William Mervyn

William Mervyn Pickwoad (3 January 1912 – 6 August 1976) was an English actor born in Nairobi, British East Africa, and educated in Britain at Forest School, Snaresbrook. He built his career across stage, film, and television, becoming particularly recognized for his television work in comedy and drama series.

Mervyn spent five years in provincial theatre before making his West End debut in The Guinea Pig at the Criterion Theatre in 1946. Subsequent stage appearances included Lend Me Robin at the Embassy Theatre, Ring Round the Moon, The Mortimer Touch, Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance at the Savoy Theatre in 1953, and Charley's Aunt. His later theatrical roles encompassed O'Trigger in The Rivals, Lord Greenham in Aren't We All?, and Sir Patrick Cullen in The Doctor's Dilemma. In 1960, Mervyn appeared on Broadway in the play The Tumbler.

His film work included a role as a Chief Inspector in the 1949 Ealing Studios production The Blue Lamp, in which the character PC George Dixon first appeared and was shot by a young Dirk Bogarde. Mervyn returned to the Dixon character in a 1960 episode of Dixon of Dock Green titled "The Hot Set." He appeared in the 1966 Doctor Who serial The War Machines, several Carry On films in the late 1960s, The Railway Children in 1970, and The Ruling Class in 1972. He also appeared as Mr. Whitty in the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "A Disturbing Case" in 1969.

Television brought Mervyn his widest recognition. One of his early prominent small-screen roles was Sir Hector in the 1962 series Saki. He subsequently played Inspector Charles Rose in the Granada Television series The Odd Man and its spin-offs It's Dark Outside and Mr Rose, and the Hon. Mr. Justice Campbell in the Granada series Crown Court. From 1966, he portrayed the Bishop of St. Ogg's in the clerical comedy series All Gas and Gaiters. He also appeared as Sir Hector Drummond, Bt., in the 1973 episode "The Superfluous Finger" of The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes.

Mervyn was married to Anne Margaret Payne-Cook, a theatre designer and architect who survived him along with their three sons. Their son Michael Pickwoad became the production designer on Doctor Who in 2010, Richard worked as a television director and aerial cameraman, and Nicholas Pickwoad became an expert on bookbinding. Mervyn's granddaughter Amy Pickwoad worked as an art director and standby art director for Doctor Who.