A GWENT man who met his 'all-time hero' Ronnie Barker paid tribute to the late comedian.

Bruce Robertson took photographs of over 200 celebrities including Anthony Hopkins and Kylie Minogue, but said he enjoyed meeting Mr Barker the best.

He said: "He was very ordinary, nice and funny. He kept doing Arkwright impressions. We chatted for an hour.

"To me Porridge was the best comedy on television and Ronnie Barker was my all-time hero."

Mr Robertson, 47, of Shakespeare Close, Caldicot, has been snapping celebrities as a hobby for 12 years.

When he read in a newspaper about six years ago that Mr Barker had an antiques shop, he decided this was his chance to meet his favourite comedian.

Barker had retired in 1987 aged 57 to concentrate on the shop. Mr Robertson rang the Emporium shop and Mr Barker's brother-in-law answered and said he would pass the request for a meeting on. Two days later, Mr Robertson received a message inviting him to the shop in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

He said: "I was very excited and took my dad with me. Ronnie's wife was in the shop. She disappeared into the back and he came out with a big grin on his face saying 'where is he?'"

Mr Robertson said: "What surprised me was that he was wearing those old glasses he wore on The Two Ronnies."

The actor invited them back and two weeks later Mr Robertson returned with his wife Wendy and his mother-in-law.

He said: "They couldn't believe how nice he was.." He said he felt very sad when he heard the Two Ronnies star had died, aged 76, after suffering heart problems.