His early roles included playing a film director in "Tiffany Jones" (1973) and appearances in two of the later "Carry On" films, "Carry On Dick" (1974) and "Carry On Behind" (1975). He then had a significant role in the British sitcom "Porridge" as the affable and high spirited Slade Prison inmate Bunny Warren who relies on fellow prisoners to read his letters from home and blames his incarceration on his inability to read. In the sitcom "'Allo 'Allo!" he played German officer Captain Hans Geering, leaving after the third series (something he later said that he regretted doing). He played the law-stationer Mr. Snagsby in the 1985 BBC adaptation of "Bleak House". In "On the Up" he played Dennis Waterman's chauffeur and he appeared in "We'll Think of Something" as Les Brooks. In 1990–92, he co-starred in the comedy television series "Haggard". In 1994, he appeared as Mr. Mould, the undertaker, in the BBC mini-series "Martin Chuzzlewit". From 1995 to 2003, he played Barbara's husband Ted in the British sitcom "Barbara".