Actor Rodney Bewes has died at the age of 79, his agent has confirmed.

Rodney starred in a number of popular TV shows during his decades in the entertainment industry and is most famous for his role as Bob Ferris in the BBC sitcom ‘The Likely Lads’.

Sharing news of his death on Tuesday (21 November) evening, his agent said (via the BBC): “It is with great sadness that we confirm that our dear client, the much-loved actor Rodney Bewes, passed away this morning.

“He had a funny anecdote for every occasion. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. We will miss him terribly.”

BBC Comedy controller Shane Allen hailed ‘The Likely Lads’ as “one of the all-time great BBC sitcoms; timeless in its humour and will be enjoyed for decades to come”, while a number of famous faces have paid tribute online:

We are very sad to hear of the passing of Rodney Bewes, a fine comic actor who we had the honour of meeting and working with. He will live on through Bob Ferris and the brilliant Likely Lads. RIP

November 21, 2017
Rodney Bewes, gone. Our childhood homes demolished brick by brick. A face that coloured our week when the world was still black and white. Thank you for our together days.#TheLikelyLads

November 21, 2017
Everybody at Chelsea FC has been saddened to learn of the death of Rodney Bewes, a much-loved actor, fan of the Blues and regular Stamford Bridge visitor.
Managed to avoid the news that Rodney Bewes passed away until after the football highlights. Loved The Likely Lads. #RIP
Very sad to hear the news of Rodney Bewes passing away. Brilliant man. Such a sad loss. D x
Rodney landed his first role at the age of 14 and went on to train at RADA.

His TV credits include ‘Z-Cars’ and ‘Doctor Who’, and Rodney remained working in his later years, starring in a number of theatre productions.

He’s survived by his four children and two grandchildren.