Gardeners' Question Time panellist John Cushnie has died. The Radio 4 regular passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 66.
John was also a regular on local radio in his native Northern Ireland as a gardening expert, and had been with the BBC for 15 years,
He was also The Hedge Man on Chris Evans's Radio 2 show. BBC Radio 4 Controller Mark Damazer said John was "a handsome man and a very big presence."
"There was no sign at all of anything wrong – so his death on New Year's Eve comes as a very big and unwelcome shock.
"He spread joy during the programme recordings – a joy which was transmitted to the audience at home."
John Cushnie's last appearance on Guardeners' Question Time was on the [link=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pdz3s]27 December Christmas Special[/link].