Belfast-born Charlie praised Brookside star Bryan Murray, who he worked with on comedy Bread back in the 1980s. Charlie played Yizzel in 11 episodes of the series, while Bryan was best known for his role as Shifty Boswell in 49 episodes. Bryan also appeared in soaps himself, starring as Mr James Roberts in Casualty and Holby City.

Writing on X after the news broke, Charlie said: “Sad news about Bryan Murray, actor. We had some craic on Bread back in the day.”

Bryan’s partner Una Crawford O’Brien confirmed he has been moved into full-time care, explaining: “He is now safe. I am content for him. That’s as good as I can get; he seems content there. He needed to be in a safe place, and here wasn’t it.

“I never thought he would end up in a nursing home. I thought I could cope — that I could look after him. But it became almost a physical impossibility.

“Even the silly things, like our bathroom, are so tiny upstairs. So, helping him to wash or shower – it became an impossibility.”

Fans rushed to support Charlie, with one writing: “Ah Shifty, watched him recently in Bread. I still love watching it Charlie, so funny!”

Another echoed: “Bryan captured the devious, sly and charming aspects of Florry’s character perfectly.”