Mark Speight was a ray of sunshine in the lives of all those who knew and loved him.

He brought smiles and laughter into the lives of millions.

And yesterday, on what would have been his 43rd birthday, his family, friends, celebrity chums and colleagues continued the Wolverhampton-born TV presenter’s legacy by entertaining a congregation at a special memorial service in a tribute to his life and work.

Among those taking part in the celebration at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, London, were artist and performer Rolf Harris and Mark’s co-host on SMart, Kirsten O’Brien.

The event also marked the official launch of SP8 of the Art – a foundation set up in Mark’s honour by his father, Oliver.

Joining him, and his family, including Mark’s mum, Jackie, were a string of celebrities.

These included Zoe Ball – one of Mark’s original co-presenters, Timmy Mallett, and former EastEnders actress Lucy Benjamin who once starred in a panto with Mark.

The Reverend Simon Grigg led the service with prayers and hymns and paid tribute to Mark’s life, describing it as one “so full, but shorter than anyone could have hoped for, or wanted”.

Friends and family relived the special, magic and more often than most, classic, comic moments they shared with the 42-year-old.

Mr Speight recalled a time when a lamppost came crashing down on the family car which Mark had borrowed without permission – and Mark’s tongue-and-cheek explanation of events.

O’Brien told of a journey to Kent for a TV shoot in a convertible driven by Mark, at the end of which guests at the hotel the pair were staying at were left gawping in horror at the presenters.

For, unbeknown to them both, Mark had dead bugs splattered across his face.

“They kept looking at him. They probably thought it was Bobby Davro,” recounted O’Brien.

“But what had happened was every bug had died on Mark’s forehead on the way,” she chuckled.

She added: “He made you laugh even when he was not making you laugh.

“He was really special to me, and really special to all of you,” she added.

His best friend, Jay Burridge, recalled Mark’s “Scooby Doo antics” at a time when the pair were staying at a haunted hotel and the star took it upon himself to scare the living daylights out of ataff and guests by rigging the entire lobby with a ball of string and attempting to frighten a chambermaid by purporting to be a ghost by cutting holes into a bed sheet.

“He somehow managed to live his whole adult life as a kid,” he said.

“The one thing he didn’t do was tell people jokes. He simply led a funny life, and told people funny stories about his life.

“We have to tell each other these stories so that they do become a part of folklore – and the legend that is Mark Speight,” he added.

Mark, a former Regis School pupil, hanged himself in a disused office block near London’s Paddington railway station on April 13, six days after the inquest of his fiancee Natasha Collins.

The 31-year-old actress was found dead in the bath of the couple’s flat in St John’s Wood, north west London, after taking a lethal cocktail of cocaine and sleeping tablets, and suffering hot water burns.

Mark was left heartborken and had been unable to come to terms with her death.

The service was not only a celebration of Mark’s life, but his “soulmate” Natasha’s too.

The pair loved animals. And in recognition of Mark’s special fondness for monkeys, a group of youngsters from the Sylvia Young Theatre School performed a Monkey Medley including verses and choruses from The Monkees Theme and The Jungle Book’s: I Want To Be Like You.

Despite all the fun and hilarity, it was also a time for reflection.

There were tears of joy and sadness as a montage of some of Mark’s memorable moments on TV, comic out-takes and clips from home videos were played to the congregation on a giant screen.

Perhaps the most moving moment during the sevice was triggered by Mr Harris, one of Mark’s heroes.

The Aussie celeb paid an emotional tribute to the star, with whom he had worked in the past.

Struggling to fight back the tears, he said: “It was joyful to actually work with Mark.

“I realise now that I never told him how much I appreciated his programmes.

“You realise that you should actually tell people what you think. You should tell them you love them because it might suddenly be too late.

“He was a lovely man, as you all know,” he added, before performing his song Sun Ariise and a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, with a wobble board and didgeridoo.

Natasha’s mum, Carmen Collins, said afterwards: “It was a lovely service – beautiful.”

Ms Ball said: “It was such a beautiful memorial service. It was really lovely to be able to celebrate his life. He really was such a beautiful boy. I am a bit speechless.”

Mrs Speight, who lives in Tettenhall Wood, said: “I was so moved and touched I could not keep still.

“It made me realise just how much he was loved,” she added.

There was a standing ovation for the tragic children’s TV presenter, with the service fittingly ending with the congregation on its feet, singing famous British comic double act Morecambe and Wise’s signature tune – Bring Me Sunshine.