Briers was born on 14 January 1934 in Raynes Park, Surrey, the son of Joseph Benjamin Briers (1901–1980) and his second wife Morna Phyllis (1909–1992), daughter of Frederick Richardson, of the Indian Civil … See more

Briers's first job was a clerical post with a London cable manufacturer, and for a short time he went to evening classes to qualify in electrical engineering, but soon left and became a filing clerk.
Aged 18, B… See more

In 1961, Briers was cast in the leading role in Marriage Lines (1961–66), with Prunella Scales playing the role of his wife. In between the pilot and the series itself, Briers appeared in Brothers in Law (from the book by … See more