The future of the long-running BBC Radio 4 comedy show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue is uncertain after its veteran presenter Humphrey Lyttelton was admitted to hospital.

Lyttelton, who has presented the “antidote to panel games” since its inception in 1972, being famed for his deadpan style, is to undergo surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm.

The spring series of the show has been cancelled, the BBC said. The producer, Jon Naismith, told fans in an e-mail that Lyttelton, 86, was “otherwise fine and in good spirits”. It was unclear how long his recovery would take, Naismith said, adding that fans could e-mail get-well messages for Lyttelton through the show’s website.

For the final performance in the 12-date stage tour of the panel game – which is separate from the radio recordings but has BBC approval – Rob Brydon is standing in for Lyttelton in Bournemouth tonight. The tour has featured the original lineup, Lyttelton being joined by Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden.

Should he be unable to return to the award-winning radio show, contenders for the host’s role might include Paul Merton and Jeremy Hardy.

Lyttelton, a key figure in British jazz, has been marking 60 years as a trumpet-playing bandleader and still tours with his band; some approaching performances have now had to be cancelled.

He had a chart hit more than 50 years ago with Bad Penny Blues, his own composition. Admirers of his music include the younger generation as well as seasoned jazz aficionados: Radiohead sought him out for a collaboration on their 2001 album Amnesiac.

He has also worked as a newspaper cartoonist and biographer. Last month Lyttelton announced he was leaving the Radio 2 jazz programme that he has presented for 40 years “to clear a space for some of my other ambitions”.

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