Ian Lavender dead updates — Tributes flood in for last Dad’s Army survivor Private Pike who also starred in EastEnders

The popularity of Dad's Army

In the 1970s, Dad's Army regularly attracted more than 18 million viewers, becoming one of the most-watched television programmes of its time.

Royal Mail marked the 50th anniversary of the TV comedy classic Dad's Army with a collection of stamps in 2018, featuring the main characters.

That same year, Lavender cleared up a long-standing mystery from the show during an interview with the Radio Times.

When asking creator David Croft if Uncle Arthur was Pike's father, Lavender said: "He looked at me and said, 'Of course he is!'"

'Deeply saddened'

The news was broke by Dad's Army's official social media account at noon on February 5 as they paid tribute to the last of the sitcom's cast members.

The post read: 'We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of the wonderful, Ian Lavender."

Ian Lavender remembered

Lavender was just 22 when cast as Private Pike, a junior bank clerk frequently referred to by Captain Mainwaring as "stupid boy".

He spent 10 years in the role in what became a comedy classic.

In 2001 Lavender joined EastEnders as Derek Harkinson, a gay friend of Pauline Fowler.