Peter Benson has died.
Peter Benson
The 'Heartbeat' and 'Blackadder' actor passed away on Thursday (06.09.18) at the age of 75 following a short illness, his manager has announced.
Peter - who most recently appeared in two episodes of 'Casualty' - was best known for playing funeral director Bernie Scripps in all 18 series of 'Heartbeat' from 1992 and a number of his former co-stars have paid tribute to him.
Steven Blakeley, who played PC Geoff Younger, tweeted: "Farewell Peter Benson. You made me laugh so much. There'll never be another like you - talented,kind&gentle in equal measure. Bless you&rest well sir.(sic)"
And Lisa Kay, who was Emma Bryden, praised the "total gentleman".
She tweeted: "He was always a total gentleman and great fun to work with. He was dearly loved and shall be missed terribly by his Heartbeat family."
Fiona Dolman, who was solicitor Jackie Bradley in the 1960s-set drama, paid tribute to the "kind, funny, brilliant, gentle and deliciously sarcastic" man.
She posted: "What sad news. Peter Benson was one of the best. Kind, funny, brilliant, gentle and deliciously sarcastic. He was an absolute joy to work with and will be missed by so many. [broken heart emoji]"
As well as his TV work, Peter - who played Henry VII in 'Blackadder'- was also a singer, dancer, and theatre actor.