Heartbeat star left £2.5m to friends and charities

AS KIND-HEARTED garage owner Bernie Scripps in Itv series heartbeat, Peter Benson was often roped into madcap schemes that would invariably go wrong.

in real life, the actor has enriched the lives of his friends from beyond the grave.

i can reveal that Benson, who died in September at the age of 75, left a fortune of £2.5 million to a string of pals and charities.

Documents released by the probate office reveal that Benson, who also played roles in Blackadder and All Creatures Great And Small, signed a will just days before he passed away.

he directed that the bulk of his estate should be split into 12 parts and given to a dozen little-known actors he named.

he also left £2,000 each to his two executors, £5,000 each to 22 friends and £6,000 each to charities including Cancer Research and Shelter.