THE death of a former Butlin's Redcoat from Bournemouth who had an estate worth £300k has featured on a BBC TV show.

Gerald Bryce, who was also a ballroom dancing teacher, passed away in July 2015 and lived in Bournemouth for around 30 years.

His story featured in an episode of BBC show Heir Hunters, which aired yesterday.

Gerald never married and didn’t have any children or siblings.

A search for blood relatives was carried out by professional probate genealogist firm, Finders International.

David Medina, from Bournemouth, a friend of Gerald’s who first met him in 1974, also featured in the show.

He said: “We used to go on family holidays. Gerald loved performing, which he started at aged five, and this continued into adult life as a Redcoat, working at Butlin's when Des O’Connor was head Redcoat.”

The Finders International team discovered that Gerald’s grandfather, John Jones, was a police sergeant in Salford.

He married and had a child, Leslie, who also served in the police force.

Leslie’s son, Trevor, was identified as an heir to Gerald’s estate.

Trevor said: “I was surprised to have a phone call from Finders because they brought news of a cousin who I had not heard of for quite a while.”

Unfortunately for Trevor and the team, the will had been eventually deemed invalid.

Danny Curran of Finders International said: “For the team to get the result they did is very disappointing, particularly after all their hard work. However, we are all really pleased the Gerald’s final wishes will be followed through. What’s even better is that Trevor is interested in contacting his long-lost cousins.”