Wissenswertes

Married four times, he successfully overcame an alcohol addiction which affected him at the peak of his stardom.

At the height of his fame, he enjoyed his own Saturday night showcase along with frequent appearances on panel shows, eventually achieving the accolade of Britain's highest-earning ventriloquist. His television programmes tended to pigeon-hole him in the role of children's performer, however, an image he found difficult to shed when his style of entertainment eventually went out of vogue.

British television ventriloquist and puppeteer, popular in the 1970s and 80s, best remembered for his "Orville" the duck creation - a bizarre, green-feathered, squeaky-voiced bird. His other notable success was "Cuddles" - an aggressive, blunt-speaking monkey.

More recently, he had sought to re-invent himself with an x-rated act on the university circuit.

Children: Skye, from a previous marriage, and Kitty and Shenton with fourth wife, ex-model Sarah.

His mother, Lila Harris, was a singer and dancer.