Gobsmacked Cribbins tells of his delight

The 82-year-old, who was rewarded for his services to drama, said he had never anticipated being recognised.

“You can’t go through life expecting to get prizes. You just get on with things, which is how it should be,” he said.

“It’s a great surprise. I’m completely gobsmacked really. My dad would have been absolutely delighted.”

Born in Oldham, Lancashire, Cribbins was an apprentice in the town’s repertory theatre, later moving on to West End stage roles and numerous British comedy films, including three Carry On movies.

But he will long be remembered for his timeless role as Perks the station master in the film adaptation of The Railway Children.

He has featured more recently as Wilfred Mott, companion to David Tennant in Doctor Who. His role came 40 years after he was cast in Doctor Who movie Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 AD.

Cribbins was a regular narrator of long-running BBC children’s story series Jackanory, and voiced characters in The Wombles TV series, as well as Buzby from a popular series of adverts for the Post Office.

He also had a short-lived chart career in the early 1960s with hits such as Right Said Fred and Hole in the Ground.