 Potter's family moved to Farnham, Surrey, where he played principal roles with the Farnham Amateur Operatic Society, including Strephon in "Iolanthe" (1955) and Barinkay in "The Gypsy Baron" (1956).He studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he won prizes as a tenor and graduated with a teaching degree.Potter taught school for a while, and then debuted in the 1958 production of "Where's Charley?"