Jon Richardson praises Sean Lock following one of his last Countdown appearances

Jon Richardson has paid tribute to the “effortlessly hilarious” Sean Lock after one of the late comedian’s last appearances on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown aired on Channel 4.

The comedian, who starred alongside Lock on the show, said he noticed how upset he had been during the episode but that his fellow team captain had remained “a true comic to the end”.

Friday’s episode of the comedy panel show was dedicated to Lock, who died of cancer at the age of 58 in August of last year.

“Watching Sean’s last ep of Countdown I can see how upset I was knowing he was ill and how much that affected my performance, while Sean himself continued to be effortlessly hilarious,” Richardson wrote.

“A true comic to the end. That’s why he’s trending on Twitter and why he’s so missed.”

Panellist Rosie Jones, who also featured in the episode along with Harry Hill and Nick Mohammed, said watching it air was “bittersweet”.

Ahead of the show she said: “Ah. This is bittersweet.

“I’m on #CatsDoesCountdown tonight and it’s Sean’s last appearance on the show.”

Lock, known for his surreal content and deadpan style, received a mountain of tributes from other comedy greats such as Lee Mack, Bill Bailey and Eddie Izzard following his death.