Ben Keaton, best known for appearing in over 50 episodes of Casualty, has died aged 70.

The Irish actor played Spencer on the BBC medical drama between 1999 and 2002.

He also played Jeff Brannigan in the ITV soap Emmerdale, as well as Father Austin Purcell in an episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted in 1995.

Keaton died at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday, with a death notice in The Irish Times published on Sunday.

‘Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette,’ the tribute read.

‘Best known for his roles in TV shows including Father Ted, Emmerdale, Casualty, The Bill, films including East is East etc. and Theatre performances in Animal Crackers, Harvey, Cyrano de Bergerac, Hay Fever, etc, a founder member of the improv group South Of The River, and a director of the Creative Academy, and more. Funeral arrangements to be announced later.’

The actor’s ex-wife Polly also shared the following statement on Facebook: ‘So incredibly sorry to say Ben Keaton died last night. It was very sudden and we are all in shock.

‘We had separated several years ago but we had half a lifetime together and infuriated and made each other cry with laughter in equal measure.

‘He was a great dad to Waldo and Daisy and the finest Groucho and Cyrano I have ever seen.’

Meanwhile the Nottingham Playhouse shared: ‘We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo. Sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.’

Throughout his career, Keaton also appeared in episodes of The Bill, Doctors and Double Time and wrote episodes of Balamory, Gumtree and Hubbub.

He was also a well-established theatre actor and comedian.

In 2008 he then began teaching at the University of Lincoln, where he specialised in Physical Theatre and Acting for Camera. Five years later he set up Lincoln Film and Television School.

In 2022, he reunited with fellow Father Ted cast members Joe Rooney (Father Damo), Michael Redmond (Father Stone), and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) to film an impromptu TikTok video, which went viral.

Later speaking to The Irish Sun, he recalled: ‘The video went from 500 views to 50,000 and up and up. Joe now says we are up at half a million views on TikTok. It’s incredible.’

He went on to admit he was shocked by the lasting impact of his fleeting scene as a tedious priest.