Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister co-writer Sir Antony has died aged 86.

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The broadcaster, who (with Jonathan Lynn) created the classic 1980s political TV series starring Paul Eddington and Sir Nigel Hawthorne, passed away earlier this week.

His representative said: "Sir Antony Jay CVO CBE died peacefully on Sunday evening after a long illness. He was surrounded by his wife and family."

Jay, who also worked in the BBC’s current affairs department in his early career and scripted documentaries, had recently returned to the classic sitcom that made his name, working with Lynn on a new play based on the Yes Minister characters in 2010 and writing general election-themed sketches for Newsnight in the same year.

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Earlier this month, the pair collaborated again on a Brexit-themed Yes Minister sketch published in the Guardian newspaper.

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