Bob Newhart, the US comedian and actor, has died.

Known for his roles in the Christmas film Elf and US sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Newhart also had his own programme, The Bob Newhart Show.

Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, said Newhart had died at the age of 94 after “a series of short illnesses”.

Newhart launched his career as a stand-up comic in the late 1950s.

He gained nationwide fame in the US when his routine was captured on vinyl in 1960 as The Button-Down Mind of Bob…