Tributes are being paid to comic writer Sharat Sardana, who has died at the age of 40.
Sardana collapsed at his father's home suffering from a streptococcal virus, reports the Evening Standard. He died at Whipps Cross University Hospital in East London on Tuesday.
The writer was behind television hits such as Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At Number 42.
Actors Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar described Sardana as being like a "brother". In a statement, they said that they are "stunned and completely broken hearted" about his death.
The statement read: "He was not just a gifted writer and a long-standing colleague and friend. We were part of each other's extended families and losing him feels like losing a brother."
Executive producer of BBC Comedy Jon Plowman called Sardana's death a "truly shocking loss". "It's a very sad day for comedy to lose a writer who managed to help comedy break through in the way that Goodness Gracious Me did," he said.