Comedian and actor Roy Hudd dies aged 83

Comedian and actor Roy Hudd has died at the age of 83 after a short illness, his agent says.

Born in Croydon in south London, Hudd was best known for his BBC Radio 2 satirical series The News Huddlines, which ran from 1975 to 2001.

A statement from his agent said: "We are sad to announce the passing of the much-loved and amazingly talented Roy Hudd OBE.

"After a short illness, Roy passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Sunday the 15 March, with his wife Debbie at his side.

"The family would ask you to respect their privacy at this very sad time."

Hudd broke into television in the mid-1960s in sketch series including The Illustrated Weekly Hudd and The Roy Hudd Show and was also an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.

Across his varied career he also appeared in ITV soap Coronation Street as undertaker Archie Shuttleworth, as well as Call The Midwife, Holby City and Midsomer Murders.

In recent years, Hudd played Bud Flanagan in the BBC drama We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story and appeared in the ITV series Broadchurch in 2017.

Tributes to the star were shared on social media following the news of his death.

Actor Mark Gatiss tweeted: "Farewell to the wonderful Roy Hudd. A great comic and actor. One of those joyous people who feel like they've been with us forever.

"He was in a 'Randall & Hopkirk' I wrote with (Jeremy Dyson) and improvised the band's sign off as 'Jock Strap and his Two Swingers there!' RIP Maestro."

Comedy writer Simon Blackwell described Hudd as a "really lovely bloke, a great comedian, excellent straight actor".

British actor Stuart Antony tweeted: "Sad to hear that the wonderful Roy Hudd has passed away. Spent many hours chatting to him about his amazing showbiz stories. A great talent and will be greatly missed."

Actress and model Evie Wray said Hudd was a "genuinely nice, kind and joyful man".

Hudd displayed a flair for theatre acting and appeared in many pantomime and variety performances throughout his career.

He won a Society of West End Theatre Award for playing Bud Flanagan in Underneath the Arches in 1982.

He played the part of Wizard in a production of The Wizard of Oz at London's Royal Festival Hall in 2008 and just last year, toured the UK in a production of Oscar Wilde's play A Woman of No Importance alongside Liza Goddard and Isla Blair.

Hudd wrote several books on the history of music hall entertainment, as well as re-record music hall records and appear in the music hall revival show The Good Old Days.

He was the longstanding president of the British Music Hall Society, and chose the genre as his specialist subject when he appeared on Celebrity Mastermind in 2014.