Timothy West dies aged 90

Actor and presenter Timothy West has died at the age of 90.

The British actor's children, Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West, announced the death of their father on Wednesday.

"After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening," they wrote in a statement, which was shared on social media by Samuel, an actor and director.

"Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly."

They concluded their message by thanking the "incredible" NHS staff at St George's Hospital in South London as well as the employees at the Avery home "for their loving care during his last days".

West is best known for his work in television and theatre. He played Eric Babbage for a short stint on Coronation Street in 2013, Stan Carter in EastEnders in 2014 and 2015, and the original Geoffrey Adams in the sitcom Not Going Out. His other TV credits include Last Tango in Halifax, Gentleman Jack and Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes.

West also presented the programme Great Canal Journeys alongside his wife, Fawlty Towers star Scales, between 2014 and 2019.

Throughout his prolific theatre career, he performed in many Shakespearean plays such as King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello as well as other classic stage productions such as Uncle Vanya, Death of a Salesman and The Homecoming.

West was married to actress Jacqueline Boyer, the mother of his daughter Juliet, between 1956 and 1961. He tied the knot with Scales in 1963 and they share two sons.

Scales, who is best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers, was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014.