Mark Lamarr, the former host of the music quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, has had charges of common assault and false imprisonment of a woman dropped on the eve of his court appearance.

The comedian, 51, was due to appear at Uxbridge magistrates court on Tuesday, but the CPS said on Monday night that the case had been discontinued.

“We have a duty to keep cases under continuing review and, following a further review of this case, we concluded that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction,” a spokeswoman said.

The complainant has the right to appeal against the decision over the allegations relating to 31 August under the victim’s right to review scheme.

Lamarr, born in Swindon as Mark Jones, was a fixture on TV screens in the 1990s, also starring in The Word, The Big Breakfast and Shooting Stars. He hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks between 1996 and 2005.