At fourteen, he landed a part in Yorkshire Television's series Junior Showtime, and remained with the show for over two years.
[8] Longthorne appeared regularly on several TV programmes in the 1980s, including The Les Dennis Laughter Show and The Royal Variety Performance.
His other impersonations included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Mathis and Tom Jones.
[10] Longthorne was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to charity.
[12] Longthorne was diagnosed with chronic lymphatic lymphoma, for which he received treatment, around the time of his appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in 1989.
[13] In 2014, Longthorne was found to have throat cancer, but remained adamant in newspaper interviews that he would continue to perform after his operation.