Friends of the veteran comedian and broadcaster Cyril Fletcher have paid tribute to the man who entertained Britain for almost 70 years.

The 91-year-old died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday after a short illness.

Mr Fletcher, who lived in Steyning and more latterly made Guernsey his home, turned his hand to theatre, radio and television during a long and distinguished career.

He was most famous for telling his "odd odes" during his time on the BBC's That's Life! programme, where he won millions of new fans in the show's early years.

He was also a regular panel member on BBC radio's Does The Team Think? from the Fifties to the Seventies. Most recently he presented a popular gardening programme for Channel TV.

That's Life! host Esther Rantzen described him as "so lovely" and a "delight" to work with.

She said: "The thing about Cyril was that he was, to use a slightly old-fashioned phrase, an English gentleman.

"He was courteous, understated and he adored gardens, particularly creating them for his beautiful wife."

Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, in June 1913, Mr Fletcher discovered his gift for writing comic odes at Friern Barnet Grammar School, where he produced amateur concerts.

He left school in 1930 and took a job in insurance but became a part-time drama student at the Guildhall School of Music.

In 1936 he became a professional comedian with the celebrated Fol-De-Rols concert party and his distinctive voice was first heard on radio.

In that year he made his first professional appearance at the White Rock Pavilion, Hastings. His mock-Cockney delivery of the comic verse Dreaming Of Thee, based on an Edgar Wallace poem, made him a household name overnight.

Mr Fletcher became one of the first stars of the small screen when television was introduced. He also appeared in several films, memorably playing Mantalini in the 1947 Ealing Studios version of Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby.

He married actress Betty Astell in 1941 and the couple eventually went into theatrical management, producing pantomimes and summer shows throughout the Fifties and Sixties and discovering new stars, including Harry Secombe.

Broadcaster Michael Pointon, who worked with Fletcher on various radio shows, described his friend as a "consummate professional".

He said: "It really was a pleasure to work with him - he had met everyone and done everything."

"He was a whimsical, droll fellow but also a very artistic man. As a friend, he was very kind and generous."

Fletcher leaves his wife, who is 92, and a daughter, Jill, who said her father would be sorely missed.

She added: "He was greatly loved by the public."

A BBC spokesman said: "He will be remembered by many with great fondness."