Jimmy Tarbuck arrested in child abuse inquiry

Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck has been arrested over an allegation of child sex abuse dating back to the 1970s.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that a 73-year-old man was arrested in Kingston upon Thames on 26 April.

The entertainer and quiz show host - who has an OBE for services to showbusiness and charity - was released on bail pending further enquiries.

A police statement said he was questioned about an alleged assault on a young boy in the late 1970s.

Mr Tarbuck's arrest came after information was passed on by Metropolitan Police officers working on Operation Yewtree, North Yorkshire Police said.

The force stressed that this arrest "is not part of Yewtree, but a separate investigation" by North Yorkshire Police.

Operation Yewtree was set up following the death of Jimmy Savile in 2011, when hundreds of sex abuse allegations came to light about the former DJ.

A spokesman for the police force said: "North Yorkshire Police can confirm that a 73-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a historic child sex abuse investigation in Harrogate.

"The man was arrested in Kingston upon Thames on Friday 26 April 2013.

"Following questioning, he was released on police bail pending further inquiries.

"The complaint relates to an incident that occurred in the late 1970s when the victim was a young boy."

Liverpool-born Mr Tarbuck has spent more than 50 years in the entertainment industry, beginning his television career in 1964 with the show It's Tarbuck 65!

He went on to be a regular feature of prime time television in the 1970s and 1980s, hosting a number of quiz shows, including Winner Takes All and Full Swing.

Last November he performed in The Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London to celebrate the show's 100th anniversary.

On Tuesday, Mr Tarbuck cancelled a solo appearance at the Theatre Royal in Brighton, East Sussex, scheduled for 18 June, citing ill health.

Mr Tarbuck's daughter is the actress and television and radio presenter Liza Tarbuck.