Victor Lewis-Smith: Journalist and satirist dies aged 65

Writer, broadcaster and satirist Victor Lewis-Smith - known as a TV critic and for the hoax phone calls he made to the likes of Princess Diana - has died aged 65 after a short illness.

Mr Lewis-Smith died in Bruges on Saturday, Borkowski PR said in a statement, describing him as "a unique and irreplaceable talent".

The Essex-born broadcaster began his career at the BBC.

His surreal style of comedy inspired comedians such as Sacha Baron Cohen.

BBC Gardener's World presenter Monty Don paid tribute to Mr Lewis-Smith, calling him "biting, very rude and above all, very funny".

"I admired and enjoyed his work hugely," he tweeted.

After presenting for Radio York, Mr Lewis-Smith moved to Radio 4 where he was a staff producer for Midweek and Start The Week during the mid-1980s.

He brought his anarchic style to the long-running show Loose Ends.

He then worked as chief television reviewer for the London Evening Standard for more than 15 years and as a columnist for the Daily Mirror for a decade.

He also ran a TV production company, Associated Rediffusion Productions, which has been behind programmes like TV Offal and Keith Meets... with stand-up Keith Allen for Channel 4.

But it was the hoax phone calls he made as part of his radio shows which stick out in many minds.

Targets included the department store Harrods and television series Jim'll Fix It - fronted by paedophile predator Jimmy Savile.

More recently, it was revealed he had posed as astrophysicist Stephen Hawking using the same electronic voice technology as the professor to hoax Princess Diana. Their freewheeling conversation, covering the current King and the Clinton family, was released in full in 2015 after being kept in a safe for two decades.

His final production, Hitler's Jazz Band, will be broadcast by Sky Arts on 14 December at 21:00.

He is survived by his wife Virginia and his daughter Lucia.