Axminster celebrity chef and TV personality Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall is among those to have paid tribute to BAFTA-winning TV scriptwriter, Nick Fisher, whose body was found in Dorchester after he went missing this week.

News of 63-year-old Mr Fisher's disappearance from his home in the village of Hooke, near Bridport, broke yesterday (Thursday), when his Mr Fearnley Whittingstall of Axminster's River Cottage called for help in the search via Twitter.

It transpires that Dorset police had discovered a body yesterday and now have announced they believe it to be Mr Fisher, who appeared with Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall on his Channel 4 series Escape to River Cottage and its spin-off, River Cottage Gone Fishing. 

He had also written episodes of EastEnders, Casualty, Hustle and The Giblet Boys, for which he won a Bafta in 2006.

After the discovery of the body by police officers and members of Dorset Search and Rescue team, a Dorset Police spokesperson said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

They added: "While formal identification has not yet taken place, the body is believed to be that of Nick Fisher and his family has been informed."

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall said: "I am so very sad to say that our dearest friend Nick Fisher has passed away. He was always full of insight and compassion, which is what made him such a great writer and broadcaster, as well as a brilliant friend.

"His lovely family and his many friends are missing him terribly. Nick was the best person to spend time with, especially on a boat. 

"We talked about fishing endlessly, but we also talked about life, a subject on which Nick was an expert because he had lived so much of it.

"I can't believe it's over, but many wonderful memories live on."

Jon Sen, executive producer of drama for BBC Studios, commented: "My thoughts are with Nick Fisher's family. I will never forget romping around the Dorset countryside with him and my kids still talk about the fishing trip where I spilled my guts… A kind, supportive, generous soul who always made time for you."