Tributes have been paid to Brian Cant, the former presenter of BBC children's series Play School, who has died at the age of 83 after a battle with Parkinson's Disease.
He passed away at Denville Hall, a retirement home in London with long ties to the entertainment industry.
A statement from his family said: "It is with great sadness that we, his family, have to announce that Brian Cant has died aged 83 at Denville Hall.
"He lived courageously with Parkinson's Disease for a long time. Brian was best known and well-loved for his children's programmes Play School and Play Away and was honoured by BAFTA in 2010.
"Donations would be most appreciated to Denville Hall and the Actors' Benevolent Fund."
Ipswich-born Cant became Play School presenter in 1964 and went on to become one of the best-known faces on children's television for over 20 years. His other credits included Play School spin-off Play Away and the animated series Trumpton, Camberwick Green and Chigley, in which he voiced a number of the characters.
It was Cant who voiced perhaps television's most famous roll call - "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb" - as the fire-fighters of Trumpton sprang into action.
Away from children's television, he had roles in series including Doctor Who, Casualty and Doctors.
Paying tribute on Twitter, Cant's fellow Play School presenter Floella Benjamin described him as "a comedy genius", while another host of the show, Derek Griffiths, said he would "be missed by many".
#BrianCant a comedy genius who devoted his life to making kids laugh & entertaining them with his brilliance.Loved working with him. RIP x❤️
— Floella Benjamin (@FloellaBenjamin) June 19, 2017
Goodbye, Brian Cant. You'll be missed by many. Thanks for the laughs. #PlaySchool Dx https://t.co/zkbcaOxgnH
— Derek Griffiths (@Derek1Griffiths) June 19, 2017
Dublin Fire Brigade also joined those paying tribute:
RIP Brian Cant who was the voice behind one of the more famous fire brigades for children growing up #BrianCant #Trumpton pic.twitter.com/BHWk34vSqa
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) June 19, 2017
