'A funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with'

Former Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor has died at the age of 79 after contracting coronavirus.

His agent said the star, who was also a regular on Radio 4’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue  had provided 'a huge variety of splendid entertainment... all of which he undertook with energy and a great sense of fun.'

The statement said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce Tim's death early today from Covid-19.

'We will remember him for so much but must just mention The Goodies and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.

'He had, of course, many fans whom he always treated cheerfully even after long and exhausting rehearsals and recordings.

'He was an exceptional client and a pleasure to represent. We're grateful that we have so much of his work to view, read and listen to.

'In all the time with us and in all his showbiz work, he has been supported by Christine, his wife.'

Fellow Goodie Graeme Garden said he was 'terribly saddened by the loss of a dear colleague and close friend of over 50 years. He was a funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with. Audiences found him not only hilarious but also adorable. His loss at this dreadful time is particularly hard to bear'

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue host Jack Dee told the Daily Mail: 'It has come as devastating news to hear that Tim has succumbed to this dreadful virus

'Tim was a delightful man and never anything but great company. It has always been one of the great joys of my career to work with someone who was part of the comedy landscape of my childhood.

'I can't bear the thought of introducing 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue' without being able to say, "And on my right, Tim Brooke-Taylor..."

'Tim brought a unique quality to Clue. He was a proper team player, very generous as a performer, never egotistical and always more than delighted to set himself up as the butt of the joke.

'For me, his great comedy gift was playing the injured innocent and he did it with brilliance and a characteristic lightness of touch.

'It's always heartbreaking to lose a loved one, but these times have created the cruellest of circumstances for that to happen in and my thoughts are with his wife Christine and all his family.' 

Other comedians paying tribute on Twitter included:

• David Mitchell: ‘This is terribly sad news. He was a wonderful comedian and a really lovely man and I feel honoured to have known and worked with him. The world has been robbed - he had years more joy to give.’
• Ross Noble: ‘So sorry to hear that Tim Brooke Taylor has passed away. He was such a lovely funny man. I watched him as a kid and it was always a thrill to work with him.’
• Rory Bremner: ‘So sad that lovely - and much loved- Tim Brooke-Taylor has died. Always a Goodie, his modesty belied a huge legacy in British comedy- in show after show from Cambridge days on, from I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again to Clue. His huge list of credits (many with the great  @JohnCleese) is testament to his humour, his ability and timing, his kindness & dependability- a true team player- and a funny, lovely man to boot. I queued as a schoolboy in Edinburgh to get my Goodies Album signed, and can’t believe 40 odd years later we were doing Clue together in January. Big theatres, huge laughs, such joy & affection for Tim. He was an absolute delight.
• Robin Ince: ‘Very sad to hear that Tim Brooke Taylor has died. A lovely man. A funny man. His work made growing up easier and gave us something to look forward to every week. Repeats of I'm Sorry I'll Read that Again were my introduction to radio comedy.’

Born in Buxton, Derbyshire, Brooke-Taylor started comedy at Cambridge University, becoming President of the Footlights club. 

While at Cambridge.  he mixed with other budding comedians, including John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie, Garden and Jonathan Lynn.

Their 1963 Footlights revue, A Clump of Plinths was so successful during its Edinburgh Festival Fringe run, that the show was renamed as Cambridge Circus and played the West End and  Broadway.

He moved into BBC radio comedy with the sketch show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, also featuring Cleese, Garden, Oddie future BBC executive David Hatch and  Jo Kendall – where he became famous for characters including eccentric Lady Constance.

He has also a been a  regular on the spin-off, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Radio 4’s ‘antidote to panel games’, since its launch in 197

In 1967, Brooke-Taylor became a writer/performer on the television comedy series At Last the 1948 Show, with Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman, co-writing The Four Yorkshiremen that would later be made famous by Monty Python.

He also appeared on Marty Feldman,’s self-titled sitcom and a show called Broaden Your Mind with Graeme Garden and, later, Oddie, which sowed the seeds for The Goodies, which launched in November 1970 and ran for nine series until 1982.

Other credits include  Bananaman, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Heartbeat.

He married Christine Weadon in 1968 and they have two sons, Ben and Edward.

• Tim Brooke-Taylor: A Lifetime Of Laughs. Watch some of his classic moments

Published: 12 Apr 2020