Lawyer turned comedian Bob Mortimer, 58, is one half of the comedy duo Vic and Bob with Vic Reeves. The Yorkshireman has two sons, Harry and Tom, with his wife, Lisa. They live in London.
How did your childhood influence your attitude to money and work ethic?
I was the youngest of four boys, raised in North Yorkshire. I was just a toddler when my dad died in a car crash. With my mum, Eunice, being a young widow with a large family, she really struggled money-wise.
She worked for the Ministry of Food, going around the country teaching people how to make do with their rations.
At Christmas I’d help her count up all her Embassy cigarette coupons and send those off, which would pay for our turkey and Christmas presents.
Then, to make things worse, I accidentally burnt our house down when I was seven – and Mum hadn’t insured it. It was devastating for us. We were split up and lived with various...