A teacher who used to climb on his desk to illustrate history lessons has been named as the man who inspired comedy star Harry Enfield.

Bernard Moss was determined to bring the past to life for his pupils.

The Benedictine monk was not afraid to stand on his desk to play a mutineer or give pupils a role in enactments of great battles.

His enthusiasm was endearing and infectious for the teenage boys who looked forward to his lessons.

Little did Father Bernard know that one of the boys he taught would go on to entertain millions in a similar manner.

That boy was Harry Enfield and yesterday the creator of characters such as Wayne and Waynetta Slob, Tim Nicebutdim and Loadsamoney, revealed Fr Bernard was the inspiration for his career in comedy.

His unconventional teaching methods at Worth School, near Crawley, had given him the taste for being "an idiot".

Enfield, attending the premiere of the new Disney film Monsters Inc, said: "He used to stand on the desk pretending to be a sepoy mutineer being blown off the end of an English cannon while the rest of the class went 'boom'. He inspired me to be an idiot."

Fr Bernard died of cancer in 1996 but Worth headmaster Father Christopher Jamison said: "I think the best teachers do inspire and Fr Bernard was well known for re-enacting battles rather than relying on text books to teach.

"He used to have a long wooden pole with which he would re-enact the Charge of the Light Brigade. And he used matchboxes to represent the different sides in the Battle of Waterloo.

"Every pupil would be involved in one way or another and all of them learned their history because they found Fr Bernard so refreshing to listen to.

"If he were alive today, I'm sure he would be very proud and delighted if he knew how much of an influence he had had on such a successful former pupil."

Fr Christopher said the monk continued to inspire pupils even after he retired.

He said: "Every year, we take Year 9 pupils to the battlefields of Flanders. Fr Bernard would accompany the trip and take groups of boys into the museum trenches and say: 'Right boys, when I blow my whistle, we're going over the top.' And over they would all clamber. These 13-year-olds would come back wide-eyed and mesmerised.

"Interestingly, modern teaching methods encourage empathy. Bernard did this all his life. He was ahead of his time."

Despite Enfield's comic creation of teenage rebel Kevin, the teenage Harry is remembered as quiet and polite.

Fr Christopher recalled: "He was a good mimic but really rather quiet."

The comedian's new BBC programme, Harry Enfield's Big Arts Show, encourages young people to achieve creative success with the help of seasoned performers and artists.

Guest experts include Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, actresses Prunella Scales and Helena Bonham Carter, writer Nick Hornby, opera singer Lesley Garrett and fashion designer Wayne Hemingway.

Enfield has so far not been back to his old school, which also boasts actor Robert Bathurst, David from the hit series Cold Feet, and Olympic triple jumper Larry Achike among its famous old boys.