Comedian Sean Hughes’ £4m fortune is given to homelessness charity after 10-year court battle over his homemade will

Sean Hughes’ £4million fortune has been donated to a homelessness charity nearly a decade after his death after the High Court delayed his home-made will.

The British-born Irish comedian, who died in 2017 aged 51, saw his property portfolio transferred to the Shelter organisation.

He was a staunch supporter of the charity’s work and in his will left it his North London home, worth £1.8 million, as well as two other homes worth a total of £2.15 million.

However, the handmade document was obscured by some vague wording and sent to the Supreme Court to decide how his wealth would be distributed.

Almost a decade later, a judge finally concluded that the comic, who had never been married, intended to bequeath his estate to Shelter.

These include Mr Hughes’ former home in Glasslyn Road, Crouch End, and two more in nearby Edison Avenue and Elder Avenue, valued at £1.5 million and £650,000 each.

His will came before the High Court because he had prepared his will using an online platform without legal assistance, which resulted in the will being worded vaguely.

The main problem was the people who saw that they had bequeathed ‘my three houses to the Shelter’.

The comedian left the £1.8 million North London home and two other homes nearby on Edison Avenue and Elder Avenue, worth a total of £2.15 million, to the foundation in his will. Image: Edison Boulevard property

This became a problem because he actually only owned one house, while his other two houses were in the name of a company of which he was the sole shareholder.

Although his family agreed that the shares in the company, and therefore the property, should go to charity, the case had to be referred to a judge for decision.

After a brief hearing via video link, Master Iain Pester concluded that the ‘correct construction of the will’ was for the shares to be transferred to Shelter.

Had the judge ruled otherwise, the two properties would have been left to Mr Hughes’s remaining estate, in the trust of his wider family.

Barrister Aidan Briggs, executor of the will, and Alexander Learmonth KC, on behalf of Shelter, said his family and the charity agreed Shelter was the correct beneficiary.

Speaking afterwards, Andy Harris, the charity’s director of income generation, said: ‘Sean Hughes was a passionate supporter of Shelter’s work and we are extremely grateful for the generous gift he left in his will.

‘We worked closely with Sean’s family to ensure his wishes were carried out.

‘Gifts left to wills are a vital source of income for the Shelter.

‘This donation will enable us to continue to provide expert support and advice to people affected by the housing emergency and to campaign for everyone’s right to a safe and secure home.’

Mr Hughes was born to Irish parents in Archway, north London, but spent much of his youth living at his paternal grandmother’s house in Dublin.

The legendary comedian made his debut in the alternative stand-up scene of the eighties at the Comedy Store in 1987.

In 1990, at the age of 24, he won the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award for his groundbreaking show ‘A One-Night Stand with Sean Hughes’.

Mr Hughes (left, presenter Mark Lamarr, centre) was the long-serving team captain on the BBC music competition Never Minds the Buzzcocks in 1996 and served opposite Phill Jupitus (right) until 2002.

His former promoter Richard Bucknall previously described him as ‘a pioneering, groundbreaking comedian who changed comedy with the live show’.

Unlike other films of its time, it featured a narrative flow rather than simple jokes, making it stand out in the often quite saturated landscape of British comedy.

From there he moved into television, starring in the award-winning Channel 4 series Sean’s Show in 1992, which became a cult hit.

Mr Hughes later became team captain on the BBC music competition Never Minds the Buzzcocks in 1996, serving opposite Phill Jupitus until 2002.

He soon became a fixture on the hit show, appearing in 91 episodes across ten series.

In addition to his television and stand-up work, he also had an excellent writing career, publishing numerous novels and poetry collections.

From 2002 he also stepped into radio, presenting the Sunday morning show on the then newly formed BBC 6 Music.

Mr Hughes admitted to drinking heavily throughout his career.

Although he had quit in 2012, he had started drinking again before his death, saying: ‘Apparently I’m boring when I’m sober.’

He tragically died after suffering a heart attack in October 2017 and it was later revealed that he was suffering from advanced liver disease.