Former kids’ TV favourite Edd the Duck died in a Düsseldorf hospital over the weekend after he was knifed at a Neo-Nazi rally.

Violence broke out between supporters of the far-right National Democratic Party and anti-fascist groups in clashes near the Hofgarten area of the city on Saturday afternoon.

Since leaving the BBC in 1993 Duck had become increasingly involved with extremist right-wing groups. After disappearing from the public eye for a number of years, he was caught on camera hurling chairs at police in Charleroi, Belgium, at the Euro 2000 soccer tournament. Viewers were shocked to see the star with racist tattoos emblazoned on his body.

British police yesterday confirmed that the mohawk-sporting puppet was known to have links to both the EDL and Neo-Nazi group Combat 18.

Former colleague Andy Crane said last night: “We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but there was never an indication that it would come to this. He was into his hardcore music, bands like Skrewdriver, but I thought he just liked the urgent beat.

“We kept our distance off-screen. After I left I gather relations became very strained with Andi Peters”