Mathew Horne: ‘My dream dinner party? My mother and me. She passed away this year’

Born in Nottinghamshire, Mathew Horne, 41, studied drama at Manchester University. One half of the comedy duo Mat and MacKinnon, he was spotted at Edinburgh festival by Catherine Tate, who gave him a role in her sketch show. Horne’s TV work includes Teachers and Gavin And Stacey; on stage he has appeared in Entertaining Mr Sloane and Rain Man. A new Gavin And Stacey special will be broadcast on Christmas Day. He lives in London.

What is your greatest fear?

Prison or the army.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My absolute need to have a routine and complete my day’s to-do list. If I don’t, my anxiety is unbearable.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Stinginess.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

In the mid-90s, I was in my bedroom with my first girlfriend. My mum and dad were in the garden enjoying the evening. I had the lamp on and, with the curtains closed, it created a very graphic shadow puppet performance.

Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?

A Christian Dior coat.

What makes you unhappy?

Not working.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Since turning 41, everything. I don’t look in mirrors any more because I don’t recognise what I see.

What is your most unappealing habit?

Smoking.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I wanted to be a prosthetic makeup artist after watching A Nightmare On Elm Street.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Deliveroo.

Which living person do you most despise, and why?

I don’t like Piers Morgan and I don’t think I need to say why.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

My mother. Just me and her. She passed away this year.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

No problem.

When did you last cry, and why?

Yesterday, because grief creeps up on you.

How do you relax?

I don’t. I feel most relaxed when I am acting or writing.

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How often do you have sex?

Whenever time permits.

What is the closest you’ve come to death?

Last Christmas I was clipped by a train. Mum was dying so my head was elsewhere. I was walking home and had to cross one of those crossings that say, “Stop, look and listen.” I didn’t do any of those things, and I had my headphones in so I couldn’t even hear the train. It clipped my left elbow.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

Better sleep.

What keeps you awake at night?

Insomnia. I go to bed at 9.30pm and listen to Radio 4.

How would you like to be remembered?

As a half-decent actor.