Jim is 38. At the age of 7 he nearly passed his cycling proficiency test. At 10 he gained a certificate for almost swimming one width unaided. Buoyed by achieving so much so young, he foolishly let his career drift for a while. He dabbled with acting, appearing very briefly in Grange Hill, though not as Tucker, Benny or Fat Alan. He dipped a toe in advertising writing campaigns for a hair loss product that boasted a look as luxurious as real hair when painted onto the scalp. But the dream of international fame was ebbing away. 

Then, at 27, he was nominated for a Perrier Award. Galvanised once again by his innate ability to almost win things he wrote some plays, some comedy shows for Radio 4 and a filthy puppet show for MTV. At 37 Jim won the Comedy Award at the LA Film Festival for his film Ripple and recorded some animal grunts and snuffles for Ice Age 3. He hasn’t got out of bed since.