Victor Lewis-Smith: Journalist and satirist dies aged 65

Writer, broadcaster and satirist Victor Lewis-Smith - known arsenic a TV professional and for the hoax telephone calls helium made to the likes of Princess Diana - has died aged 65 aft a abbreviated illness.

Mr Lewis-Smith died successful Bruges connected Saturday, Borkowski PR said successful a statement, describing him arsenic "a unsocial and irreplaceable talent".

The Essex-born broadcaster began his vocation astatine the BBC.

His surreal benignant of drama inspired comedians specified arsenic Sacha Baron Cohen.

BBC Gardener's World presenter Monty Don paid tribute to Mr Lewis-Smith, calling him "biting, precise rude and supra all, precise funny".

"I admired and enjoyed his enactment hugely," helium tweeted.

After presenting for Radio York, Mr Lewis-Smith moved to Radio 4 wherever helium was a unit shaper for Midweek and Start The Week during the mid-1980s.

He brought his anarchic benignant to the long-running amusement Loose Ends.

He past worked arsenic main tv reviewer for the London Evening Standard for much than 15 years and arsenic a columnist for the Daily Mirror for a decade.

He besides ran a TV accumulation company, Associated Rediffusion Productions, which has been down programmes similar TV Offal and Keith Meets... with stand-up Keith Allen for Channel 4.

But it was the hoax telephone calls helium made arsenic portion of his vigor shows which instrumentality retired successful galore minds.

Targets included the section store Harrods and tv bid Jim'll Fix It TV - fronted by paedophile predator Jimmy Savile.

More recently, it was revealed helium had posed arsenic astrophysicist Stephen Hawking utilizing the aforesaid physics dependable exertion arsenic the prof to hoax Princess Diana. Their freewheeling conversation, covering the now-King and the Clinton family, was released successful afloat successful 2015 aft being kept successful a harmless for 2 decades.

His last production, Hitler's Jazz Band, volition beryllium broadcast by Sky Arts connected 14 December astatine 21:00.

He is survived by his woman Virginia and his girl Lucia.