Geoffrey Palmer death: As Time Goes By actor dies aged 93

Palmer was best known for starring opposite Judi Dench in beloved BBC sitcom

Geoffrey Palmer, known for his roles in the sitcoms Butterflies, As Time Goes By and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, has died aged 93. 

Palmer’s agent confirmed on Friday that the star had died “peacefully” at home.

He most famously starred as Lionel Hardcastle in As Time Goes By alongside Judi Dench. The BBC sitcom, which ran from 1992 to 2005, featured the pair as two former lovers who meet unexpectedly and later marry. 

The partnership was revived in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and the costume drama Mrs Brown. 

Dame Judi told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row programme: “Geoffrey was master of comedy, an absolute master … I’ve admired him all my life. How lucky to have been in something with him for so long.”

Palmer had early television roles in The Army Game, The Saint and The Avengers and he went on to appear in Doctor Who and the “Kipper and the Corpse” episode of Fawlty Towers.

In recent years he appeared in Paddington, Parade’s End and W.E. He was made an OBE in 2004 for services to drama.

Commenting on his distinctive deadpan expression, he once said: “I am not grumpy. I just look this way.”

Director Edgar Wright was one of the first to pay tribute to Palmer on Twitter, writing: “The flight path gag wiping out the lines of Reggie Perrin’s brother in law is one of my favourite running gags in comedy. RIP to the brilliantly funny Geoffrey Palmer.”

Actor, writer and comedian Reece Shearsmith said: “RIP Geoffrey Palmer. An immaculate singular actor, always brilliant in everything, but my favourite was always Ben Parkinson in Butterflies.”

Frances Barber, who starred alongside Palmer in the 1985 film A Zed and Two Noughts, tweeted a story about his lucrative voiceover work for a series of Audi car commercials. “I filmed Zoo in Rotterdam with Geoffrey Palmer in the 80s. I will never forget his famously hang dog lugubrious face every morning saying ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on’… he was just lovely. RIP.

“Years later during a radio play told me he’d just received a residuals cheque for Vorsprung durch technik. ‘I just called my agent & said they’ve put too many 0’s on the cheque.’ After lunch he said ‘Apparently they haven’t’. His face didn’t change.”

Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth recalled “such a wonderful actor, such a lovely guy. Brilliant at his craft & just the best company: wickedly funny… he did everything he did so well. Thanks for all the happy memories Geoffrey: we’ll cherish them as time goes by.”

He is survived by his wife Sally Greene, with whom he had a daughter and a son.