Lynda Bellingham funeral in Somerset

Actor, writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth offered his own cheeky tribute to friend Linda Bellingham, as he attended her funeral in Crewkerne today.

Fireworks sparked and crackled in the sky above St Barholomew's Church, Crewkerne, as Linda Bellingham was laid to rest this afternoon.

As people remember the actress Lynda Bellingham whose funeral is being held in Somerset, we remember the moment she told us all about Calendar Girls.

We interviewed her when the stage show came to the Bristol Hippodrome in January 2011.

What a star!

Friends, family and former colleagues from the world of entertainment have been arriving at St Bartholomew's Church in Crewkerne, Somerset to pay tribute to the actress and presenter Lynda Bellingham. She died last month at the age of 66 after a long battle with cancer.

Here are some of the pictures

The friends and family of Lynda Bellingham will gather today to say goodbye to the actress who died last month.

Her husband, Michael Pattemore, and friends from the world of television will pay tribute to the star at her funeral in the Somerset town of Crewkerne.

The actress, best known for her long-running role as the mother in the Oxo TV adverts, had colon cancer which later spread to her lungs and liver.

She was diagnosed with cancer last July and said she decided to end her treatment to limit the amount of suffering her family would witness.

An artist has created an original tribute to late presenter Lynda Bellingham, whose funeral will take place in Somerset tomorrow, made entirely from beef Oxo cubes and water. Nathan Wyburn, 23 is also known as the 'toast artist' after performing on Britain’s Got Talent.

Presenter Lynda Bellingham died earlier this month at the age of sixty-six after battling colon cancer. She was widely known for her role in the Oxo family TV adverts that ran between 1983 and 1999.

Actress and presenter Lynda Bellingham, who lost her battle with cancer yesterday at the age of 66 is to be buried in Somerset. Lynda was married to Michael Pattemore from Crewkerne who bought the couple a plot for them both.

Lynda has chronicled her final months living with cancer in her book There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You, which will be published next week.

In her memoirs, she writes: “Does one choose a funeral with hymns and prayers that suit only the deceased? Surely part of the mourning process is for the loved ones left behind? Should they not be allowed some say?

“Michael thinks it would be great for our friend Peter Delaney, the vicar who married us, to come down to Somerset – Michael’s old stomping ground and a place we love – and conduct the service there.

“I say: ‘I wouldn’t expect everyone to have to come all the way down here to pay their respects. I want a tribute, or something that is nice and handy and anyone who fancies coming in and saying goodbye can do so easily, not have to get on a train for three hours.’

“We have reached a compromise, I think, and there will be a service in Somerset and a knees-up in London. So if you are passing, do drop in for a quick boogie.”