Geoffrey Perkins, former head of comedy for the BBC, who worked with some of the top names in television, died in a road accident in London on 29 August, 2008.

Mr Perkins, 55, a producer, writer and performer, was one of the leading figures in British TV, having worked with stars including Catherine Tate, Angus Deayton and Harry Enfield.

He was hit by a truck on Marylebone High Street. An eyewitness suggested that Mr Perkins, who lived nearby, was walking along the pavement when he fainted and collapsed into the path of the oncoming truck.

Educated at Harrow County School for Boys, Mr Perkins worked for several years in BBC Radio Light Entertainment, producing shows such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

With Angus Deayton, he also wrote and performed in Radio Active which transferred to television as KYTV. Later he produced The Uncyclopaedia of Rock for Capital Radio, which won the Monaco Radio Award.

He created the game Mornington Crescent for the radio show I’m Sorry I Haven’t Got A Clue.

His writing and production credits for TV include Spitting Image, Saturday Live, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme, The Thin Blue Line, Father Ted, Game On and Ben Elton: The Man From Auntie.

He became BBC Television’s Head of Comedy in 1995 and was an executive producer for Tiger Aspect, as well as being director of Hat Trick Productions, the independent television and radio production company, for several years.

In 2005 he made a cameo appearance in the fourth radio series of Hitchhiker’s (The Quandary Phase).

Colleagues paid tribute to him. Pete Bennett-Jones, chairman of Tiger Aspect productions, said: "Geoffrey was one of the kindest, much loved and uniquely talented people we knew. He genuinely made the world a funnier place."

Jana Bennett, BBC director of vision, said: "Geoffrey Perkins was an outstanding creator of countless comedy hits on the BBC and elsewhere, and a very distinguished former BBC Head of Comedy.

"He embraced comedy talent to create unique programmes which will be enjoyed for a very long time to come."

He was survived by his wife, Lisa Braun, who was a studio manager during the radio production of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.