BBC radio and TV presenter Chris Serle has passed away at the age of 81. The family of former of the late journalist, who worked on programmes throughout the 80s and 90s, confirmed his death to BBC News.
Dame Esther Rantzen was among the first to pay tribute, having starred alongside Chris in the satirical consumer affairs show That's Life!.
"I am so very sad to hear that Chris Serle, one of our best loved That’s Life! reporters, has died," Dame Esther told PA.
"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, 84, also sent her "deepest sympathy" to his friends and family. BBC News also shared 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.
Chris is survived by his wife Ali and their three children, alongside two children from a previous marriage.
BBC viewers took to their social media sites to remember the late presenter, with one reading: "RIP Chris Serle. Because of him, an entire generation of early Eighties teens became computer pioneers, tech entrepreneurs, software engineers, video game virtuosos, and geeks."
Another stated: "#RIP #ChrisSerle a wonderful presenter on many of the shows in my childhood of the early 80s, he has lived a long life and left a deep impression on many. That's Life, In At The Deep End, etc. Condolences to family and friends…"