| ‘Going on stage and being in the public eye ended my shyness’: Bob Mortimer. Photograph: Richard Grassie |
Life and style
Katherine Hassell
Sat 9 Oct 2021 14.00 BST
Interview
Bob Mortimer: ‘I’m comfortable with getting older, but I try not to look in the mirror’
The comedian, 62, on growing up shy in Middlesbrough, losing his dad, meeting Vic Reeves, and the deep contentment of fishing
Katherine Hassell
Sat 9 Oct 2021 14.00 BST
I was quite a shy boy. Growing up in Middlesbrough, I felt a bit of an outsider. My three elder brothers are funny and boisterous and I was in awe of them. I felt like an appendage. It’s probably the curse of being a younger kid. I’ve seen some become the loudest because they fight for their place, and others retreat to the fringes. I was in the latter group.