Bill Pertwee, the actor best known for playing the hilariously antagonistic ARP Warden Hodges in Dad's Army, has died at the age of 86. His agent Meg Poole confirmed the news on Monday, saying that Pertwee died peacefully, surrounded by his family. He was a really, really nice man. Very bright, very intelligent," said Poole. He came from a big theatrical family, a big show business family, and like all of them it was his life and it was very important to him and he was a hugely professional, very clever man. Pertwee will be remembered for his performances in the hugely popular Dad's Army, which ran from 1968 to 1977. Pertwee's character, ARP Warden Hodges, which he played in both the original television series and subsequent radio adaptations, delighted in irritating Arthur Lowe's pompous Captain Mainwaring. The tetchy relationship between the pair provided many of the show's funniest moments. Pertwee loved the sitcom that defined his career. He wrote a book about his experiences on the show called Dad's Army - The Making of a Television Legend, which was recently republished to celebrate the programme's 40th anniversary. He was also the president of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society. However, Pertwee enjoyed success elsewhere on screen, appearing in two Carry On films, an episode of Hi-de-Hi! and as PC Wilson in You Rang M'Lud? The announcement of his death leaves only two surviving members of the original Dad's Army cast, Ian Lavender (Private Frank Pike) and Frank Williams (the Reverend Timothy Farthing). Pertwee was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his services to charity, describing it as a "great honour." Bill Pertwee, whose wife died in 2005, is survived by his son, Jonathan.