The actor Derek Fowlds, best known for starring in Yes Minister, has died at the age of 82.

Fowlds played the private secretary Bernard Woolley in the BBC sitcom – a satire of British politics – between 1980 to 1984. He also starred in its sequel, Yes Prime Minister, opposite Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington from 1986 to 1988, and later played Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat.

Before that he found fame with children as Mr Derek on the Basil Brush Show from 1969 to 1973, replacing Rodney Bewes as the presenter.

Fowlds died at Royal United hospitals, Bath in the early hours of Friday morning after having pneumonia.

Helen Bennett, his personal assistant and friend of many years, said: “He was the most beloved man to everybody who ever met him. He never had a bad word to say about anybody and he was so well respected, adored by everyone.

“You couldn’t have met a nicer person ever, he was just a wonderful man and I will miss him terribly.”

I don’t know what to say, I’m so desperately sad. 😢😢🦊such times we had, rest in peace Mr Derek, my best friend forever #DerekFowlds #BasilBrushshow pic.twitter.com/iQqI8v1Plm — Basil Brush (@realbasilbrush) January 17, 2020

Basil Brush’s account tweeted a tribute to Fowlds: “I don’t know what to say, I’m so desperately sad. such times we had, rest in peace Mr Derek, my best friend forever #DerekFowlds #BasilBrushshow.”

The director Edgar Wright tweeted a clip of Fowlds’s famous Yes Minister scene about the newspaper industry. He posted: “RIP Derek Fowlds AKA ‘Mr Derek’ AKA Sir Bernard Woolley. This is as classic a scene in British comedy as they come.”

Born in Wandsworth, London, Fowlds’s first professional acting job was appearing in weekly rep at the Prince of Wales theatre in Colwyn Bay in 1958, while on summer holiday from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Fowlds in 1999, when he was appearing in Heartbeat. Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/Rex/Shutterstock

Prior to Basil Brush, he made his West End debut in The Miracle Worker before roles in films such as Tamahine, East of Sudan and Hotel Paradiso, and TV series including Z Cars, The Liver Birds and ITV Sunday Night Theatre. He also appeared in a string of episodes of After That, This in 1975.

He released his autobiography, A Part Worth Playing, in 2015 and his most recent credited TV appearance was in Doctors in 2017.

Fowlds is survived by his sons Jamie and Jeremy.