Joe Longthorne
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.[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.