London, April 8: Tim Piggot-Smith, one of Britain's finest television and stage actors, who died suddenly yesterday, aged 70, is best remembered for his role in an Indian drama, The Jewel in the Crown.

Ironically, the role that he played as police superintendant Ronald Merrick in the last days of the Raj in Granada Television's 14-part series in 1984 was a negative one.

Adapted by Ken Taylor from Paul Scott's novels, The Raj Quartet, the story was not so much about India but the British in India.

To this day, many critics contend that The Jewel in the Crown represents British television at its best. Certainly, it made stars of not only Pigott-Smith, who won a Bafta for his role, but also Charles Dance and Geraldine James.

Indian cast members included Saeed Jaffrey, Karan Kapoor, Kamini Kaushal, Jamila Massey, Om Puri and Zohra Sehgal.

The heart throb proved to be the young Art Malik who was cast as Hari Kumar, who had returned to India after an education at Chillingborough, a British public school.

The trouble begins after Kumar and an Englishwoman, Daphne Manners (played by Susan Wooldridge), who had fallen in love with each other, make love in the Bibighar, an abandoned cemetery. Merrick is dismayed that Manners, who had rejected his advances, should prefer an Indian. What adds to the state school educated Merrick's chippiness is his inferiority complex.

He is given the perfect pretext to arrest Kumar after the couple are set upon by a gang of Indians who rape Manners. Kumar is picked up for the crime and tortured in prison by Merrick.

Meanwhile, Manners, who has refused to give evidence against her Indian lover, dies during childbirth. The mixed race child is moved to Kashmir by her aunt, Lady Manners.

Kumar is released from prison while Merrick eventually leaves the police force to join the army's intelligence cell where he is made responsible for interrogating INA soldiers. In the final episode, his repressed homosexuality proves his undoing when a sexual encounter with a male servant goes wrong. Merrick is found hacked to death.

Pigott-Smith's career since its start in 1971 had consisted mostly of smallish parts but the role of Merrick was to prove his big break.

"That's the one that changed my life, a long time ago now, 1984, just in terms of a life experience and a job experience, quite phenomenal," he acknowledged in March this year, not long after he was given an OBE in the New Year's Honours List.

"It really was an international event, it went everywhere."

His death was announced yesterday by his agent John Grant who said: "Tim was one of the great actors of his generation. Much-loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend. He will be much missed."