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.

Image: Actor Roy Hudd has died aged 83

Image: Roy Hudd (L) poses with British entertainers Danny La Rue (centre) and Lionel Blair in 1970

"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."

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 @dysonjeremy and improvised the band’s sign off as “Jock Strap and his Two Swingers there!” RIP Maestro — Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) March 16, 2020

We are very sad to hear of the passing of Roy Hudd. Writer & star of Dick Whittington and His Cat & Mother Goose, Roy played an instrumental part in championing Wilton’s and restoring our magnificent building. We'll miss his daily greeting of 'Hello loves!' ❤️



📸 Matt Crossick pic.twitter.com/0Su09c02Qr — Wilton's Music Hall (@WiltonMusicHall) March 16, 2020

Words cannot express how much many of us in the entertainment business owe to Roy Hudd, whose death has just been announced. Roy was an inspiration and mentor to so many up-and-coming writers, performers and producers, one of the great comedic talents. /thread pic.twitter.com/URSl7cAPz6 — Dirk Maggs (@DirkMaggs) March 16, 2020

The lovely Roy Hudd embodied a whole strand of the DNA of British comedy, from music hall and variety to pantomime and stand-up. A living museum, full of joy, humour and enthusiasm. A great life and a great loss. — Rory Bremner (@rorybremner) March 16, 2020

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".

Very sad indeed to hear that Roy Hudd has died. A really lovely bloke, a great comedian, excellent straight actor. And a comedy historian too. I got my start in comedy writing via his Radio 2 show The News Huddlines. He was a total joy to write for. All good wishes to his family. — Simon Blackwell (@simonblackwell) March 16, 2020

Farewell to Roy Hudd - a great loss - a funny man who cared about the history of comedy and did more than almost anybody to keep the spirit and memories of music hall alive. pic.twitter.com/rqe4PLvuaB — Dame Agnes Guano (@agnes_guano) March 16, 2020

Really sad to hear the news that Roy Hudd has passed away.. I had the pleasure of working with him a few years ago, a genuinely nice, kind and joyful man.. RIP #RoyHudd pic.twitter.com/6tSSqMzCCV — Evie Wray (@thefillyfiles) March 16, 2020

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.

Image: (L-R) Hilton McCrae, Adam Cooper, Sian Brooke, Gary Wilmot and Roy Hudd take their curtain call on the opening night of The Wizard of Oz

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.