Dame Esther Rantzen has remembered That’s Life! co-star Chris Serle for being “funny, clever and charming” following his death aged 81.
The family of former BBC radio and TV presenter Serle, who worked on programmes throughout the 80s and 90s, confirmed his death to BBC News.
The Bristol-born star rose to fame on satirical consumer affairs show That’s Life! alongside Dame Esther, presenting a variety of subjects including consumer advice, rights and investigations.
“I am so very sad to hear that Chris Serle, one of our best loved That’s Life! reporters, has died,” Dame Esther told the PA news agency.
“He was as nice off camera as he was in the studio on camera – funny, clever, charming, a very versatile presenter.
“When I first met him he was a producer, but it was clear that he had all the attributes of the best reporters.
“Viewers and listeners of That’s Life! and the many other radio and television programmes he presented will be equally sad.”
Dame Esther sent her “deepest sympathy” to his friends and family.
It comes after BBC News reported Serle’s death, sharing a statement from his family which described him as a “familiar and cherished figure on British television screens throughout the 1970s and 1980s”.
During his career, the star chaired Radio 4’s Pick Of The Week and was the host of a long-running afternoon show on BBC Radio Bristol.
He also presented In At The Deep End and Points Of View for the BBC.
Details for his funeral and memorial service are being arranged and will be shared in due course, BBC News reported.
Serle is survived by his wife Ali and their three children, alongside two children from a previous marriage.