1999 exhibition at Space City, above the Golden Mile Centre between 1977 and 1980.

Shortly before his death, he shared his memories of trips to the resort as a youngster.

He said: “I was born in Oldham; my mother worked in a cotton mill, my father was an odd-job man, and the only holidays we had were during wakes week, when the mills closed and almost the whole town would set off for Blackpool.

"That train journey was the biggest adventure of my young life. The steam engine was like a puffing monster, growling and snorting, and the train was full of excited kids like me looking forward to sandcastles and ice cream. All of us had been told to say ‘Thank you’ to the train driver as we got off. We all admired the driver. He was in charge of the monster!”

The veteran actor was the narrator of all 60 episodes of The Wombles, and made no fewer than 111 appearances on the children’s storytelling show Jackanory.

Cribbins was also known for starring in the 1970 film The Railway Children, playing station porter Albert Perks.

The film adaptation of E Nesbit’s book chronicles the adventures of three children forced to move from London to Yorkshire after their father is imprisoned for being falsely accused of selling state secrets.

Dame Floella Benjamin, a doyen of children’s TV, described Cribbins as a “treasure for our nation’s children”.

His commitment to his art continued into his 90s, with recent appearances in Doctor Who and the CBeebies series Old Jack’s Boat bringing his talent to a new generation.

Cribbins appeared in Doctor Who as Wilfred Mott, the grandfather of the Doctor’s companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.