Comedian Paul Whitehouse mugged at London cashpoint

Actor and comedian Paul Whitehouse has fought back against someone who tried to steal his card at an London cash machine, according to his wife.

Dr Mine Conkbayir posted on Instagram that her husband had gone out to get some medication on Friday, when he was mugged at a cash machine behind a Sainsbury’s in Islington.

“He did fight back and retrieved his card, with the perp scuttling away empty-handed,” she wrote, warning people to be “super vigilant” out there.

The Welsh comedian, 68, is known for his work on The Fast Show and BBC’s Gone Fishing.

In her post, Conkbayir said Whitehouse was picking up medication for her after she had a bad reaction to some treatment.

“Well, a horrid start to the weekend, would be an understatement,” she wrote, adding that she had been encouraged by her husband to make the post “in the hope that it might help folk to be more aware when out and about”.

Friends and fans alike have flooded to the comments of Conkbayir’s post, condemning the attack and wishing Whitehouse a speedy recovery.

Among them were fellow comedian Dawn French, who wrote that the incident in Islington was “utterly not okay”, and Angela Barnes, who said it was a “horrible thing to happen” and she was “sending love to you both”.

Whitehouse is best known for his work on Gone Fishing, which he presents alongside fellow comedian Bob Mortimer.

The BBC Two series began in 2018 and sees Whitehouse and Mortimer discuss life while fishing. It has been nominated six times for a Bafta TV award.

The comedian has also been cast as Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television series.