The former host of long-running children's TV show 'Rainbow' has sadly passed away.

76-year-old Geoffrey Hayes died in hospital from pneumonia with his wife Sarah and son Tom by his side, his manager Phil Dale said.

Mr Dale added: "The family would like to express their thanks to the many fans over the years as it always gave Geoffrey so much pleasure to know that he and his 'Rainbow' team had given so much fun to TV and theatre audiences over the years."

The actor and presenter hosted the show from 1974 to 1992 which featured puppets Zippy, George and Bungle and aired several nights a week to children across the UK and Ireland.

Hayes also had a recurring role in drama series Z Cars in the early 1970s as Detective Constable Scatliff, and in recent years appeared on programmes including Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Pointless Celebrities.