Don't invite Bob Mortimer to dinner...

Comic reveals how he hates such gatherings

comedy If you’re making a fantasy dinner party guest list, Bob Mortimer might be up there among your ideal companions.

But don’t bother inviting the Gone Fishing star – as he’s revealed he hates the very idea of a dinner party.

‘Sounds like torture to me,’ he said. ‘I think it's because I was brought up in pubs and that atmosphere. I'm comfortable then, and you can have a chat.

‘I hate that sort of formal fear. I mean, it's for different folks, isn't it? It’s not for me.’

He also said he’d decline barbecues, adding: ‘The people I know don’t invite me to anything – and don't take any offence.’

Mortimer also revealed his favourite snacks are Ringos and cashew nuts (‘I think their shape's quite amusing’) as well as going into detail about which foods he eats while watching TV, with every Real Housewives franchise having its accompanying dish:

Mortimer also told how he was told to go easy on one of favourite treats after his 2015 emergency triple heart bypass – but hasn’t entirely followed the expert advice.

He told hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett: ‘The dietician came in afterwards, I said… "Am I ever gonna eat cheese again?" And she said, "You can have a matchbox size, every week". That's all. That broke my heart, you know.

‘There are probably those who do stick to it, but I think I'm probably in the school of thought that I'd rather have three years less.’

And here he is answering some quickfire food questions.