Comedian Paul Whitehouse fought back against a mugger at a cashpoint in Islington, north London, on Friday, his wife said, the BBC and the Evening Standard reported. Whitehouse, 68, is known for the BBC series Gone Fishing with Bob Mortimer, the BBC and the Evening Standard reported.

His wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir, shared the news on Instagram, the BBC and the Evening Standard reported. "He did fight back and retrieved his card, with the perp scuttling away empty-handed," she wrote, according to the BBC and the Evening Standard. "But that's not the point, is it," she added, according to the Evening Standard.

Conkbayir said Whitehouse had gone out to get medicine for her after she had a bad reaction to some treatment, the BBC and the Evening Standard reported. The mugging happened at a cashpoint by a Sainsbury's, the BBC and the Evening Standard reported. The Evening Standard reported that it was on Essex Road.

"Well, a horrid start to the weekend, would be an understatement," Conkbayir wrote, according to the BBC and the Evening Standard. She said her husband wanted her to post about it "in the hope that it might help folk to be more aware when out and about," the BBC and the Evening Standard reported. She urged people to be "super vigilant," the BBC and the Evening Standard reported.

Friends and fans posted messages of support, the BBC and the Evening Standard reported. Comedian Dawn French called the incident "utterly not okay," the BBC reported. Actor Georgina Hagen wrote, "Thank goodness he's ok," the Evening Standard reported.

Whitehouse is also known for The Fast Show, the BBC reported. He has been cast as Argus Filch in HBO's coming Harry Potter series, the BBC reported.

What we know: Conkbayir says Whitehouse fought off a mugger and kept his card on Friday.
What we don't: Whether the incident was reported to police or anyone has been arrested.