Tony Britton dies aged 95
- Sitcom star Tony Britton has died
- The father of presenter Fern Britton died early this morning
- He is best known for starring in Don't Wait Up and Robin's Nest
Tony Britton has died at the age of 95, his family has announced.
His daughter, presenter Fern Britton, tweeted today that he had died "early this morning" (Sunday 22nd December 2019).
The acclaimed actor is best remembered for his starring roles in Thames's 1977 - 1981 sitcom Robin's Nest, and the BBC One hit Don't Wait Up, which ran from 1983 until 1990.
Born in Birmingham in June 1924, Britton served with the British Army during the Second World War, and is also reported to have worked for a time in an aircraft factory before becoming a professional actor.
With other starring comedy roles including The Private Lives Of Edward Whiteley, Don't Tell Father and Father, Dear Father, it is Robin's Nest and Don't Wait Up for which he is most well known.
The former was the second spin-off - after George & Mildred - from hit sitcom Man About The House. Although the only one of the three comedies not to receive a feature film adaptation, it was never the less a huge success with the viewing public and ran for 48 episodes over 6 series.
In it he played the overbearing, disapproving father of Richard O'Sullivan's Robin's girlfriend. A talented chef, Robin aspired to run a successful London bistro, but the couple were forced to seek his financial assistance - and make him a partner in the business - in order to cover their costs.
Don't Wait Up, meanwhile, saw him as the private-practising, Conservative doctor and father to NHS GP Tom, played by Nigel Havers. The series followed as Tom, fresh from his own acrimonious divorce, is horrified to discover his long-married parents are also splitting up, and his father moving in to share his new flat.
Co-starring Dinah Sheridan, the medical and familial comedy also ran for six highly popular series, comprising of 39 episodes in total.
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