Actor Chris Langham, who was convicted in 2006 for downloading and viewing extreme child sexual abuse material, has died at the age of 77 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. According to The Times, he passed away nearly three months ago. Langham was best known for his role in the satirical political series The Thick of It, where he played a senior civil servant. Langham was jailed for nearly a year after being found guilty of six counts of indecent assault, two counts of a serious sexual offence, and 15 counts of making an indecent photograph of a child. During his trial, he claimed he downloaded the material as part of his research for a comedy series he was working on, but this argument was rejected by the court. The trial included the showing of the criminal material, which reportedly caused one juror to vomit. In a 2015 interview with The Independent, Langham admitted to his actions, stating, "I have completely f***ed up my own life. It wasn’t circumstances. I’m not blaming it on anything or anybody. That was foolish. And ultimately selfish. Arrogant. It was just driven by ego." He expressed regret and took full responsibility for his actions. Langham began his career in the 1970s and 1980s as a writer for The Muppet Show, later moving into comedy panel shows such as the original Not the Nine O'Clock News. He wrote sitcoms for BBC One and BBC Three and narrated Radio 4 drama series with Martin Freeman. He also starred in Help on BBC Two and in The Thick of It, playing a senior civil servant. Langham is survived by his five children, his first wife Sue Jones-Davies, and his second wife Christine, who supported him through his criminal case. His death marks the end of a career that included both acclaim and controversy.