The Snowman creator Raymond Briggs dies at 88

He was best known for creating The Snowman, his book which was turned into an award-winning short film that has been a Christmas staple on this channel since the early 80s.

But there was more to the work of Raymond Briggs, who has died aged 88, than charming cartoonish illustrations.

His most-loved works Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and Ethel and Ernest drew on his working-class background with people struggling in mundane jobs.

And When the Wind Blows was an overtly political attack on the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

But there was always a dark humour in his work that appealed across generations.