BBC's The Responder leaves fans in tears as actor appears on screen hours after his death

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Tonight’s episode of BBC One’s The Responder sparked a particularly emotional reaction from fans, as Bernard Hill appeared on screen just hours after his death was announced. The sad news broke shortly before The Lord of the Rings actor’s TV return, as he made his debut on series 2 of the show.

Today, Bernard’s agent Lou Coulson confirmed the sad news of his death at the age of 79 to the BBC. The actor is best remembered for his role as Théoden, King of Rohan, in The Lord of the Rings and Captain Edward Smith in Titanic.

This evening, fans of The Responder saw the late actor take on the poignant role of Tom - the father of Martin's character Chris Carson. Tom attempts to keep his son on the straight-and-narrow after he finds himself caught in the middle of a drug war between two of Liverpool's most dangerous dealers.

As scenes from the BBC show aired tonight, fans took to X - the social media platform formerly known as Twitter - to share their emotional reactions to seeing Bernard on their screens. One fan tweeted: "The late Bernard Hill is fantastic as always."

A second person wrote: "Ahhh man [crying emoji] Bernard Hill was always so good." While another fan penned: "Today of all days that “and Bernard Hill” in the titles is terribly sad to see. What an incredible actor [heartbreak emoji]."

READ MORE: The Responder's Martin Freeman defiantly breaks silence on backlash over role

Bernard Hill has sadly died aged 79 (Image: BBC)

A fourth person expressed: "Boy, there were fires burning bright in Bernard Hill's eyes in that scene. What a terrific actor. RIP Yosser." (sic)

One more fan added: "It seems fitting that we mainly remember Bernard Hill from BFTBS and here he is on #TheResponder back in Liverpool for his last ever TV appearance. What a actor he was." (sic)

Another posted a gif with the caption "don't cry, don't cry" under the words: "Didn’t realise Bernard Hill was gonna be in the second series of #TheResponder..." (sic)

Prior to his death, Bernard had shared his excitement about returning to the city he considered his "second home" to film the drama series.

He'd spent many years in Liverpool in the past, even discovering a theatrical performance of his former show Boys From The Black Stuff when he returned to film scenes for The Responder.

Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt issued a statement today as fans mourned the loss of a great actor.

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Martin Freeman stars in BBC One's The Responder (Image: BBC) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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She said: "Bernard Hill blazed a trail across the screen, and his long-lasting career filled with iconic and remarkable roles is a testament to his incredible talent.

"From Boys from the Blackstuff, to Wolf Hall, The Responder, and many more, we feel truly honoured to have worked with Bernard at the BBC.

“Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time."

The Responder airs Sundays at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.