Arthur Askey was one of Britain's best loved comedians until the early 1980s, when he was struck down with gangrene and ended up losing both legs. The painful condition is caused by a lack of blood circulation in a limb, which at worst leads to severe swelling, oozing blisters and blackened skin - and then loss of the body part altogether.

It can be caused by a long-term health condition affecting blood circulation, or an infection or injury - and the consequences can be catastrophic. In Arthur's case, he had both legs amputated due to it when he was hospitalised in July 1982 - and he died just a few months later. Just a year before his death, he had received a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) - the highest form of recognition for someone in the arts and entertainment industries.

Askey's contributions were particularly special because he appeared on television before the medium formally existed.

Way back in the 1930s, he appeared on the spinning disc - a primitive form of TV with such a low resolution that he'd had to have heavy makeup applied to be seen by viewers at all.

When TV finally became electronic, he made appearances on variety shows, but it was post-World War II when his career truly took off.

The 1952 show Before Your Very Eyes! made use of his well-known catchphrase, while he subsequently went on to host New Faces and to appear on comedy game show Jokers Wild.

He appeared on BBC's The Good Old Days, while his final ever TV stint was on dancehall era memoir show The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog, which featured songs and sketches aplenty.

Not everyone knows that Arthur was the father of the late Anthea Askey - an actress who first came to prominence on the ITV sitcom Love and Kisses back in the 1950s.

When Arthur joined the show alongside her, there was very little acting required as he took on the role of her father in the show - something he was already accustomed to in real life.

Anthea, who also famously appeared on The Darling Buds of May, tragically died in 1999 - 17 years after her dad passed away in St Thomas' Hospital, London.