BBC chief, 36, found dead in his home

One of the BBC's top drama executives has been found dead in his Hammersmith flat. Police forced their way into Alexei de Keyser's home after a friend became suspicious when he failed to answer the door. Officers found Mr de Keyser, who was the corporation's drama series executive producer, dead inside.

It is not known how Mr de Keyser died, though a Scotland Yard spokesman said they were not treating his death as suspicious.

The 36-year-old executive, who was recently involved in the launch of the latest series of crime drama Waking The Dead, is survived by his father, Island At War actor David de Keyser.

BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey said: "Alexei was a talented drama executive who was totally dedicated to his productions. He will be sorely missed."

Mr de Keyser was appointed producer of Casualty in 1998 after a stint as the show's script editor, and was made executive producer of BBC drama series in 2000. He also produced two series of the BBC3 comedy Grease Monkeys.