Mortimer leads McKern tributes

Mortimer, who created the character of barrister Horace Rumpole, said: "Leo McKern was a wonderful actor who not only played the character but added to it, brightening it and bringing it fully to life."

He described the actor as a "very private man who never failed in his public performances".

Actress Patricia Hodge, who starred opposite McKern as Phyllida Trant, described working with him as "one of the greatest learning experiences I have ever had".

"The example he set was not just as an actor but as a man. In both he was a great listener and sublimely humorous," she said.

"He took his work seriously but never himself. We shall all miss him."

Rumpole co-star Peter Bowles, who played Guthrie Featherstone on the show, also spoke warmly of the actor's qualities.

"He was one of those rare actors who had no pomposity," he said.

"He wasn't a luvvie. He never took himself seriously and had always kept the child within him."

Bowles, who was also famed for his role To the Manor Born, added that McKern was "extremely generous and funny, and was brilliant on the stage as well as on television".

He was an inspiration to younger actors and he will be deeply missed," he said.

Geoffrey Robertson QC said the actor's greatest achievement was "to create a lawyer the world could love".

"Rumpole of the Bailey was television's first and perhaps only truly Dickensian character," he said.

Nigel Pascoe QC also offered his views on McKern, who first played the role of the blustering barrister in 1975.

"He was a brilliant character and Rumpole always had his heart in the right place. He will be sadly missed by all obituarists in the criminal court, particularly at the Old Bailey," he said.

And the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, told BBC News Online: "Leo McKern's Rumpole brought entertainment and delight to many millions.

"His character was well-loved and showed a human side of the legal profession that is often missing in most television dramas. I doubt if anyone would be able to replace him."