Bernard Cribbins has died
 

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

It is sad
 

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.

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

My first proper introduction to Tolkien's works
 

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.:cool:

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!
 

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

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.:)