Didn't he do well?

Bruce Forsyth dies at 89 after a brilliant TV career

Sir Bruce Forsyth has died aged 89 – after a 75-year career in showbusiness

The former Strictly Come Dancing presenter had been unwell for some time and was in hospital earlier this year after a severe chest infection.

Tributes were quick to flood in, with comedian Jimmy Tarbuck praising ‘one of the most talented men this country ever produced’.

Miranda Hart said she was 'shedding a tear for my pal Brucie. Great man. One of the greatest entertainers.'

Les Dennis tweeted: ‘I thought Brucie would go on forever. A star,an icon, a lovely man. Thoughts with his family.’

And Phillip Schofield added: ‘So sad to hear that the true legend of TV and all round lovely man has taken his final bow. So long Brucie, Love to Wilnelia and his family.’

Forsyth’s long career in showbusiness began when he was aged just 14 with a song, dance and accordion act called Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom.

He spent 16 years trudging around the variety circuit, but in 1958 he was offered the job of compère of TV variety show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, which made him a star. Originally booked for two weeks, he stayed for five years.

A popular part of the show was Beat the Clock, which was the first indication of his skills as a game show host able to put contestants at their ease. TV executive Michael Grade once said of him: ‘He knows how to get laughs out of people but it's never cruel and he leaves their dignity intact.’

Forsyth went on to host such shows as The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price is Right, and became famous for string of catchphrases such as ‘Good game, good game!’, ‘Nice to see you, to see you nice’; and ‘didn't he do well?’

As the genre fell out of fashion in the 2000s, Forsyth’s career began to slide – but he got a renewed boost in 2003 when he hosted an episode of Have I Got News For You.

It led to Forsyth, a skilled tap dancer, being offered the job of hosting Strictly Come Dancing, which began the following year, and quickly became one of the UK’s most-watched programmes. He was knighted in 2011.

Forsyth suffered from ill health towards the end of his life. In 2015, he underwent keyhole surgery after suffering two aneurysms, which were discovered following a fall at his Surrey home, and last year his wife Wilnelia, a former Miss World, revealed he still had ‘a bit of a problem moving’. And in February this year, he was rushed to hospital with a severe chest infection and spent five days in intensive care.

BBC director-general Lord Hall said today: 'Sir Bruce was one of the greatest entertainers our country has ever known. He has delighted millions of people and defined Saturday night television for decades with shows like the Generation Game and, most recently, Strictly. His warmth and his wit were legendary.

"I’ve never seen anyone quite like him when it comes to performing in front of a crowd. He had a remarkable chemistry with his audience - that’s what made him such an amazing professional and why he was so loved.

'He has been part of all of our lives, and we’ll miss him dearly.'

Here is Brucie opening Friday Night With Jonathan Ross in 2007, to the surprise of the studio audience: