Geoffrey Hayes, who hosted beloved children's programme Rainbow, has died at the age of 76.

The actor and TV presenter died in hospital surrounded by his family after suffering from pneumonia, his agent Phil Dale said.

Paying tribute, Mr Dale said: "It is with great sadness that the family announce that Geoffrey passed away from pneumonia in hospital with his wife, Sarah, and son, Tom, by his side.

"The family would like to express their thanks to the many fans over the years as it always gave Geoffrey so much pleasure to know that he and his Rainbow team had given so much fun to TV and theatre audiences over the years."

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Image: Paint the whole world with a rainbow: Geoffrey Hayes has died, aged 76

Loved by generations of children, Hayes appeared in more than 1,000 episodes of Rainbow from 1974 until 1992, after taking over from original host David Cook.

The show followed the adventures of the inhabitants of the Rainbow house, with long-suffering Geoffrey holding the peace between squabbling puppets Zippy, George and Bungle.

It was intended to help young children with their reading, writing and maths, and also featured singing from trio Rod, Jane and Freddy - who went on to have their own spin-off show.

Fans who grew up with Rainbow have been paying tribute on social media, with many sharing their fond memories of the show.

This is so sad, another face from our childhood, Rainbow presenter Geoffrey Hayes has passed away.

Thanks for giving this 80s kid some great memories 😪 pic.twitter.com/eqnYwV3eJ9 — 80s Kidz (@80s_Kidz) October 1, 2018

Up above the streets and houses, rainbow climbing high,

Everyone can see it smiling over the sky.

Paint the whole world with a rainbow. 🌈

RIP Geoffrey — 😻 Juli 😻 (@JuliSavage66) October 1, 2018

Bye bye Geoffrey Hayes. We all loved you in Rainbow with Bungle, George & Zippy, Rod, Jane & Freddy. Sad news. Rest well Sir. *doffs bowler hat* — Mr Benn (@therealmrbenn) October 1, 2018

Speaking about Rainbow's enduring popularity in 2002, Hayes said the secret was that it was full of "magic, innocence and imagination".

He said: "Practically all the time people come up to me and it really breaks me up because they thank me for being part of their childhood. It makes me want to cry sometimes."

Hayes also played Detective Constable Scatliff in drama series Z Cars in the early 1970s.