Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1934, Timothy West attended Bristol Grammar School and Regent Street Polytechnic. Working as assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre at the age of 21 marked the beginning of a long career on stage and screen. 

Timothy spent three seasons as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and later played leading roles in acclaimed theatre productions of Uncle Vanya, Death of a Salesman, Macbeth, and King Lear. 

In 1975, he became a household name when he played the titular king in TV series Edward the Seventh. Timothy’s other television appearances included the 1980s comedy drama Brass and BBC adaptations of Richard II and Edward II, along with a notable episode of Tales of the Unexpected. 

Timothy joined the Big Finish family in 2007 when he played Kai Tobias in the Eighth Doctor Adventures story Phobos. He featured in two further Big Finish Doctor Who stories, 2008’s Cuddlesome and 2011’s House of Blue Fire. 

In recent years, he was known for roles in TV sitcom Not Going Out and soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street, as well as for presenting the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys with Prunella Scales, his wife of 61 years. 

He leaves behind three children, including the actor Samuel West. In a joint statement, his children said: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father, Timothy West, died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening.” 

Big Finish’s creative director Nicholas Briggs said: 

“Timothy West was one of those great, important, very intelligent actors who we didn’t quite believe would want to come and perform in a Big Finish production. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him in the green room for Phobos. He was always charming and brilliant, and a very gentle, considerate person. 

“My favourite memory of Timothy was when I overheard him talking to himself in the green room. ‘Shall I have a Club biscuit?’ he asked himself. ‘Shall I? Shall I?’ And then, after a pause, ‘Yes, I shall.’ I entered the room to find him nibbling away with a very self-satisfied grin on his face. He was delighted to tell me how much he was enjoying it. The next time he came to work for us, I told him this story. He laughed and said, ‘Oh yes, that sounds like me!’ 

“Aside from that charming nonsense, he was always breathtakingly brilliant in any part you cast him in. Always so well prepared and such fun to have around. My heart goes out to his family and the sense of loss they must be keenly feeling. At the moment, I can’t quite come to terms with the fact that I’ll never hear him talking to himself about biscuits again. He was a joy.” 

Barnaby Edwards, who directed Timothy in two of his Big Finish stories, added: 

“Timothy West. What a loss. But what a life, also. Like every other actor, I grew up admiring him and holding him up as the exemplar of what a true actor ought to be. They say you shouldn't meet your heroes – they are wrong. I was fortunate enough to work with Timothy – ‘Call me Tim!’ – a couple of times and he was an utter delight on both occasions. Talented beyond measure, professional to the tips of his fingers, and adorably fun both in front of the mic and in the green room.  

“He was a powerhouse of an actor who leaves us a legacy of unparalleled brilliance, but my cherished memory of him was when we were recording Phobos. He was playing the commander of an extreme sports resort on one of the moons of Mars. At one point, his character storms into the command centre to do something terribly frenetic and frightfully heroic.  

“As we were recording the scene, Tim’s mobile phone went off in his booth. This sometimes happens and actors are typically sheepish. Not so Timothy West! Literally during the take he added the line ‘Emergency communication from Sector Five!’, answered the call, said ‘I’m in the middle of things. Can’t speak. Call you back.’ and continued with the dialogue. It was so slick and so smooth that it wasn’t until the scene was over – and Tim was suitably apologetic – that any of us quite realised what he’d done. We did a second take and that’s the one we used in the finished audio, but part of me wishes I’d had a tenth of Timothy West's chutzpah and used the first take, ad lib and all. The man never faltered for a second. What a star.” 

And David Richardson, producer of two of Timothy’s Big Finish stories, said: 

“Timothy West was one of the first very famous guest stars I met at Big Finish, back in 2007 when we recorded Cuddlesome. I was new in the job and socially awkward, and here was a great actor I’d been watching on TV since I was a child, in Edward the Seventh and Tales of the Unexpected, in Shakespeare and ITC thrillers and Tender is the Night and A Very Peculiar Practice. 

“If I’d been expecting a very grand, perhaps aloof presence, I was greatly mistaken – he put me at ease straight away with the warmest of smiles and the request, ‘Please just call me Tim’. We would work with him again later on House of Blue Fire, and he clearly had a blast playing Dr Magnus Soames. 

“Looking back, I wish I’d had the chance to ask him about his brilliant career. He clearly enjoyed being part of the Doctor Who universe, and for my part I pinch myself that I was lucky enough to work with him." 

• Timothy Lancaster West, actor, born 20 October 1934; died 12 November 2024.