ALONG with his partner Judy, he's been part of a tradition that is iconically English.

Together with sparring partner Judy, this colourful character has been performing before responsive audiences for years.

He and Judy have delighted young and old with their lively banter and his excruciating jokes that often missed the mark.

And no, I am not talking about Punch and Judy. I'm talking about that other performing couple, Richard and Judy.

This is the last day when Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan grace our lounges on Channel 4 before moving to UKTV.

By coincidence, Richard and Judy are moving away from a mainstream channel at a time when Punch and Judy shows are making a comeback with their traditional, politically incorrect fun that children adore.

As well as fame and a name, Punch and Judy and Richard and Judy have some- thing else in common. Both are married couples who air their problems in public.

But whereas Mr Punch sets an appalling example of marital behaviour that children recognise as being wrong, Richard and Judy have a relationship that, since they first debuted on This Morning in 1988, has been inspiringly close, supportive, loving, and pleasingly irritating.

Richard comes over as easy-going, gentle, slightly obtuse and devoted to Judy. Who, in turn, seems bright, empathetic and anything but a victim. That, I suspect, is the secret of their popularity. It mirrors the relationships of many who warm to their closeness and occasional friction. It is like watching reality TV.

I'll miss, on Channel 4, their cosy domestic scenes, with exasperated Judy clucking away as Richard puts his foot in it again.

Like the time when he asked a novelist: "If you were to write an autobiography, what would it be about?"

That is some punchline to bow out on.