He was one of the brightest child stars on television back in the 80s.

So it is with great sadness that we report that Mark Farmer has passed away at the age of 53.

According to reports, the actor had been battling cancer for a short while before his death.

News of his passing was announced on a Grange Hill Twitter account.

The social media post read: "It is with great sadness we report that Mark Farmer aka Gary Hargreaves died earlier today. RIP."

They also retweeted a message from a Sarah Lewis into their feed, which read: “R.I.P. Mark Farmer a.k.a. #GrangeHill's Gary Hargreaves”

Mark starred in the series between the years of 1979 and 1981, before going on to star in Channel 4’s Relative Strangers.

The talented child star also went on to star in the lead role in BBC drama Johnny Jarvis and the role of Justin James in Minder.

He later went on to forge a career in music as a member of the band Littlehouse, playing an acoustic guitar.

His school classmates Billy Hardwicke, Patrick Watson and Steve Claridge joined him in the group, and they found fame with the song ‘Close My Eyes’.

The band split shortly after they went on tour in 2000.

Our thoughts are with Mark's family and friends at this tragic time.