Timothy West's most iconic moments: From Shakespearean tragedies to soaps and Great Canal Journeys with wife Prunella Scales - how his life on-screen left audiences captivated

As one of Britain's most celebrated and versatile actors, Timothy West's glittering five-decade career saw him dominate both television and the stage.

From starring in Shakespearean tragedies to soap operas and sitcoms, no matter the role the star managed to leave audiences captivated by his extraordinary talent.

But perhaps his best-known role was as himself, in the highly successful documentary series of Channel 4 's Great Canal Journeys with wife Prunella Scales.

Together the couple, who were married for more than 60 years, navigated the canals, lakes and rivers of the world over ten series.

West was born in 1934 in Bradford, the son of actors Lockwood West and Olive Carleton-Crowe.

The actor attended Bristol Grammar School, where his contemporaries included Julian Glover and Dave Prowse, who would later play Darth Vader in Star Wars.

He was employed as an office furniture salesman and a recording technician before making the leap into theatre as an assistant stage manager at Wimbledon Theatre in 1956.

He married faulty towers star Prunella Scales in 1963, and together they have two sons, actor Samuel West, and Joseph West.

West was also married to actor Jacqueline Boyer from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter, Juliet West.

He hit the big screens in the 80s playing a ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre from 1982 to 1984 in the TV show Brass.

This spoof of soap-operas was set around two feuding families, the wealthy Hardacres headed by the ruthless capitalist Bradley Hardacre and the poor, working-class Fairchilds headed by the stern socialist Jack Fairchild. It was such a hit that he came back for a third series in 1990.

He also got a starring role in Not Going Out as Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton, a British sitcom created by Lee Mack which has been running since 2006.

In Coronation Street he appeared in seven episodes in 2013 as Eric Babbage, a rich retiree while in EastEnders he played Stan Carter from 2014 to 2015.

Stan was a ill-tempered retired fishmonger in the series, and in 2014 West commented on his new role: 'I find they're [old people] not valued so much and I suspect that's one of the reasons why I've been brought in (to EastEnders).

'From what I hear, there hasn't been enough interest in older characters. Or enough older characters to be interested in.'

The veteran actor said that he signed up to play Stan Carter 'because it's a good part' and will see him perform alongside Albert Square veteran and co-star June Brown who plays long-suffering Dot. West said he had 'enormous respect' for Miss Brown.

During his career West also played former British prime minister Winston Churchill three times, in From Churchill and the Generals (1979), The Last Bastion (1984), and Hiroshima (1995).

He recalled that for the role he would have to wear contact lenses, which were agony for the actor.

'The optician said, 'Just wear them for an hour a day to begin with and avoid bright lights and cigarette smoke'.

'I said, 'Well, I start filming on Friday, will be working eight hours a day in studio lighting and smoking a cigar most of the time'.

'Oh', said the optician, 'well, good luck with that', he told Radio Times in 2013.

In 2019, the Bradford-born actor played Private Godfrey in Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad's Army.

He played the bumbling Private Godfrey, first played by Arnold Ridley.

His film roles included Commissioner Berthier in The Day Of The Jackal (1973), King Francis in From Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), and Nazi physician and war criminal Karl Gebhardt in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973).

On stage, he was a regular performer of Shakespeare, having impressively played King Leah four times, over four different decades.

He performed at the Piccadilly Theatre, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the West End, portraying many classic roles, including Shylock, Falstaff, and Macbeth.

In 1984, West was appointed CBE for his services to drama in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.