The comedian and actor on his Cure obsession, surviving a press storm, and being heckled by Robbie Williams

Born in Nottinghamshire in 1978, Mathew Horne is a comedian and actor. He studied drama at Manchester University, where he and Bruce Mackinnon formed Mat and Mackinnon – a duo who would be headhunted by Catherine Tate in the early 00s. Horne has since appeared in TV shows such as Teachers, Bad Education, Gavin and Stacey, and Inside No 9. On stage, he has starred in Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Homecoming and Rain Man. Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs on Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer. He lives in London with his wife and son.

This photo was taken on mufti day at primary school. We didn’t have to wear school uniform, and as I was very interested in Captain Pugwash I went dressed as him. I was also very into the Cure; they were an important band to me, even as an eight-year-old. That drawing in the background, the gold cobweb on black paper, is a homage to their song Lullaby. I was a happy kid, but given my artistic inclination, there was clearly a bittersweet goth in me too. In hindsight, it would have been cooler if I had dressed as Robert Smith.