BOB MORTIMER

I was a solicitor once, so I'm truly grateful because I know what it's like to have a proper job.

That's the thing, you see, we were never good enough to write proper punchlines.

I'm not a fan of stand-up comedy, personally. But some of them are incredibly skilled.

I come from the era when that continental stuff, the skimmed yogurt and a croissant, was a healthy start to the day.

I get tempted to do a reality show because I enjoy them so much.

Having an audience in the studio makes you perform rather than just act.

I thought I had a chest infection and went to the doctor - five days later I was under the knife. It came completely out of the blue. My arteries were 95% blocked.

We've ignored audiences all these years. We've just amused ourselves and hoped enough people would want to eavesdrop to make it all viable.

The wife and the kids provide my exercise, but I have to be careful because I have rheumatoid arthritis all over my body.

Between the age of 30 and going fishing, none of my friendships had any of that magic dust of when you were young. There was a sort of functionality to them, just keeping in touch. 'Oh, I should invite so and so, I haven't seen them for ages.

Performing in front of an audience gives you an extra ten per cent energy and the chance to react to the instant feedback.

There are quite detailed rules with sitcom. When people can leave scenes, act structure, joke rhythm. You can't not have a straight man.

It's like cooks don't watch cooking programmes - I suppose maybe comedians don't watch comedy shows.

Funnily enough, 'Shooting Stars,' that stupid little panel show, is the most influential thing we've done.

I was the youngest of four boys, raised in North Yorkshire.

After my triple bypass I got my sheet of healthy and unhealthy foods and I was like, croissants!?! Literally as bad as lard.

I look at stuff like the 'The Whole 19 Yards' and it reminds me of my childhood watching shows with Mike Reid and kids climbing over obstacles.

I had three bypasses in one go, using arteries harvested from my leg and the right side of my chest.

I don't feel scared about death, I just feel so frustrated and sad to think I won't see how stories end. My children's story. My wife's. The football. All the stories going on in the world that you're going to miss the end of.

We're not scientific comedians, thinking like, 'Things have moved on, we need to do this, we need to reflect the world in this way.'

In broadcasting, there's a lot of longevity offered to people like Griff Rhys Jones and Stephen Fry, who are polymaths more than comics. We're comics first and foremost.

You know the thing I liked about fishing when I was 14 was being out with your mates mucking about, throwing bread around, getting a bit wet maybe.

After I had my heart operation I got really into heart stuff. I did think it would be lovely to go on 'Strictly' just so people could see I wasn't finished. But, sadly, now I couldn't because of my joints. I'd be hobbling around.

Our comedy is just falling over, funny faces, arguments, all the comedy basics, really.

I don't fish but had always wanted to after doing it as a kid.