Mark Thomas, 44, is a comedian, writer and activist. Since 1996 he has made seven series of his television show The Mark Thomas Comedy Product and several documentaries for Channel 4. Thomas's run of shows at the Venue Leicester Square continues until December 15 and Serious Organised Criminal, a DVD of his stand-up comedy, is released on December 10. He lives in Clapham, south London, with his wife, Jenny, his son, Charlie, 12, and daughter, Izzy, seven. Daily routine If I'm at home and not away touring or filming I get up at 7.30 to see the kids. I take Izzy to school (the same primary school that I went to) on the back of my bike. Childhood ambitions When I was eight, for a week or so I wanted to be a vicar. My grandfather, Pastor Mothersole, was a Baptist non-conformist preacher. As a child I went to church every week and I did my first gig aged four when I read AA Milne's Has Anyone Seen My Mouse? from the pulpit. Religious views I've been an atheist since the age of eight. A visiting pastor at church performed a magic trick that ended with him tapping a chalice and it filling with coins. I asked him how he did it and he said, 'All you need is faith,' When I got home I rushed down to the cellar and found an old Half Corona tin and a stick from my dad's wood box (he was a self-employed builder). I sat there for an hour and left an atheist. Tour essentials My walking boots, compass, Ordnance Survey map and the book A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany by Aubrey Burl. When I first starting touring we would spend the days sitting in hotel rooms and bars. It's great to go out for walks and see the countryside. I make notes in my guidebook each time I visit a stone circle - who I was with, what I saw and what I felt. Collections I have a tin full of different badges. When I was studying drama at Bretton Hall in Yorkshire I was involved in fundraising for the miners' strike. It had an enormous impact on me - it felt like a life-or-death struggle. I have a badge from the Red Shed, the Labour building in Wakefield where I used to perform. In 2002 I was awarded the Kurdish National Congress Medal of Honour for my opposition to the Ilisu Dam project. Memorabilia A few years ago some friends and I made confetti that we took to an arms fair. Messages were printed on the back of each square of coloured paper - one had a picture of a trolley with a bomb in it, another said, 'If we didn't do it someone else would.' We got on a bus full of arms dealers, threw the confetti into the air and everybody ducked. It was wonderful to see the coloured paper spread over them. Artistic weapon A friend of mine made me a box of egg-shaped paint bombs. The carton says, 'Smash the egg, break the bubble, take the bright clean "buy-more" sheen off the icons and logos of consumer culture.' Weekend ritual Charlie and I go to a brilliant record shop in Soho called Sister Ray's. Last Saturday he was after a band he calls Bad Word Disco (their name is Shit Disco). We saw them at Glastonbury and they were really good. Best present Last Christmas Charlie gave me the CD box set of the Clash singles. Guinness world record My certificate says, 'The most political demonstrations carried out in 24 hours is 20 by Mark Thomas on 9th October 2006.' Current campaign Mass lone demos are a way of challenging the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, a law that requires you to get permission from the police to demonstrate in the area around Parliament Square (one person wearing a slogan T-shirt or badge counts as a demonstration). The police have to issue a licence to demonstrate to each individual wishing to do so, so holding lots of single protests winds them up. I needed ideas for things to demonstrate against so Izzy suggested 'ban posh statues' and made a placard. Pets A cat called Cous Cous - my son named him after his favourite food. House guests The most recent person to stay with us, a recovering heroin addict called Sam, left yesterday - he's now clean and at college. We also had a pregnant Polish au pair staying for a while. She had the baby while she was staying with us and for the first three weeks the baby was here too. Interview: Isabel Albiston Photograph: James King | 
