Emmerdale and Royle Family star Peter Martin has died at the age of 82

Peter Martin has died at the age of 82. Martin starred as neighbour Joe Carroll in The Royle Family and went on to play Len Reynolds in ITV soap Emmerdale from 2001 until 2007.

The news of Martin’s death was confirmed by a friend, who paid tribute to the actor on Facebook. One friend shared a picture of the star on the social media platform and wrote: "My friend, drinking partner, fishing buddy passed away on Wednesday morning, very sad, many of you will know him from TV, RIP Peter Martin, we had some great laughs."

Tributes flooded the comments section as friends of the star paid their respects. One wrote: "Very sad to hear this, lovely man".

"A true gent, will be so sadly missed. RIP Pete xx," another said.

A third added: "My condolences to his Friends and family. R. I. P. Peter it was nice to share some laughter with you."

Prior to his roles in Emmerdale and The Royle Family, Martin was known for playing a confused customer in the 1980s TV adverts for Jewsons Hardware.The adverts were revisited back in 2011 when Martin was invited to a celebration to meet with staff.

At the time, Martin said: "It’s been a very nostalgic day today and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since we first started in 1982. It’s been a really enjoyable time and they’ve really looked after me."

His TV acting career spanned decades as he also starred in the likes of ChuckleVision, First Of The Summer Wine, Last Of The Summer Wine and Coronation Street.