Stuart Hudson, a familiar face on the comedy circuit in the late part of the 2000s, has died of sepsis.

Thought to be in his early 40s, Hudson’s stand-up was based on quirky, often dark one-liners.

He reached the final of Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny? competition in Edinburgh in 2003, coming third after Tom Wrigglesworth and Andrew Lawrence. He was nominated for Chortle's Best Newcomer award the following year , and in our review of his act in 2007 we noted that his best gags were of ‘a quality many a comic would envy’.

Fellow comedian and close friend Kevin Dewsbury was among those who paid tribute last night. He said: ‘Stuart was a brilliant friend who was there for me when I went through tough times with depression. He was also a fantastic stand-up and possessed a brilliant comedic mind but drifted away from the circuit. 

‘To me it never seemed that Stuart knew exactly how good he was, which was an endearing quality but held himself back a little which is a great shame. 

‘I will miss him greatly, we didn't get to see much of each other since I moved back to the North West in 2009 but he was always the first person I arranged to meet up with when I was passing through London.

‘I have so many memories of having such a laugh with my kind and hilarious friend. I wish I could give him a big hug right now and thank him for putting a smile on my face. Terrible pool player though.’

Pete Grahame, who runs Downstairs At The King’s Head in North London, added: ‘He and I would sometimes go to art exhibitions. He was a graduate in fine art from Slade School. Also, for someone whose act was quite dark,  he was a real gentle soul and very good company. ‘

Another comic, Juliet Meyers, said: ‘He was a lovely guy and had so many jokes that stuck in people's minds.’