Many of you will remember how ‘Badger’ (Alan) Ashton’s post-BBC emails often began just like this: “Sad news…”

They would quietly drop into our inboxes, and we’d brace ourselves. Alan had become our gentle herald of difficult news - the loss of another friend, another colleague from the newsroom or radio programmes.

This time, we’re afraid it’s Alan himself we’ve lost.

Badger died at 6.30 a.m. on Thursday morning, following a cardiac arrest after a fall at home last weekend.

A funeral will take place in the next few weeks - details to follow. Updates will now come not from Alan, but from his many close friends - like Peter Gallimore and Chris Lowe - who will kindly keep us informed about how we can come together to say goodbye.

His wife Janet is said to be incredibly strong, surrounded by love and support from their children, Craig and Brigitte. The family has spoken with heartfelt gratitude about the care Alan received at Harlow Hospital.

We’ve lost the glue - the voice that kept our extended BBC Radio News family connected. A brilliant colleague (Newsbeat, the Radio Newsroom etc.), a loyal friend, and a kind and thoughtful soul. And as Peter G said in a message today, “…he loved the BBC and was so proud of it.”

“Studio YG1” (aka The Yorkshire Grey) is where many of us gathered over the years for stories, laughter, and Badger’s reliable welcome and warmth. One imagines he’s already deep in debate with Don Pedro / Donald Peterson (aka Peter Donaldson) about the finer points of the 1800 bulletin.

I know many are poised to share lovely memories and photographs. This will just be the first of many.

With love, Sally Freestone et al.

Sharing this memory from Tim Llewellyn, who reported for the BBC as the correspondent in and across the Middle East for more than 10 years (https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/tim-llewellyn). As follows:

“This is very, very sad news. The Lincolnshire Badger was a stalwart SDE when I moved from Bush to BH almost 52 years ago, and was a prime mover in the Michael Vestey reporters' room locker fire of early 1974. (Details on request.)

Badge was a fine journo with such animal cunning that he was soon an Ass Ed, then transferred to the Today Prog, as Editor, which was good news for him and good news for us, as we henceforth had easier access to the Today Prog cocktail cabinet.

Badger was also a devoted member of, and regular attender at, Middlesex County Cr@c#%t Club, where - until very recently -  ex-BBC fans of the cult gathered annually for Test matches. Here, antagonisms between Bush, BH and the TV Spur were buried along with the remains of box lunches, bottles of wine, and an endless-seeming relay of pints. Badge was always at the centre of this, with a fund of yarns that did no-one, least of all him, any credit.

Chris Lowe, Peter Gallimore, Bob Doran, Howard Benson and Mike the Royal Marine from Admin are,  with me, the last survivors of that gathering... I think.

This is a funeral and wake that I shall not miss.

Alan Ashton did indeed love the BBC, and was one of those much-missed bright, cunning, earthy journalists with a farmyard nose for a story that underpinned the best of BBC radio journalism.”

.... and it was dear Badger who gave a certain Fran Unsworth a producer job on Newsbeat at the end of her attachment from Leicester to the Local Radio desk. Talk about talent spotting!