Duncan Preston (born 11 August 1946) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in television productions written by

Victoria Wood Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over se ...

, including his role in the soap opera parody sketches '' Acorn Antiques'' and as Stan in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000). He reprised his role of Clifford in '' Acorn Antiques: The Musical!'' in 2005. His other television roles include DS Todd in the soap opera '' EastEnders'' (1987), Jonathan Haslam in the sitcom ''

Surgical Spirit Rubbing alcohol is either an isopropyl alcohol or an ethanol-based liquid, with isopropyl alcohol products being the most widely available. The comparable ''British Pharmacopoeia'' (''BP'') is surgical spirit. Rubbing alcohol is denatured and un ...

'' (1989–1995); and Doug Potts in the soap opera '' Emmerdale'' (2007–2011, 2014–2020).

Career

Preston appeared in a short 1981

Public information film Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...

entitled ''Say NO to Strangers'', as a kerb-crawling predator attempting to lure a schoolgirl into his car. He has also made many guest appearances in various TV series, including ''Hunters Walk,'' '' Secret Army'', '' The Professionals'', '' All Creatures Great and Small'', ''

Robin of Sherwood ''Robin of Sherwood'' is a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 28 April 1984 to 28 June 1986 on the ITV network. In t ...

'', '' Bergerac'', ''

The New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'', '' Press Gang'', ''

Chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. C ...

'', ''

Boon Boon may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Boon (game), a trick-taking card game * ''Boon'' (novel), a 1915 satirical work by H. G. Wells * ''Boon'' (TV series), a British television series starring Michael Elphick * The Ultimate Boo ...

'', '' Casualty'', '' Heartbeat'', '' The Royal'', '' Hetty Wainthropp Investigates'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'', ''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale—a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their m ...

'', ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'', '' Dalziel and Pascoe'' and '' My Family''. His film career includes roles in '' Porridge'' (1979), '' A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'' (1979), '' Scandalous'' (1984), ''Milk'' (1999), '' Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey?'' (2014) and in the horror film '' Howl'' (2015). He was also a regular cast member in the sitcom ''

'' and appeared as Dennis Stokes in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' in 2004. Preston played Doug Potts, the father of

Laurel Thomas Laurel Thomas (also Potts and Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charlotte Bellamy. She debuted on screen during the episode airing on 3 September 2002. Laurel has been off-screen at vario ...

in '' Emmerdale''. He has also appeared on '' Lily Savage's Blankety Blank''. From 2002 to 2012, Preston co-starred as Det. Sgt. Riley in the BBC Radio crime drama ''

Trueman and Riley {{Infobox Radio Show , show_name = Trueman and Riley , image = , imagesize = , caption = , other_names = , format = Drama , runtime = 45 minutes (Radio 4 plays)30 m ...

'', opposite Robert Daws. In 2022, Preston appeared in series 25 of ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel ...

''.

Personal life

Preston was married to actress Susan Penhaligon between 1986 and 1992. They subsequently reconciled in 1997, though they have not remarried. Duncan has supported the Bradford Bulls

Rugby League Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

team throughout his life, having first attended a game when he was 3 years old.

Stage work

A renowned

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

an actor, Preston has performed in many productions for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, including playing Angus in

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

's version of '' Macbeth'' (stage 1976, television 1978), starring Ian McKellen and

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

. Other theatre work includes a 2007 production of ''

To Kill A Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

''. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

on 4 December 2002 "for his contributions as an actor".UoB Press release
brad.ac.uk; accessed 20 August 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Duncan 1946 births English male soap opera actors English male stage actors Living people Male actors from Bradford People educated at Bradford Grammar School Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art