[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16443263

Bob Holness, former host of daytime quiz show Blockbusters, has died at 83.

In a statement, his family said he had "died peacefully in his sleep" early on Friday morning.

Holness, who had suffered a series of strokes, had been in a nursing home. He is survived by his wife Mary, three children and seven grandchildren.

Holness "was also an accomplished theatre actor and his radio broadcasting career spanned over six decades", the family statement added.

South African-born Holness joined the BBC in the 1960s and hosted Late Night Extra on Radio 1 and Radio 2, alongside presenters including Terry Wogan.

The show continued to air on Radio 2's AM frequency only until 1975, before Holness moved to commercial station LBC, co-hosting the morning show with Douglas Cameron.

'Positive reception'

Early in his broadcasting career, he also became the second actor to portray James Bond, starring in a radio adaptation of Moonraker in 1956.

In 2008, he told the BBC that the opportunity "just came up through a hole in the floor".

However he remains best known for hosting ITV gameshow Blockbusters, from 1983 to 1993, complete with its hexagonal board, gold runs and the classic double entendre contestant request: "Can I have a P please, Bob?"

"People say 'Don't you ever get fed up with it?' but I didn't," he once said.

The legendary Bob .....