# Chris Chittell

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English actor (born 1948)

Chris Chittell BEM Born Christopher John Chittell (1948-05-19) 19 May 1948 (age 78) Aldershot, Hampshire, England Occupation Actor Years active 1964–present Known for Role of Eric Pollard in Emmerdale

**Christopher John Chittell** (born 19 May 1948) is an English actor, known for his role as [Eric Pollard](/source/Eric_Pollard) in the [ITV](/source/ITV_(TV_channel)) soap opera *[Emmerdale](/source/Emmerdale)*. He has portrayed the role since 1986, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap's history.[1]

## Biography

### Early life

Chittell was born in [Aldershot](/source/Aldershot), [Hampshire](/source/Hampshire). His father served in the [Indian Army](/source/British_Indian_Army), and on leaving school Chittell intended to join the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy), but instead, he became a model.[2] His first acting stint was in 1964, with the National Theatre, at Chichester Festival Theatre, in Peter Shaffer's *[The Royal Hunt of the Sun](/source/The_Royal_Hunt_of_the_Sun)*.[3]

### Career

He appeared as Potter in the 1967 film *[To Sir, with Love](/source/To_Sir%2C_with_Love)*.[4] In 1968 he appeared as a Trooper in *[The Charge of the Light Brigade](/source/The_Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade_(1968_film))*, and made an uncredited appearance in *[If....](/source/If....)* .[5] This was followed by a starring role as one of the *[Freewheelers](/source/Freewheelers)*, made as an action/adventure children's serial by [Southern Television](/source/Southern_Television) between 1968 and 1973.[6]

Chittell acted for two seasons in the 1970s science fiction TV drama *[The Tomorrow People](/source/The_Tomorrow_People)*.[7][8] His other film appearances included roles in *[The Beast in the Cellar](/source/The_Beast_in_the_Cellar)* (1970), *[The Weekend Murders](/source/The_Weekend_Murders)* (1971), *[The Raging Moon](/source/The_Raging_Moon)* (1971), *[The Last Valley](/source/The_Last_Valley_(1970_film))* (1971), *[Erotic Inferno](/source/Erotic_Inferno)* (1975), *[Golden Rendezvous](/source/Golden_Rendezvous)* (1977), *[Zulu Dawn](/source/Zulu_Dawn)* (1979) and *[Game for Vultures](/source/Game_for_Vultures)* (1979).[5] He also appeared in a number of Swedish sex films in the 1970s including *Swedish Sex Games* (aka *The Intruders* and *Let Us Play Sex*) in 1975 (which also featured a young [Stellan Skarsgård](/source/Stellan_Skarsg%C3%A5rd)).

He performed on stage at the [Old Vic](/source/Old_Vic) in *[Macbeth](/source/Macbeth)* with [Peter O'Toole](/source/Peter_O'Toole).[2][9] In 1972, Chittell appeared in the untransmitted *[Doomwatch](/source/Doomwatch)* episode "Sex and Violence", playing Dick Burns, widely believed to be a parody of [Cliff Richard](/source/Cliff_Richard) and Richard's part in the [Nationwide Festival of Light](/source/Nationwide_Festival_of_Light).[10] The "Sex and Violence" episode was included as part of the *Doomwatch* DVD box set release in April 2016.[11]

## Honours

He was awarded the [British Empire Medal](/source/British_Empire_Medal) (BEM) in the [2019 Birthday Honours](/source/2019_Birthday_Honours) for services to drama and charity.[12]

## Filmography

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2020)

Year Title Role Notes 1967 To Sir, with Love Potter 1968 The Charge of the Light Brigade Trooper 1968 The Avengers Bassin 1968 If.... Senior Uncredited 1970 The Breaking of Bumbo The Prisoner 1970 The Weekend Murders Georgie Kemple 1971 The Raging Moon Terry 1971 The Last Valley Svenson 1971 The Beast in the Cellar Baker 1971 They Call Him Cemetery John McIntire 1972 Doomwatch Dick Burns 1 episode 1974 The Intruders Richard 1974 Man About The House Alan 1975 Erotic Inferno Martin Barnard 1977 Molly Peter 1977 Ta mej i dalen Richard 1977 Golden Rendezvous Rogers 1978 The Wild Geese Philips Uncredited 1978 Night Ride TV movie 1979 Zulu Dawn Lt. Milne 1979 Game for Vultures McAllister 1980 Les Visiteurs (The Visitors) L'interprète (The Interpreter) TV Mini Series. Episode entitled: Pirvii 1982 Triangle Lorry Driver TV series. Series 2. Episode 17 1984 Tucker's Luck Junior TV series. Recurring role 1986–present Emmerdale Eric Pollard ITV Soap Opera. Series regular

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Dainty, Sophie (3 August 2017). ["Emmerdale star Chris Chittell would leave if Eric Pollard stopped getting decent storylines"](https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a834699/emmerdale-chris-chittell-exit-comments/). *[Digital Spy](/source/Digital_Spy)*. [Hearst Magazines UK](/source/Hearst_Magazines_UK). Retrieved 26 February 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Orion_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Orion_2-1) Hayward, Anthony *The Emmerdale Companion* Published by Orion Publishing Co. (1997) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7528-1043-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7528-1043-X)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Christopher Chittell | Theatricalia"](https://theatricalia.com/person/ymh/christopher-chittell). *theatricalia.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["To Sir, with Love – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online"](https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fj5jhd/to-sir-with-love/). *Radio Times*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bfi_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bfi_5-1) ["Christopher Chittell"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170929042256/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba137bcec). *BFI*. Archived from [the original](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba137bcec) on 29 September 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Chris Chittell"](https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=33116). *www.aveleyman.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["A Rift in Time\[11/03/74\] (1974)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200920203529/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b77a63640). *BFI*. Archived from [the original](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b77a63640) on 20 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Secret Weapon\[19/03/75\] (1975)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210122023818/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8229f8cc). *BFI*. Archived from [the original](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8229f8cc) on 22 January 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [\[1\]](http://www.emmerdale.org/emmerdale/profiles/eric/chris.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100620103422/http://emmerdale.org/emmerdale/profiles/eric/chris.htm) 20 June 2010 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Chittell on the *[Emmerdale](/source/Emmerdale)* website

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Sex and Violence (1972)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190406203001/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8815acad). *BFI*. Archived from [the original](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8815acad) on 6 April 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Doomwatch box set review: vintage 70s apocalypse drama still has the power to chill"](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/07/doomwatch-bbc-box-set-review). *the Guardian*. 7 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["No. 62666"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62666/supplement/B25). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B25.

## External links

- [Chris Chittell](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158348/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

Authority control databases International VIAF WorldCat National United States Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chris Chittell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Chittell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Chittell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.