After his family moved to nearby East Ham, he attended Vicarage Lane Primary School and then Thomas Lethaby Secondary Modern.

After gaining two A-Level passes in English Literature and Modern British History, he moved to Glasgow, where he studied mechanical engineering during which time he was inspired by Billy Connolly.

Digance began his television career on Sound of The City for Thames TV, produced by Richard Newman, in the early 1970s.

He was later signed to TVS in Southampton after being a studio warm-up act for Matthew Kelly and this first series of six programmes was screened on Thursday nights.

His guests included Status Quo, Brian May, Elkie Brooks, The Moody Blues, Julia Fordham, Chris de Burgh and many others.

The 1992 show, Richard Digance's Greatest Bits, recorded at the Brighton Dome, included some of his most popular routines from stage and screen.