Bernard Cribbins has died

[Mithalwen]

Amongst his many roles he played Bilbo in the BBC Jackanory adaptation of the Hobbit and is consequently responsible for me developing a love of Tolkien. He was the voice of my childhood and wonderful actor. He reached 93 years of age but I still feel so very sad. Truly the end of an era

[Faramir Jones]

It is sad, Mithalwen, despite him having had both a long life and a long career.

I also posted news of his death a little while ago in the Books thread.

In this context, I particularly remember watching him as Bilbo Baggins, in the dramatisation of The Hobbit for the BBC's Jackanory in 1979, when I was 10 years old.

Of course, I remember him for many other characters. A particular part of my childhood gone.

[Mithalwen]

I watched the Railway Children about a week ago which is a true classic and I also have a deep affection for the Wimbledon but that Jackanory (which I have on CD somewhere Was the most significant personally because I really don’t think I would have been introduced to Tolkien without it

[Faramir Jones]

That dramatisation of The Hobbit for Jackanory was my first proper introduction to Tolkien's works, which was late compared to many others, I being 10 at the time it was broadcast.

[Mithalwen]

I was nine and I had to go and buy the book with my pocket money to find out how it ended as I missed the last episode. This inspired Father Christmas to get me the Lord of the rings that year but although I was a keen reader with a high reading age I didn’t have the mental stamina to hold the multiple threads and ground
To a halt at the beginning of Return of the King.Also too dim to realise that there was a clue in the title that there might be a happy ending despite the horror of Cirith Ungol. About a year later I was off school for a few weeks with one of the childhood illnesses and tried again and was hooked so I am very impressed by those who read it in extreme youth.

[Faramir Jones]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I was nine and I had to go and buy the book with my pocket money to find out how it ended as I missed the last episode. This inspired Father Christmas to get me The Lord of the Rings that year but although I was a keen reader with a high reading age I didn’t have the mental stamina to hold the multiple threads and ground

To a halt at the beginning of Return of the King. Also too dim to realise that there was a clue in the title that there might be a happy ending despite the horror of Cirith Ungol. About a year later I was off school for a few weeks with one of the childhood illnesses and tried again and was hooked so I am very impressed by those who read it in extreme youth.

I'm impressed by you reading The Lord of the Rings at the age of nine!

As mentioned before, I came to it and The Hobbit late. While I enjoyed the Jackanory adaptation of The Hobbit, I did not read the book for almost another couple of years, until I was 12, when my family moved house in the summer; and during the move I came across a copy of the book. When I finished reading it, I was told by my mother about The Lord of the Rings, and was given a copy that was also also in the house. While I was 12 going on 13, it was a hard slog; and, like you, it was only when I came to Return of the King that all began to fall into place, and the story began to make sense.