Comedian Jack Whitehall has honoured Archie Lyndhurst, the late son of Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst, following the 19-year-old's death after a short illness. Archie, best known for playing Ollie Coulton in the CBBC comedy So Awkward, also appeared as a younger version of Whitehall's character in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education.
In a statement, Nicholas Lyndhurst and his wife Lucy said they were 'utterly grief stricken and respectfully request privacy'. CBBC head of content Cheryl Taylor described Archie as 'such a talented young actor', adding that all at BBC Children's were 'devastated' and would 'greatly miss' him.
Archie began his acting career at the Sylvia Young Theatre School at age 10. His father told the BBC in 2013 that Archie had inherited the 'acting gene'. He appeared in So Awkward from its first series in 2015, and Nicholas joined him in a 2019 episode.
Channel X North, the production company behind So Awkward, said they were 'deeply shocked and saddened', praising Archie as 'an incredibly talented performer' and 'a generous, kind-hearted young man'. John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools, called the news 'the saddest of all', while Sue Holderness, who played Marlene, said her heart went out to his family.
Samuel Small, Archie's co-star in So Awkward, posted a tribute on Instagram, calling him 'brother' and 'best friend', adding: 'I've never met someone so full of life who touched so many people's hearts.'
