From the BBC:-
Respected novelist and playwright Peter Tinniswood has died at the age of 66 following a long battle with cancer.
The Liverpudlian writer was diagnosed with oral cancer in 1995 and had undergone surgery to have his larynx removed.
Tinniswood was responsible for bringing many memorable characters to radio and television.
One of his best-remembered characters was Uncle Mort, an indomitable northerner who contracted cancer in the screenplay I Didn't Know You Cared.
Several of the television and radio plays written by Tinniswood attracted a devoted following.
Perhaps his best-known works were Tales from a Long Room, and its sequel, More Tales from a Long Room, which told stories about cricket, one of Tinniswood's life-long passions.
The novels were produced on television, radio and the stage.
Most recently he worked on the small screen adaptation of HE Bates' Uncle Silas, which stars Albert Finney.
Born in Liverpool, Tinniswood grew up in Sale, Greater Manchester, where he lived above the dry-cleaners run by his mother. As a young boy he would sit under the counter among the dirty laundry, listening to customers' conversations.
"It was like live radio," he said "it sharpened my ear for dialogue...I became a good mimic."
He began his working life as a journalist, writing fiction in his spare time until it was able to provide him with a livelihood.