Malcolm Merriweather had a tiny, unexpected effect on British tourism

Not bad for a character with less than an hour of total screentime!

CBS Television Distribution

Think about your favorite piece of media of all time. Is it a TV show, a movie, or maybe an album? Now think about how far your fandom extends. What lengths are you willing to go to so you can engage with your favorite stuff? Would you get on a plane and fly somewhere, or does it start and end on your couch?

Bernard Fox had a long and storied career. The Welsh actor is remembered for many roles, appearing in over 30 movies between 1956 and his retirement in 2004. He also guest starred in many TV shows throughout the years, notably appearing as Dr. Bombay on Bewitched. However, many fans identify Fox with his role as Malcolm Merriweather over three episodes on The Andy Griffith Show. Beginning with "Andy's English Valet," Malcolm Merriweather would pop into Mayberry on occasion to stir things up with his friendly, helpful British manner.

While plenty of folks fondly recall Fox on The Andy Griffith Show, a few took their fandom even further. In a 1995 interview with the Anniston, Alabama Star, Bernard Fox spoke about his biggest fans and the commitment they made to their favorite Mayberry character.

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Anybody who has seen his debut episode will remember that Malcolm Merriweather declared that he hailed from Heckmondwycke, a village in England that Fox used because it sounded funny.

"There's a young couple who are apparently fans of Malcolm," Fox told The Star. "They went all the way to England, and they went all the way to Heckmondwyke, and they had a picture taken of themselves under the sign of a Heckmondwycke real estate business. And they were asking the locals where Malcolm Merriweather was. And they said they thought he was still bicycling around the United States."

That's some feat of fandom over a character who only appeared in three episodes.

"That's why it's so astonishing," said Fox. "But I'm very happy that I'm included."

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5 Comments

ETristanBooth 2 hours ago
I remember him as Dr. Bombay, of course, but I also remember him from the film A Night to Remember.
Irish 4 hours ago
I remember Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay more than any other character. I just watched a Murder She Wrote yesterday that he was in.
BuckeyeBeth 5 hours ago
When I think of Bernard Fox I will always think of Colonel Crittenden on Hogans Heroes first and then closely followed by Dr. Bombay on Bewitched second. I’ve seen him in a ton of things over my life but those two shows in reruns were a big part of my childhood! Bernard did such a great job with those two characters and especially with Colonel Crittenden. The way the other regulars played off of his bumbling had the best laughs. “Anybody know what happened to that crossbow?”😆
WordsmithWorks 5 hours ago
Malcolm Merriweather was a great two-off character.
Frogman11 6 hours ago
He was also in a few "Hogan Hero's" shows.
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