This is the moment beloved comedian Paul Whitehouse is attacked by a thug in broad daylight as he steps up to use a cashpoint in a busy central London street.
Disturbing footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows how the popular 68-year-old entertainer was violently set upon by a stranger in Islington last Friday.
The Fast Show and Gone Fishing star had been on his way to pick up medication for his wife and was getting cash when he got into an altercation outside a Sainsbury's local on the Essex Road, close to where they live, and he was violently set upon.
News of the attack - which was then widely reported - first emerged via an Instagram post by his wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir, on Saturday.
She posted: 'Well, a horrid start to the weekend would be an understatement…Last night, Paul dashed out to get me some meds. He was mugged on Essex Road (Islington) - at the cashpoint beside the Sainsbury's Local. He did fight back and retrieved his card, with the perp scuttling away empty-handed. But that's not the point, is it.'
The CCTV confirms that Mr Whitehouse bravely stood up for himself in the face of a surprise assault by someone he had apparently not even noticed.
Paul Whitehouse was attacked by a thug in broad daylight as he used a cashpoint in Islington
The comedian, 68, was on his way to pick up medication for his wife when he got into an altercation outside a Sainsbury's local not far from his home in London
His wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir, 45, first spoke of the 'horrid' attack last Saturday when she wrote about the incident on Instagram, warning people to remain vigilant
Dr Conkbayir and Mr Whitehouse, seen at a film premiere in Mayfair this month, have been a couple for two decades, having met when she was working at a health food shop in Islington
But it also appears to show that, rather than a conventional mugging however, the flare up came about when the attacker became angry at the comedian going to use the cashpoint before him - when he had been waiting for it to become free.
And rather than trying to steal his bank card, in fact it had been left at the ATM after his attack on the star - and he then threw it towards him, with Mr Whitehouse then bending down to retrieve it.
A local shopkeeper saw what happened and told the Mail: 'The sudden escalation to physical violence was completely disproportionate and no doubt terrifying for Paul.
'He's a hugely popular character around here. Everyone knows and loves him so there's been a lot of upset over the news. To be fair, it wasn't really a mugging as first reported - it was more like queue rage.
'But that doesn't make it any less awful - to attack a man who is nearly 70 just because he didn't notice you were waiting is shocking behaviour. The bloke needs to be caught before he does this to someone else.'
Dr Conkbayir, 45, who hosts a podcast with her husband, had explained that Paul had gone out that day to help her after she had had 'a bad reaction to some treatment' which left her 'feeling rather rotten'.
She went on: 'I kept shtum, out of respect, but he just came over, having taken our daughter to football, still frustrated. I asked whether he'd like me to post - he said yes - in the hope that it might help folk to be more aware when out and about.
'So, please, everyone - I don't mean to patronise, but please be super vigilant out there.'
Mr Whitehouse, who this week revealed he has been forced to give up sugar after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, has been in a relationship with Dr Conkbayir for over two decades, having met when she was working at a health food shop in Islington while studying.
Despite marrying in 2019 and having a daughter, Delilah, together, the pair prefer to live close to one another in North London rather than in the same household.
In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, their relationship was described as one that developed slowly by Dr Conkbayir, who said Whitehouse was 'scared because of the age gap and his celebrity status'.
'I guess he had to ask himself what I really wanted,' she said.
Dr Conkbayir endured a difficult childhood at the hands of her drug-dealer father, who threatened to stab her mother and openly took cocaine in front of his family.
However, her difficult start did not prevent her from achieving an illustrious academic career in neuroscience, specifically concerning brain development in babies and small children.
Mr Whitehouse is well known for his work on Gone Fishing, which he presents with fellow comedian Bob Mortimer
The Welsh comic, who has also appeared in The Fast Show and Alice and Wonderland, pictured with Johnny Depp
Dr Conkbayir has a PhD in early childhood education and neuroscience, and has also released a book on the subject which set out how brain patterns developed in a child's first three years govern their adult life.
She is a lecturer, an award-winning author, trainer and also has an MBE for her services to childcare, as well as her own consultancy firm.
Their podcast is called 'I'm ADHD! No You're Not' and has featured a slew of celebrity guests including Stephen Fry, comedian Nish Kumar and actor Simon Pegg.
Both she and Mr Whitehouse have campaigned for meaningful support and accessible services for families with neurodivergent children.
Last week, they appeared on BBC Breakfast discussing their view on the independent Fonagy Review into ADHD and Autism.
'We welcome the report's calls for tighter regulation of private clinics and a shift towards a needs-led system; we need action,' she wrote.
'The government has promised a response strategy by the end of the year, but families cannot afford to wait any longer.'
The attack is the latest celebrity crime episode in Sir Sadiq Khan's lawless London as figures indicate crime has soared in England's capital city since the Labour mayor came into power.
Last year, an Algerian migrant was jailed for two years and four months after stealing a suitcase carrying £250,000 worth of luxury items and jewellery from Jenson Button's wife Brittny.
Mr Whitehouse revealed he had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes this week and has had to give up his chocolate habit in order to stay fit and healthy
Mourad Aid, 41, swiped Mrs Button's Goyard carry-on, filled with jewellery from her wedding and heirlooms she wanted to pass onto her daughter, on February 13, 2025, as they returned from a Valentine's getaway in Paris.
That same year, Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chennour had her phone stolen by prolific Algerian thief Zacariah Boulares in a Joe & The Juice branch on High Street Kensington.
CCTV obtained by the Daily Mail showed the actress bravely fighting back against the then 18-year-old who had threatened to behead Aled Jones with a machete while stealing his £17,000 Rolex just 18 months before.
Mr Whitehouse and Dr Conkbayir were approached for comment.