The comedian and actor Alan Davies insisted yesterday that he was “not normally an aggressive guy” after being accused of biting a tramp’s ear while drunk.

Best known on screen for his curly mop of hair and faux-idiotic demeanour, Mr Davies, a vegetarian, was accused of sinking his teeth into Paul McElfatrick outside the Groucho Club in Soho, Central London, last week.

Mr McElfatrick, who scrapes an existence by entertaining tourists in the street, said that the actor, who played the lead role in the BBC detective drama Jonathan Creek, bit down on his ear for 13 seconds, drawing blood.

The 41-year-old actor, who used to write a football column for The Times, is seen on CCTV footage grappling with Mr McElfatrick. He admitted having “a tussle”, but said that it began after Mr McElfatrick became agressive. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning after Mr Davies had given a eulogy at the funeral of his friend Verity Lambert, the producer of Jonathan Creek. The comedian, who appears with Stephen Fry on QI, the intellectually offbeat quiz show, admitted that he had drunk heavily and was emotional.

Mr McElfatrick said that he yelled “Jonathan Creek” at Mr Davies, which angered him. He said: “I thought he was going to whisper something but his face darkened and he almost spat the words, ‘My name’s Alan. You know my name – Alan. What’s my name? It’s Alan.’ Then he suddenly went for my left ear. It was incredibly painful. I shrieked and my eyes were watering. He hung on and drew blood.

“I’ve seen Alan on TV and he seems so mild mannered. He’s a bit of a mummy’s boy really with his sheepish grin and silly jokes. So when I felt his teeth around my ear I just couldn’t believe it. I was shaking with shock afterwards. You’d think an educated millionaire like him would have more decency.”

Mr Davies, a fervent Arsenal supporter who loves motorbikes, said that he did not have a full memory of the incident but remembered Mr McElfatrick swearing at him. He said: “I was very upset and emotional. I had a lot to drink over many hours. Far too much, really, and a lot more than normal, but it was an upsetting day.

“I remember this guy coming up and wanting to talk. After a while he started getting aggressive. He began calling me the c-word and other names. I lost it a bit and we had something of a tussle. My friends pulled us apart. I didn’t realise he was homeless. The next morning I texted my friends to apologise and find out exactly what happened.”

Speaking outside his home in North London, he added: “I guess this isn’t going to look good, is it? The last thing I want is another negative story about ‘that obnoxious Jonathan Creek star’. What’s this going to say?”

Told it would be something akin to “Jonathan Creek bites tramp’s ear”, he said: “Oh God. I don’t mean to laugh but that’s funny isn’t it? Oh God, what a nightmare. I’m really not normally an aggressive guy, honest.”

The Metropolitan Police said yesterday that they had not received a complaint about the incident.

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