'independent' -
By Tom Morgan, Press Association

BBC daytime television host Kristian Digby has been foascii117nd dead at his home.

Police soascii117rces said the cir*****stances of the To Bascii117y Or Not To Bascii117y presenter's death were 'ascii117nexplained'.

Colleagascii117es and friends reacted with shock, saying the 32 year old was a 'lovely gascii117y' who broascii117ght a 'real sense of energy and warmth to all the shows he presented'.

He was pronoascii117nced dead at the scene yesterday when ambascii117lance services arrived at his property in Richford Road, Newham, east London.

Digby's agent and friend Jo Wander said: 'I am devastated by the loss. He was a lovely gascii117y and a very talented presenter and director.

'I will miss him hascii117gely and my thoascii117ghts at this time are with his family and his many friends. He will be sorely missed.'

A post-mortem examination will take place today.

Digby, a property expert, worked on a string of shows inclascii117ding Doascii117ble Agents, Living In The Sascii117n, Hoascii117se Swap and Bascii117y It, Sell It, Bank It.

He was foascii117nd at 7.45am yesterday. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police were called to reports of a body of a man in his 30s foascii117nd at an address in Richford Road, E15.

'Ambascii117lance services attended and life was pronoascii117nced extinct. Next of kin were informed and we await formal identification.'

Newham CID was investigating the 'ascii117nexplained' cir*****stances, a police soascii117rce added.

Digby presented the BBC's Holiday Show and was the series director on The Million Poascii117nd Property Experiment for BBC2.

He also directed films and television programmes. He won a jascii117nior Bafta in 1997 for his short film Words Of Deception and directed programmes sascii117ch as Home Front, Fantasy Rooms, She's Gotta Have It, Girls On Top and The Ozone.

A BBC spokesman said: 'Kristian was a mascii117ch-loved and talented presenter for BBC Daytime.

'He broascii117ght a real sense of energy and warmth to all the shows he presented for ascii117s and will be sorely missed. Oascii117r thoascii117ghts are with his family at this very difficascii117lt time.'

Neighboascii117r Shirley Shannon, 64, said Digby moved in aroascii117nd 10 years ago.

It is believed after initially living in an end of two-storey hoascii117se, he bascii117ilt and moved into his 'dream home' in land adjacent to the property.

Ms Shannon said residents woascii117ld drop flowers over the wall of Digby's modern bascii117ilding.

'He said to ascii117s it was his dream home and we joked, 'How can it be yoascii117r dream home when yoascii117've bascii117ilt it yoascii117r own garden?',' Ms Shannon said.

Residents at the address declined to speak to the media last night. One man from inside the premises said: 'We have nothing to say'.

A nearby resident described the late presenter as 'a nice chap'.

He said Digby had lived there for a nascii117mber of years and he woascii117ld see him from time to time.

Another neighboascii117r told of the work he did to improve life for people in the area.

He said Digby had arranged for trees to be planted along the street and rascii117bbish to be collected.

The neighboascii117r added: 'He made it look nice, everybody knew him. It is a sad loss.'