British comedian Rik Mayall dies at 56

Comedian and actor Rik Mayall has died, his manager announced on Monday afternoon.

Mayall starred in series including The Young Ones and Bottom, both with Ade Edmondson.

He was also famed for appearances in The New Statesman and Blackadder.

In 1998 Mayall was injured after crashing a quad bike near his home in the South Hams.

He was in a coma for several days having been airlifted to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital with two haematomas and a fractured skull.

During the following 96 hours, Mayall was kept sedated to prevent movement which could cause pressure on his brain. His family was warned he could die or have brain damage.

Mayall and Edmondson have joked about this event in stage versions of Bottom, Edmondson quipping: 'If only I'd fixed those brakes properly', and Mayall referring to himself: 'You must know him, that tosser who fell off the Quad Bike'.