"There are some amazing comics - Chris Morris, Bill Hicks, Richard Prior - but the biggest inspiration for me is Peter Cook. He was just the very embodiment of comedy and gave his life over to it. I love the way he was eccentric, charming and noble.

"You do get people saying that because of his drinking he never really fulfilled his potential, but look at what he achieved from his early days in Beyond The Fringe all the way through to the time he would ring up radio talkshows late at night pretending he was a Norwegian fisherman called Sven.

"One of my proudest ever moments was when I got a letter from his widow, Lin. In it she said that Peter would have really liked me - even though he would have been appalled by my vanity! If ever you come to my house, you'll see that I have a Peter Cook shrine in my living room. I call it 'Peter Cook Corner' and I have a signed photograph of him, a copy of Harry Thompson's brilliant biography and the letter from Lin. It's a sacred place."