[2] During the Second World War he served in the Army and he also worked for an estate agent and in an aircraft factory.

He joined an amateur dramatics group in Weston-super-Mare and then turned professional, appearing on stage at the Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

[citation needed] In 1979, Britton was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Adelphi Theatre.

[3] From 1983 to 1990, he starred with Nigel Havers and Dinah Sheridan in the BBC sitcom Don't Wait Up, which became a highlight of his career.

In September 2013 Sir Jonathan Miller directed a Gala Performance of William Shakespeare's King Lear at the Old Vic in London.