One of the United Kingdom's finest character actors was shocked yesterday after having been viciously savaged by a large ostrich and left with a singed ear.
Egan, 61, was signing his most recent autobiography 'Here I go Egan' at Waterstones Bookstore in Todmorden, West Yorkshire when the surprise attack occured. The bird is one of the largest ever found in the British Isles weighing a massive twelve stones (168 pounds).
Store manager Brian Galvin said, "I've never seen the like. I tell thee."
The huge Struthio camelus (latin for ostrich) was seen minding it's own business in the self-help section of the store before it spied the star of Ever Decreasing Circles and darted towards him, knocking off his half-moon glasses and pecking him in the head.
A keen Egan fan reacted quickly and scared the bird away by spraying an aerosol onto a zippo lighter. "The ostrich backed right off," explained superfan Milo Henge, "but unfortunately I set fire to Peter a bit."
The star was treated for minor light ear burn but still found time to share a joke with the seventeen people in the queue. "It's not the first time I've been hit by a fat bird!", he quipped.
The Ostrich was removed from the store by detectives and taken to a local Toby carvery for punishment.
