The Goodies star died with almost nothing to his name – despite incredible 50-year career

Comedy legend Tim Brooke-Taylor left just £2,000 in his estate after his death, despite a glittering career spanning more than half a century, it has been revealed. The Goodies star, who died aged 79 after contracting Covid-19, had a gross estate of £19,023. But after his outstanding affairs were settled, just £2,000 was left for his widow Christine Brooke-Taylor, according to probate records.

Despite the modest amount, a spokesman for Christine insisted she has not been left penniless, telling the Daily Mail: “This is a private matter. She has not been left destitute and has no further comment to make.” The couple’s Berkshire family home is jointly owned and thought to be worth up to £3million, with no mortgage owed. Under UK law, jointly owned homes automatically pass to the surviving spouse without inheritance tax, thanks to the right to survivorship.

Brooke-Taylor’s will made Christine the sole beneficiary of his estate, but the comedian’s legacy is far more valuable than the paperwork suggests.

Born in Buxton in 1940 and privately educated, Brooke-Taylor started performing at Cambridge University, where he became president of the Footlights.

He would go on to share the stage, screen and scripts with comedy icons like John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman.

He co-wrote the now-legendary Four Yorkshiremen sketch – still performed by Monty Python – and later joked that it was only after the Pythons’ 2014 reunion shows at the O2 that they finally agreed to pay him royalties for it.

In the 1970s, he found cult fame in anarchic BBC comedy The Goodies, alongside Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden.

Prince Charles once confessed in a letter to the trio: “I remember guffawing like a drain at your antics, to the point where my sister, HRH The Princess Anne, was quite short with me.”

The sketch show pioneer's comedy credentials were also secured on long-running Radio 4 favourite I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, where his absurd wit made him a fixture for nearly 50 years.

He also appeared in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Cathy Come Home, and wrote several books.

Known for playing the upper-class gent on-screen, Brooke-Taylor was famously modest about his own talents, once saying: “I don’t think I’m really such a good comedian as people might think – but I’m probably a better actor.”

He and Christine were married for 52 years and had two sons, Ben and Edward. They lived in the village of Cookham Dean, one of Berkshire’s most exclusive enclaves.

Though his will may have surprised fans, those close to him say the late BBC legend never chased wealth or fame, preferring the silliness of comedy to the seriousness of showbusiness. He was awarded an OBE in 2011 for services to light entertainment and died in April 2020 from complications related to coronavirus.