Radio 4 writer Mark Tavener has died of cancer.

Best known for his satires In the Red, In the Balance, In the Chair, In the End and Absolute Power - the latter of which transferred from Radio 4 to BBC Two in 2003, Tavener also wrote High Table, Lower Orders and His Master's Voice.

BBC Radio 4 commissioning editor Caroline Raphael said: "He had a knack of finding situations that chimed with our times and then making listeners roar with delight. His work had everything the Radio 4 audience quite rightly demands - wit, intelligence, relevance, intriguing stories and memorable characters."

Tavener died on October 18.