BBC presenter Sean Hughes’ £4million fortune has been gifted to a charity (Image: BBC)
Never Mind the Buzzcocks star Sean Hughes’ hefty £4million fortune has been gifted to a charity after a decade-long court battle over his homemade will. The much-loved Irish comic sadly died in 2017 at the age of 51 after years of suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. After never marrying, Sean’s final will left his £1.8million north London home and two other properties estimated to be worth a staggering £2.15million to the homelessness charity, Shelter.
This means that the BBC star’s former home in Glasslyn Road, Crouch End, and two more in nearby Edison Avenue and Elder Avenue, worth £1.5m and £650,000, will go to charity. The comic rose to fame in 1987 when he began appearing at the Comedy Store venue, before winning the Perrier Comedy Award in 1990 for his show, A One-Night Stand with Sean Hughes.
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He went on to host his own cult Channel 4 show before he joined as team captain of the BBC music quiz show opposite Phill Jupitus from 1996 to 2002. Hughes appeared in 91 episodes across 10 series, which was then fronted by Mark Lamarr.
In addition to bringing joy and humour to fans across the UK with his comedy, he also wrote novels and collections of poetry, and from 2002 he presented the Sunday morning programme on the newly-founded BBC 6 Music.
He also tried his hand at acting, making appearances in the ITV series The Last Detective, and played Pat, the love interest of Eileen Grimshaw, for a brief stint in Coronation Street. He also had a small role in the 1991 film, The Commitments.
Later on in life, Sean opened up about his struggles with booze throughout his career before becoming sober in 2012. But the comedian picked up the bottle again in October 2017 and suffered a cardiac arrest. It was later discovered he was struggling with late-stage liver disease.
After 10 years in court, his three properties were left to the homelessness charity Shelter (Image: BBC)
Sean’s funeral was held at Islington and Camden Cemetery in London, which was filled with several famous faces, including David Baddiel, Omid Djalili, Phil Jupitus and Johnny Vegas, among the mourners.
Complications started to occur after his death regarding his will, which had been written using an online platform without legal assistance. It was then taken to the High Court to debate over the vague wording, with the main issue centring around his various London properties.
He expressed that he wished to leave “my three houses to shelter”, but he only owned one home. The two others were actually in the name of a company, of which he was only a shareholder. Sean’s family had agreed that the company’s shares, and therefore the properties connected to them, should go to Shelter, but the case still had to be referred to a judge for a decision.
Master Iain Pester concluded that the “correct construction of the will” was that the shares pass to Shelter. Had the judge declined this, the two properties would have remained in the trust for his wider family.
Barrister Aidan Briddgs, for the executor of Sean’s will, and Alexander Learmonth KC, for Shelter, said his family and the charity both agreed that Shelter was the correct beneficiary after 10 years in court.
After the decision was declared, Andy Harris, the charity’s director of income generation, said: “Sean Hughes was a passionate supporter of Shelter’s work, and we are enormously grateful for the generous gift left in his will. We have worked closely with Sean’s family to ensure his wishes are honoured.
“Gifts left in wills are a vital source of income for Shelter. This donation will enable us to continue to deliver expert support and advice to people impacted by the housing emergency and to campaign for everyone’s right to a safe and secure home.”