Tributes to Ronnie Barker have poured in following the announcement of his death this morning.

"Ronnie was pure gold in triplicate - as a performer; a writer and a friend," said Ronnie Corbett, a long-time friend of Barker's and his partner on The Two Ronnies. "We worked together since 1965 and we never had a cross word. It was 40 years of harmonious joy, nothing but an absolute pleasure.

"I will miss him terribly, but he went out on a lift. He was delighted that the Two Ronnies Sketchbook had gone so well, bringing us to a new generation of audiences."

The BBC will air a special programme at 22:35 on BBC One celebrating Barker's life. On Friday, the channel will repeat the BAFTA Tribute to Ronnie Barker at 21:00.

"Ronnie is synonymous with BBC Entertainment," said Wayne Garvie, head of the corporation's entertainment department. "The phenomenal success this year of The Two Ronnies Sketchbook illustrated the deep well of affection the British public have for one of our greatest-ever comic talents.

"For those of us who worked on that series it was a privilege to witness at first hand his writing and performing genius."

Alan Yentob, the BBC's creative director, said that Barker "was a lovely man who was also extraordinarily modest, but it's impossible to imagine the history of television entertainment without him," adding that Barker "is one of the 'immortals'."