Thats Life! star Chris Serle has died aged 81.
The former BBC radio and TV presenter was described by his family in a heartfelt tribute as a familiar and cherished figure on British television screens throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
The Bristol-born star rose to fame on satirical consumer affairs show Thats Life! alongside stars including Dame Esther Rantzen who last night said she was very sad to hear that he had died.
He was as nice off camera as he was in the studio on camera - funny, clever, charming, a very versatile presenter, Dame Esther said.
When I first met him he was a producer, but it was clear that he had all the attributes of the best reporters.
Thats Life! star Chris Serle has died aged 81 with his family paying tribute in a heartfelt statement
Actor John Cleese and Chris Serle look at red ruffed lemur Colin at Bristol Zoo in July 2008
Viewers and listeners of Thats Life! and the many other radio and television programmes he presented will be equally sad.
Dame Esther sent her deepest sympathy to his friends and family.
Others paid tribute to Serle on X with broadcaster Matthew Sweet wrote: This is such painful news. Chris was a donnish and delightful giant of a man.
He had a shambling diffidence that suited him when he – for instance – performed opera on TV without being able to sing. But Ill remember the warm & magnanimous silent movie fan, laughing in the dark.
Actress Judy Matheson said: This is so sad. He was in my 1st theatre company,travelling all over US; when I first went to rehearse in Bristol he & his family put me up. He was such a terrific guy.
Further to my last post, a memory with the brilliant Chris Serle, with me in my 1st job with the Bristol Old Vic, on our US tour in the Garden of The Gods in Denver in 1967.
He never seemed to age. We were both novices in professional theatre, but Chris became a polymath. R.I.P.
BBC News first reported Serles death yesterday, sharing a statement from his family.
The Bristol-born star pictured in 1994 on TV programme Never Too Late with Anne Gregg and Dame Esther Rantzen. Dame Esther last night said she was very sad to hear that he had died
Serle and actor Michael Palin inspecting a map and globe on the set of the television show Step Up to Wordpower
During his career, the star chaired Radio 4s Pick Of The Week and was the host of a long-running afternoon show on BBC Radio Bristol
International model Michelle Paradise with presenters Paul Heiney (left) and Serle (right) in 1984 for BBC show In at the Deep End
During his career, the star chaired Radio 4s Pick Of The Week and was the host of a long-running afternoon show on BBC Radio Bristol.
He also presented In At The Deep End and Points Of View for the BBC.
Details for his funeral and memorial service are being arranged and will be shared in due course, BBC News reported.
Serle is survived by his wife Ali and their three children, alongside two children from a previous marriage.