Child Catcher Child Catcher The Child Catcher is a character in the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character did not appear in the original Ian Fleming book. The Child Catcher is employed by Baron Bomburst and Baroness Bomburst to snatch and imprison children on the streets of Vulgaria. In the 1968 film, he was played by ballet dancer Robert Helpmann. Whilst filming one of the scenes where the Child Catcher rides his horse and carriage out of the village, the Cage/Carriage uptilted with Helpmann on board. Dick Van Dyke recalls Helpmann being able to
Michael Birkett, 2nd Baron Birkett 2001. Michael Birkett died in 2015 when the family title devolved upon the 3rd and present baron, his only child and heir, Tom Birkett, a cinematographer. Michael Birkett, 2nd Baron Birkett Michael Birkett, 2nd Baron Birkett (22 October 1929 – 3 April 2015) was a British film producer/director, author and hereditary peer. The only son of Norman, 1st Baron Birkett by his wife, Ruth ("née" Nilsson), Birkett attended Stowe before going up to Trinity College, Cambridge (MA). On 10 February 1962, he succeeded his father as the 2nd Baron Birkett, a UK Peerage title created in 1958. Birkett produced Sir