 Dowling committed suicide in 1954, aged 26.During the Second World War, he served as an aircraftman in the Royal Air Force and played a cheerful cockney character with the same job in the film "Angels One Five" (1952), a portrayal he used in other contexts, often with a humorous slant, mostly especially during his year in "The Army Game" (1959–60) TV series.He played Harry Danvers in the clerical comedy "Our Man at St Mark's" (1965–66) opposite Donald Sinden and made several appearances on children's television during the 1970s, reading on "Jackanory" and hosting the series "Get This" and "Going a Bundle" with Kenny Lynch.