# Trevor Bannister

Trevor Gordon Bannister (14 August 1934 – 14 April 2011) was a British actor. He was best known for having played the womanising and wisecracking junior salesman Mr Lucas in the sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1979, and for his role as Toby Mulberry Smith in the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, from 2003 until it ended its run in 2010.

## Career

In 1960, Bannister appeared on stage at the Cambridge Theatre in London in Billy Liar, which starred Albert Finney. He starred as Darkie Pilbeam, a wartime spiv, in the 1968 television series The War of Darkie Pilbeam; from 1969 to 1970, he appeared as "Heavy Breathing" in Jack Rosenthal's sitcom, The Dustbinmen. Shortly afterwards, he was asked to play Mr. Lucas in a Comedy Playhouse pilot called Are You Being Served? and took the part in the series. It was originally intended as a vehicle for him as the average man caught up in the store full of odd characters and baroque customs and, for the first four series, he received top billing every other episode, alternating with Mollie Sugden. However, as it developed into more of an ensemble piece, he found his role (and his billing) being greatly reduced as other characters came to the top. He left the role in 1980, as filming for the show clashed with a lengthy tour for a play.
In 1972, he appeared as the weak-bladdered producer of a local theatre company in Steptoe and Son, Episode 2 series 7 – "A Star is Born". He played Peter Pitt in the 1988 BBC sitcom Wyatt's Watchdogs. Other TV appearances include Keeping Up Appearances as the kitchen salesman, and he also appeared in Call Earnshaw, Gideon's Way, The Saint, The Tomorrow People, Only on Sunday and The Avengers. Bannister played three different characters in the ITV soap Coronation Street. From 2001, he played a recurring character (The Golf Captain) in Last of the Summer Wine. He became a series regular in 2009, coinciding with the 30th series. Finally receiving a name ("Toby Mulbery-Smith"), he moved next door to Barry and Glenda (Mike Grady and Sarah Thomas), and befriended Morton (Christopher Beeny).
Although Bannister appeared in a few films including Reach for the Sky (1956), Au Pair Girls (1972) and the film version of Are You Being Served? (1977), he worked mostly in the theatre, with credits including Billy Liar and the farce Move Over, Mrs Markham. Bannister also performed in Shakespeare and was a regular in pantomime for more than 35 years, nearly always playing the dame. In 2007, he guest starred in the Doctor Who audio adventure Nocturne.
His final appearance was in the TV series New Tricks episode "Old Fossils" broadcast 4 July 2011.

## Personal life and death

Bannister was the youngest of three siblings. His first marriage was to actress Kathleen Cravos in 1959. They had three sons together and later divorced. He married Pamela Carson in 1982.
Bannister died on 14 April 2011, aged 76, after a heart attack at his allotment in Thames Ditton, Surrey. Are You Being Served? and Last of the Summer Wine co-star Frank Thornton said that the last event Bannister attended was Thornton's 90th birthday on 15 January 2011, three months before Bannister died.

## Acting credits
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1956 | Reach for the Sky | Young Officer | uncredited |
| 1965 | One Way Pendulum | Groomkirby's Co-Worker | uncredited |
| 1972 | Au Pair Girls | Photographer | |
| 1977 | Are You Being Served? | Mr. Lucas | |
| 1992 | Hostage | Mason | |
| 1999 | Captain Jack | Holiday-maker | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1960 | The Secret Kingdom | Journalist | Episode: #1.3 |
| 1960 | Theatre Night | Arthur Crabtree | Episode: "Billy Liar" |
| 1962 | Z-Cars | Second Boy | Episode: "The Five Whistles" |
| 1963 | Moonstrike | Flight Lt. Ronald Lee | 4 episodes |
| 1963 | Compact | Floor Manager | 2 episodes |
| 1964 | Love Story | Mechanic | Episode: "The Human Element" |
| 1964 | Sergeant Cork | Clem Butley | Episode: "The Case of Big Ben Lewis" |
| 1964 | Story Parade | Phil Tombs | Episode: "The Man Who Won the Pools" |
| 1964 | Catch Hand | William Collins | Episode: "It's Never the Same" |
| 1964 | It's a Woman's World | Milkman | Episode: "Laura" |
| 1964 | ITV Play of the Week | Cledwyn Williams | Episode: "Undercurrent" |
| 1965 | The Villains | Red | Episode: "A Joker for Your Button Hole" |
| 1965 | Thursday Theatre | Jack Lucas | Episode: "Celebration" |
| 1965 | Meet the Wife | Police Constable | Episode: "The Ring" |
| 1965 | Lil | Dr. Richardson | Episode: "The Surgery" |
| 1965 | Our Man at St. Mark's | Frederick Barrett | Episode: "One" |
| 1965 | Z-Cars | Billy Dunn | Episode: "One Good Turn" |
| 1965 | The Wednesday Thriller | Archie | Episode: "The Imposter" |
| 1965 | Object Z | Peter Barry | All 6 episodes |
| 1966 | Dr. Finlay's Casebook | Harry Vincent | Episode: "Miss Letitia" |
| 1966 | No Hiding Place | Eddie Bates | Episode: "The Lifer" |
| 1966 | ITV Play of the Week | John Thomas Raynor | Episode: "Tickets Please" |
| 1966 | Object Z Returns | Peter Barry | All 6 episodes |
| 1966 | The Man in Room 17 | Martin Fowler | Episode: "The Black Witch" |
| 1966 | Gideon's Way | P.C. John Moss | Episode: "The Reluctant Witness" |
| 1966 | Mrs Thursday | Harold Wright | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | Softly, Softly | Mr. Barton | Episode: "Best Out of Three" |
| 1966 | The Informer | Porter | Episode: "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" |
| 1966 | Intrigue | Syrett | Episode: "It Pays to Pick Brains" |
| 1966 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Basil | Episode: "O-Goshi" |
| 1967 | Turn Out the Lights | Ricky Dean | Episode: "A Big Hand for a Little Lady" |
| 1967 | The Avengers | Gordon | Episode: "Something Nasty in the Nursery" |
| 1967 | No Hiding Place | Johnny Cooper | Episode: "Gentle Persuasion" |
| 1967 | ITV Play of the Week | Brian Miller | Episode: "Travelling Light" |
| 1967 | Dixon of Dock Green | Eddie Farrell | Episode: "The Climber" |
| 1968 | Softly, Softly | Elgin | Episode: "In Bulk" |
| 1968 | The Troubleshooters | Bob Plater | Episode: "A Girl to Warm Your Feet On" |
| 1968 | ITV Playhouse | Joseph Pyne | Episode: "Rogues' Gallery: The Tale of Lancelot Wishart" |
| 1968 | Champion House | Lenny Carter | Episode: "Guilty" |
| 1968 | Public Eye | Briers | Episode: "Cross That Palm When We Come to It" |
| 1968 | Orlando | Toulouse Quelquechose | 4 episodes |
| 1968 | Television Theatre from... | Gareth | Episode: "Zombie" |
| 1968 | The War of Darkie Pilbeam | Darkie Pilbeam | All 3 episodes |
| 1968 | Her Majesty's Pleasure | Flash Moseley | Episode: "Thanks for the Memory" |
| 1969 | The Saint | Johnny Fox | Episode: "Portrait of Brenda" |
| 1969 | Softly, Softly | Dennington | Episode: "Critical Path" |
| 1969 | Z-Cars | Ned Corby | 2 episodes |
| 1969 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Jacko | Episode: "The Victims: A Degree of Stress" |
| 1969–1970 | The Dustbinmen | Heavy Breathing | All 21 episodes |
| 1969 | Plays of Today | Japhet | Episode: "A Voyage Round My Father" |
| 1970 | Two D's and a Dog | Captain Byng | Episode: "Military Pickles" |
| 1971 | Doomwatch | Dr. Anthony Lewis | Episode: "Public Enemy" |
| 1971 | It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling | Eldred | Episode: "The Man Who Came to Dinner" |
| 1971 | Cider with Rosie | Father | TV film |
| 1972 | Steptoe and Son | Rupert Ffaines-Muir | Episode: "A Star Is Born" |
| 1972 | Country Matters | Arthur Dagnall | Episode: "The Sullens Sisters" |
| 1972–1979 | Are You Being Served? | Mr. Lucas | 48 episodes |
| 1974 | Armchair Theatre | Mike | Episode: "If You Could See What I Can See" |
| 1975 | The Tomorrow People | Colonel Masters | 4 Episodes: "Secret Weapon" |
| 1994 | Keeping Up Appearances | Salesman | Episode: "Angel Gabriel Blue" |
| 1996 | Silent Witness | Gary's Solicitor | Season 1 Episode 1 Part 2 |
| 2001–2010 | Last of the Summer Wine | Toby Mulberry-Smith | 24 episodes |
| 2006 | Coronation Street | Solicitor | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Casualty | Mr. Walter | Episode: "Midday Sun" |
| 2011 | New Tricks | Bob Ruxton | Episode: "Old Fossils" |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Venue |
| 1957 | The Touch of Fear | Newquay Theatre, Newquay |
| 1960 | Billy Liar | Cambridge Theatre, London |
| 1966 | Early One Morning | Arts Theatre, London |
| 1973 | Move Over, Mrs Markham | Vaudeville Theatre, London |
| 1975 | The Mating Game | Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| 1981-82 | Dick Whittington and his Cat | Beck Theatre, Hayes |
| 1982 | Clouds | Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| 1983 | Hobson's Choice | Theatre Royal, Bath |
| 1983 | The Birthday Suite | Redgrave Theatre, Farnham |
| 1983 | The Mating Game | Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| 1983-84 | Aladdin | Festival Theatre, Chichester |
| 1984 | The Birthday Suite | Beck Theatre, Hayes |
| 1984-85 | Aladdin | Congress Theatre, Eastbourne |
| 1985 | Suddenly at home | New Theatre, Cardiff |
| 1987 | Your place or mine? | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford |
| 1988-89 | Aladdin | Theatre Royal, Margate |
| 1989-90 | Cinderella | Theatre Royal, Margate |
| 1990-91 | Cinderella | Theatre Royal, St Helens |
| 1991-92 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Wyvern Theatre, Swindon |
| 1994 | The Good Times Will Come | Old Red Lion Theatre, London |
| 1994 | Funny Money | Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead |
| 1995 | Seaside Postcard | Pier Theatre, Bournemouth |
| 1996 | Funny Money | Playhouse Theatre, London |
| 1997-98 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Harlequin Theatre, Redhill |
| 1998-99 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford |
| 1999-00 | Aladdin | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford |
| 2000 | Caught in the Net | Theatre Royal, Windsor |