Legendary Coronation Street and Eastenders actor dies in sleep

Legendary actor Timothy West has died at the age of 90. The star, who was married to Fawlty Towers actress Prunella Scales, passed away in his sleep.

His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West said in a statement issued by his agent: "After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old.

"Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.

"We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George's Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days."

The star appeared in dozens of shows including Brass, Miss Marple and Not Going Out. In February 2013, he joined the cast of ITV soap Coronation Street, playing Eric Babbage. He joined the cast of EastEnders in 2013, playing Stan Carter from January 2014. He filmed his final scenes for EastEnders in February 2015.

West and Scales, 92, who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, appeared in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys between 2014 and 2021, which saw them travelling on narrowboats together. The couple married in 1963, and have two sons, actor Samuel West, and Joseph West. West was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter, Juliet West.

In Brass he played ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990, while in Not Going Out he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton.

During his career he also played former British prime minister Winston Churchill three times, in From Churchill and the Generals (1979), The Last Bastion (1984), and Hiroshima (1995).

In 2019, the Bradford-born actor played Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad’s Army. He was also a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing Lear in 2016 and 2002.