Credits include Red Dwarf and Only Fools And Horses

Actor Ron Pember – whose credits include Only Fools and Horses and Red Dwarf – has died at the age of 87.

His  grandson Paul  broke the news on Twitter, saying: ‘The sadness now is the happiness then. That’s the deal. 11.04.1934 - 08.03.2022 #ronpember #grandad.’

Pember played Baz, chairman of the Nelson Mandela House tenant’s assocation, in the Only Fools And Horses episode Homesick, which aired during the third series in 1983.

And he played the taxman in the 1998 Better Than Life episode of Red Dwarf. Star  Danny John Jules tweeted: ‘Just heard the sad news that Ron Pember has passed away. He was such a gentleman with us upstarts when he appeared on #RedDwarf He just rammed his tongue firmly into his cheek and joined the party! What a legend. RIP.’

In the 1970s and 1980 he also appeared in  The Dick Emery Show, The Two Ronnies and  The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin. He also played Belgian Resistance fighter and morse-code radio operator Alain Muny in the BBC  drama Secret Army, from 1977 to 1979.

As well as his performing career, in 1974 he wrote a West End musical entitled Jack the Ripper, which was named Best Musical' at the 1974 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

He stopped acting after suffering a stroke in 1992.

Talking Pictures TV also paid tribute, tweeting: ‘Dear #RonPember has left us for the cinema in the sky, leaving us behind a legacy of characters that always showcased his great talent. RIP.’

Published: 11 Mar 2022