Peter Baldwin

Peter Francis Baldwin (29 July 1933 – 21 October 2015) was an English actor. He was best known for his role as Derek Wilton in the British soap opera Coronation Street. His introduction to the theatre came during the Second World War when his parents took him to see a Chichester Festival Theatre production of Peter Pan starring Ann Todd and Alastair Sim. Derek wooed and then let down Mavis Riley for many years, but eventually the two got married. It was reported that Derek was one of the favourite characters among a certain segment of viewers of the show, but in 1997 the character was killed off.

For the year after this, Baldwin made many appearances on talk shows and quiz shows in the UK such as GMTV, This Morning and Crosswits and also returned to the stage for the first time in a decade in A Month of Sundays, as well as touring in the musical Summer Holiday. He then joined the cast of the TV show Out Of Sight as Uncle Gus until 1999.

He continued to appear in TV series, including The Court Room and Doctors. In 2005 he was a panelist on the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown.

In 1988 Baldwin took over the ownership of Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop in London's Covent Garden, where he had previously worked between acting jobs

He was married to the former Play School presenter and actress Sarah Long until her death in 1987. Baldwin made an appearance on the 1978 Boxing Day edition of Play School, which Long was co-presenting with Don Spencer.

Baldwin died at home in Hampstead in north London aged 82, after a short battle with cancer. He was survived by his children Julia and Matthew.