CBBC star Archie Lyndhurst, the son of Only Fools and Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, has died at the age of 19 after a short illness.

He was best known for playing Ollie Coulton in the comedy show So Awkward.

In a statement, Nicholas said he and wife Lucy were “utterly grief stricken and respectfully request privacy”.

CBBC head of content Cheryl Taylor said he was “such a talented young actor”, adding: “All of us at BBC Children’s are devastated.”

She added: “He will be greatly missed by us all and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends at this time.”

Archie began his acting career at the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the age of 10. In 2013, his father Nicholas told the BBC that his son had inherited the “acting gene”.

Archie appeared in So Awkward, a sitcom following the lives of a group of friends in secondary school, from its first series in 2015.

Nicholas appeared alongside his son in a 2019 episode of the programme.

Channel X North, the independent production company that makes So Awkward, said it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the news.

“He was an incredibly talented performer and his contribution to So Awkward, on and off screen, will not be forgotten,” it said in a statement.

“As well as hilarious, he was a generous, kind-hearted young man who we had the honour to work with on the show for seven years.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

John Challis, who played Aubrey “Boycie” Boyce in Only Fools, said Archie’s death was “the saddest news of all”.

He said Archie was “just starting out on his chosen career in acting” and that his “heart aches for Nick and Lucy”.

Actress Sue Holderness, who played Boycie’s wife Marlene in the show, said the news was “too sad“, adding: “My heart goes out to his Mum and Dad and to all who knew him.”

Samuel Small, who appeared with Archie in So Awkward and also in a 2014 episode of Game of Thrones, posted a lengthy tribute on Instagram to his “brother” and “best friend”.

“I still can’t quite comprehend that you have passed,” he wrote. “You still had so much life to live and I’d give anything for you to keep on living it.

“I wish you could’ve all known Archie how we knew him,” he continued. “I’ve never met someone so full of life [who] touched so many peoples hearts.

“I still can’t find the words that do him justice and show how much of a beautiful soul he was.”

Archie’s other roles included recurring appearances as a younger incarnation of comedian Jack Whitehall in various TV programmes.

These included BBC Three sitcom Bad Education, in which he was seen as a younger version of Whitehall’s Alfie Wickers character.

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