[3] Raymond Michael Brooks[4][5] was born in Brighton, East Sussex, and began as a television actor.
Brooks rose to prominence in the UK after starring alongside Michael Crawford and Rita Tushingham in the 1965 film The Knack …and How to Get It.
[9]Through the 1960s, Brooks also had small roles in a number of other cult television series, including The Avengers, Danger Man, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Doomwatch.
These included roles in The Last Grenade (1970), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972), and in Carry On Abroad (1972) as oversexed waiter Giorgio.
[3] He also appeared in a number of Pete Walker films including The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), Tiffany Jones (1973) and House of Whipcord (1974).
[13][14][15] Brooks returned to prominence with the BBC comedy drama Big Deal (1984–1986), in which he co-starred with Sharon Duce.
[16] After Big Deal ended, Duce and Brooks starred together, as different characters, in the popular Growing Pains (1992) about a pair of middle-aged foster parents.
[25] On 30 September 2006, it was announced that Brooks' EastEnders character would depart in January 2007 following the departure of Joe's wife, Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), at Christmas.