Kenny Ireland, whose roles have included playing the ageing swinger Donald Stewart in ITV comedy series Benidorm, has died at the age of 68.

The Scottish star, who had also appeared alongside Victoria Wood on TV, had been battling cancer which had led to him being written out of Benidorm while he underwent treatment.

His agent said he died in the early hours of this morning (Thursday July 31).

Ireland had also been director at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre for many years.

He was a familiar face in Wood's series As Seen On TV, featuring in the cast of the regular Acorn Antiques segment.

His agent said "He had been ill with cancer for some time."

Ireland had directed productions such as Phaedra, Waiting for Godot and Dancing at Lughnasa for the stage and appeared in TV programmes such as Taggart and House of Cards.