Hurt single-handedly cornered the market in misfits and outsiders throughout his six-decade career

It was perhaps Ways of Seeing – the landmark BBC TV series broadcast in 1972 – which established him as a household name

Laughter entered religious life in Britain when Lionel Blue appeared upon the scene. Much of it was intentional on the part of this deeply spiritual rabbi who never forgot that his roots were in London’s East End and that his ancestors had lived in the shtetl of Eastern Europe. The millions of listeners who heard him regularly on the BBC came to know his mother, aunt, and dog as well as Lionel Blue. He always praised his mother’s honesty and her hatred of pretentiousness. Sharing her honesty, Blue always shared all aspects of himself with the public: his illness, diabetes, epilepsy, together with the personal challenges of his sexuality and his problems with organised religion. Everything was always tied up with a joke, with a reflection upon the divine comedy of human life. And so he was claimed as a personal possession by the millions who felt that they truly “owned” him.

'How many husbands have you had?' She replied, 'Do you mean apart from my own?'

‘I would like to be free to talk to anyone anywhere about anything, as long as my gut feeling tells me that it will interest my listeners,’ Young told the BBC in 1973

In partnership with David Croft, Perry came up with some of TV’s best-loved sitcoms, including ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum‘ and ‘Hi-de-Hi’

'As a child I wanted to be loved for who I was,' he once said. 'When I was not, I settled for applause.' 

Jay was co-creator of the Whitehall sitcoms ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes, Prime Minster’ after pioneering television current affairs programmes with ‘Tonight’​​

Haveange divided opinion during a career dogged by claims of financial chicanery

'Celebrity is just a game,' she once said. 'It’s a fascinating game and loads of people love playing it. But I can’t be arsed playing it any more because I’ve decided I’m no good at it'

Throughout her 40-year career she was a stand-up, a TV comic, an actor, a singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director, and opened the door for scores of working class, female comic performers

Bain was an engaging character whose hedonism and love of the rock’n’roll lifestyle made him a favourite with fans, if not always his fellow band mates

Cruyff was the ultimate proponent of the "total football" invented by his countryman

A Tribe Called Quest produced five albums from 1990 to 1998, becoming one of hip-hop's most popular groups

Baker was quick, strong and industrious, competent at aerial combat and a biting tackler

In contrast to some anthropologists, he felt that the discipline needed to be grounded in history, and sometimes had political implications

A multi-talented, kind man who appreciated the funny side of things

His admirers nicknamed him 'Rambo', in tribute to his heavy-hitting tackles

'Oumar Ly is a very important person for Senegal'