Vic Reeves Big Night Out
Encyclopedia
Vic Reeves Big Night Out was a cult
British comedy
stage
show and later TV
series which ran on Channel 4
for two series in 1990 and 1991, as well as a New Year special. It marked the beginnings of the collaboration between Vic Reeves
(real name Jim Moir) and Bob Mortimer
and started their Vic and Bob
comedy double act
.
The show was later acknowledged as a seminal force in British comedy
throughout the 1990s and which continues to the present day.
Arguably the most surreal
of the pair's work, Vic Reeves Big Night Out was effectively a parody of the variety show
s which dominated the early years of television, but which were, by the early 1990s, falling from grace. Vic, introduced as "Britain's Top Light Entertainer and Singer", would sit behind a cluttered desk talking nonsense and introducing the various segments and surreal guests on the show. Vic Reeves Big Night Out is notable as the only time in their career where Vic solely took the role of host, while Bob was consigned to the back stage, appearing every few minutes as either himself or as a strange character. The two received equal billing in the series credits
.
On 3 October 2007, the first episode was re-broadcast on More4
as part of Channel 4 at 25, a season of classic Channel 4 programmes shown to celebrate the channel's 25th birthday.
On 25 October 2009, repeats of Big Night Out began running on TV channel G.O.L.D..
in London. Not knowing how to book acts, he decided to put on a show of his own, changing his name every night, but eventually sticking with Vic Reeves and calling the show Vic Reeves' Variety Palladium. In 1986, he moved the show to the Goldsmiths Tavern, New Cross
and renamed it Vic Reeves' Big Night Out.
The first shows were attended by a few friends whom Moir had invited to see his performance, one of whom brought solicitor Bob Mortimer along with him. Mortimer soon became friendly with Moir, and was invited on the stage to talk about his day at work. He soon became a regular fixture in the show and began to write material with Moir. Through word of mouth, the audience quickly grew to a large number of devotees, including Jools Holland
, Jonathan Ross
, Charlie Higson
, and Paul Whitehouse
. After the crowd expansion led to a change of venue to the Albany Empire theatre in 1988, backstage man Fred Aylward joined as the regular character Les. Higson and Whitehouse also had bit parts.
The show sparked the interest of Alan Yentob
of the BBC
, and Michael Grade
of Channel 4, and eventually a deal was struck with Channel 4 to put the live show on television. With the help of Jonathan Ross' production company Channel X, a pilot was produced in 1989 (which has never been broadcast or released) where the three hour show was cut down to 25 minutes. The first series began in 1990, and the show ran for two series and one New Year's Eve special, totalling 15 episodes.
Vic would ask him if he is going to reveal what he has on the end of his stick, usually the Man With The Stick refuses - but did occasionally reveal it.
The Man With The Stick would come out each week to a fanfare, and then proceed to talk casually with Vic about a number of drawings on his paper helmet. The helmet "graffiti" would act as a pictorial guide to what he'd been investigating during that week. The item on the end of the stick was usually revealed at the very end of each programme.
Over the course of the second series it is revealed that The Man With The Stick has sold his children to Vic, and, since they are still under contract, he is unable to get them back. Vic uses them as a means to various ends, such as trading them for a car, signing them up to the territorial army and selling their souls to the devil. This gradually plunges the Man With The Stick into a terrible depression. At the end of the final episode, the Man With The Stick drunkenly storms the stage brandishing a gun and shoots Vic, Graham Lister and finally himself.
The Man With The Stick often mentioned his best friend Terry, who invariably subjected him to some horrible experience or humiliation.
.
and horn-rimmed glasses, Lister is described as an acquaintance and admirer of "doctors, dentists and architects". He is Reeves' arch-rival and sour-lipped foil who each week would enter the "Novelty Island" segment of the show with increasingly pathetic acts. He would then share a heated argument with Vic (whom he regularly referred to as "The Fop"). Arguably his most memorable act was "Lard for Laughs" where he dropped lard onto a pile of salt, then pushed a block of lard through a breakfast cereal packet with the face of "pop star" Mickey Rourke
on it.
, operated by Vic and voiced by Bob. Morrissey the Consumer Monkey would often come on to give advice on shoddy or unsafe consumer goods. Usually these items were manufactured and sold by Reeves & Mortimer Products, and the pair would be forced to make a hasty cover-up.
Morrissey had a theme song, sung in duet with Vic, which began with Morrissey claiming "I like watches, I like woods" and Vic countering with "He likes various consumer goods.".
". The pair are also frequently startled. They have many talents including presenting talk shows (interviewing each other), game shows (including party games such as "Pass the Fat," Read the Anthony Trollope
Novel" and "Guess What's On Les's Back") and doing magic shows. Usually however, they just give up and leave the set before their spot is supposed to finish.
The Stotts were one of the very few characters from Vic Reeves Big Night Out to return in later Reeves & Mortimer series. They appeared in the second series of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer
and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
as talk show hosts again, often interviewing celebrities such as Sting and Damon Hill
.
who tell amusing anecdotes and share their knowledge of the world of rambling with the audience, constantly assuring them that "it's not all walking." One (Bob) is clearly having an affair with the other's wife.
", was a puppet dog with a completely naïve understanding of the world. He would often talk about something he had just done, in a high-pitched and rather fey voice. He would, however, suddenly realise that he hadn't thought it through and drop into a guttural Cockney
bellow, shouting "my wife's gonna KILL me!!!." Greg would also reappear in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.
On the Vic Reeves Big Night Out Tour the Living Carpets were played to two "imposters" but were voiced by Vic and Bob who were stood backstage and would enter the stage at the end of the act of kick the "imposters" off stage.
.
or Jimmy Hill
masks, one wields either talcum powder or a beehive and the other a pair of swimming trunks or a bra, and enact a little dance to some traditional jazz punctuated by the sound of a breeze, to illustrate "a pensioner being attacked by some police officers", etc.
, where the so-called Acts Of Tomorrow showcase their various ridiculous talents from the centre of a small paddock, with Vic acting as host. Generally, there would be three acts, one of which would inevitably be Graham Lister, and Vic would make no effort to hide his disgust at Lister's turns. Novelty Island also saw such memorable characters as Mr Wobbly Hand, Judith Grant, the Slitherer, the Hoxton Hockler, Mr Melon in the wind and Wavy Davey make appearances.
s, one of the most respected travel agents on the high street!".
When the accused is inevitably found guilty, Vic spins the Wheel of Justice - after combing its hair - and the audience sing "Spin, spin, spin the Wheel of Justice, see how fast the bastard turns". An equally ludicrous punishment is then handed down (e.g. "One year being adored by the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar
").
For one memorable week, Judge Nutmeg changed the format of the show and tried for a more liberal approach; the Wheel of Conciliation, where he tried to solve the marital problems of a 'separated' couple from the audience, who, incidentally, had never met before.
, now the Too2Much club, in London. It was filmed by Channel X, although there has been no news of what will happen to this recording. There is no sign that this will lead to a fully-fledged reunion tour though if it is a success then that may change. Vic has mentioned that he would like to do more live work, and that the return of the Big Night Out live is not out of the question.
in 2005, many audiences were disappointed to find edits made just to remove the advert break boards. Along with these edits, was also a missing episode. The New Year
special from 1991 was missing when the DVD claimed that it was the complete programme.
The videos originally released in 1990 & 1991 were given the rating of PG by the BBFC but the new DVD release of series 1 & 2 were given the rating of "12" by the BBFC. Channel 4 made a mistake on the cover art of the DVD which displays "15" as the certificate.
Additional:
As a result of the edits, some of the visual gags that straddled the commercial breaks are missing. Examples. In Episode 1 Series 1, Vic announces that he's going to have a pint before the break, and pours one at his desk. After the break, his desk is full of empty pint glasses, and he's drunk. He then goes off to urinate. Later in the same series, judgment on the "Novelty Island" acts is concealed in a giant kebab, which is consumed over the ad break. When the show returns the winner is announced. In the edited version, it cuts from the Island to the kebab which has mysteriously appeared on Vic's desk.
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
British comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
show and later TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series which ran on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
for two series in 1990 and 1991, as well as a New Year special. It marked the beginnings of the collaboration between Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
(real name Jim Moir) and Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer
Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
and started their Vic and Bob
Vic and Bob
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer , more commonly known simply as Vic and Bob or Reeves and Mortimer, are a British comedy double act...
comedy double act
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
.
The show was later acknowledged as a seminal force in British comedy
British comedy
British comedy, in film, radio and television, is known for its consistently quirky characters, plots and settings, and has produced some of the most famous and memorable comic actors and characters in the last fifty years.-Film comedy:...
throughout the 1990s and which continues to the present day.
Arguably the most surreal
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
of the pair's work, Vic Reeves Big Night Out was effectively a parody of the variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s which dominated the early years of television, but which were, by the early 1990s, falling from grace. Vic, introduced as "Britain's Top Light Entertainer and Singer", would sit behind a cluttered desk talking nonsense and introducing the various segments and surreal guests on the show. Vic Reeves Big Night Out is notable as the only time in their career where Vic solely took the role of host, while Bob was consigned to the back stage, appearing every few minutes as either himself or as a strange character. The two received equal billing in the series credits
Motion picture credits
-Opening credits:Opening credits, in a television program, motion picture, or video game, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in...
.
On 3 October 2007, the first episode was re-broadcast on More4
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
as part of Channel 4 at 25, a season of classic Channel 4 programmes shown to celebrate the channel's 25th birthday.
On 25 October 2009, repeats of Big Night Out began running on TV channel G.O.L.D..
History
In the mid-1980s, a friend of Jim Moir's gave him the job of running a comedy clubComedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
in London. Not knowing how to book acts, he decided to put on a show of his own, changing his name every night, but eventually sticking with Vic Reeves and calling the show Vic Reeves' Variety Palladium. In 1986, he moved the show to the Goldsmiths Tavern, New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
and renamed it Vic Reeves' Big Night Out.
The first shows were attended by a few friends whom Moir had invited to see his performance, one of whom brought solicitor Bob Mortimer along with him. Mortimer soon became friendly with Moir, and was invited on the stage to talk about his day at work. He soon became a regular fixture in the show and began to write material with Moir. Through word of mouth, the audience quickly grew to a large number of devotees, including Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
, Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross (television presenter)
Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011...
, Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
, and Paul Whitehouse
Paul Whitehouse
Paul Whitehouse is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He became known for his work with Harry Enfield and as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was in the top 50 comedy acts voted for by comedians and comedy insiders...
. After the crowd expansion led to a change of venue to the Albany Empire theatre in 1988, backstage man Fred Aylward joined as the regular character Les. Higson and Whitehouse also had bit parts.
The show sparked the interest of Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob is a British television executive and presenter who has worked throughout his career at the BBC.-Early life:...
of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and Michael Grade
Michael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
of Channel 4, and eventually a deal was struck with Channel 4 to put the live show on television. With the help of Jonathan Ross' production company Channel X, a pilot was produced in 1989 (which has never been broadcast or released) where the three hour show was cut down to 25 minutes. The first series began in 1990, and the show ran for two series and one New Year's Eve special, totalling 15 episodes.
Les
Played by Fred Aylward, Les was Vic's bald-headed, dribbling, mute, lab coat-wearing assistant. During each show, Vic would reveal a new fact about Les - most notably, that he cannot help but raise a smile whenever he sees a spirit level and that he has a terrible fear of chives (later revealed not to be a fear of the chives themselves but the soil in which they grow). Les also had a fixation with mangoes and was later accompanied by a sycophantic little robot called Dylan.The Man With The Stick
The Man With The Stick is a man (played by Mortimer, except in a few scenes where he appears alongside one of Mortimer's other characters) dressed in a large paper helmet which covers his face. He also wields a long stick, the end of which holds an object obscured by a bag. At the point when the Man With The Stick appears, Vic shouts "What do we say when we see the man with the stick?" to which the audience replies "What's on the end of the stick, Vic?"Vic would ask him if he is going to reveal what he has on the end of his stick, usually the Man With The Stick refuses - but did occasionally reveal it.
The Man With The Stick would come out each week to a fanfare, and then proceed to talk casually with Vic about a number of drawings on his paper helmet. The helmet "graffiti" would act as a pictorial guide to what he'd been investigating during that week. The item on the end of the stick was usually revealed at the very end of each programme.
Over the course of the second series it is revealed that The Man With The Stick has sold his children to Vic, and, since they are still under contract, he is unable to get them back. Vic uses them as a means to various ends, such as trading them for a car, signing them up to the territorial army and selling their souls to the devil. This gradually plunges the Man With The Stick into a terrible depression. At the end of the final episode, the Man With The Stick drunkenly storms the stage brandishing a gun and shoots Vic, Graham Lister and finally himself.
The Man With The Stick often mentioned his best friend Terry, who invariably subjected him to some horrible experience or humiliation.
The Ponderers
Appearing in series two, Vic and Bob's Swiss counterparts who wear only their underpants, white perms and very large fake chins. Each week they would be seen on their own parallel Swiss Night Out pondering over a specific decision (for instance, whether or not to inject ink into a battenberg cake), whilst thoughtfully rubbing their chins. The use of Swiss as a descriptor continued in other projects for the character Swiss ToniSwiss Toni
Swiss Toni is a fictional used-car dealer played by Charlie Higson, and also the title of a sitcom in which he is the main character. Swiss Toni is a 50-something car dealer going through a midlife crisis. To Toni almost any situation in life is best understood as being "like making love to a...
.
Graham Lister
Played by Bob in a black curly wig, brown macMackintosh
The Mackintosh or Macintosh is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made out of rubberised fabric...
and horn-rimmed glasses, Lister is described as an acquaintance and admirer of "doctors, dentists and architects". He is Reeves' arch-rival and sour-lipped foil who each week would enter the "Novelty Island" segment of the show with increasingly pathetic acts. He would then share a heated argument with Vic (whom he regularly referred to as "The Fop"). Arguably his most memorable act was "Lard for Laughs" where he dropped lard onto a pile of salt, then pushed a block of lard through a breakfast cereal packet with the face of "pop star" Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
on it.
Judge Nutmeg
Played by Bob - wearing Lister's wig inside out - Judge Lionel Nutmeg would preside over "That's Justice", a game which involved a member of the audience being tried for a random and nonsensical crime. The punishment is decided by spinning the hairy Wheel of Justice, whilst singing "spin,spin,spin the wheel of justice, see how fast the bastard turns" Vic would then move until the wheel landed on the punishment he liked the most making the wheel a useless means of choosing a punishment.The Aromatherapists
Dr Richard Slater and Dr Richard Slater, who "smell to get well" and prescribe different smells in order to cure weird illnesses. Although it is thought that they are not related, both of them wear white jumpsuits, have identical "Titian" hair, speak in the same manner and have the same name.Morrissey, The Consumer Monkey
A monkey puppet with the face of MorrisseyMorrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, operated by Vic and voiced by Bob. Morrissey the Consumer Monkey would often come on to give advice on shoddy or unsafe consumer goods. Usually these items were manufactured and sold by Reeves & Mortimer Products, and the pair would be forced to make a hasty cover-up.
Morrissey had a theme song, sung in duet with Vic, which began with Morrissey claiming "I like watches, I like woods" and Vic countering with "He likes various consumer goods.".
The Stotts
Played by Vic and Bob, the Stotts are redundant, jittery, bickering Northern brothers with black insulation tape moustaches, poorly applied bald-wigs, big silly clown shoes and high-pitched voices. Davey (Vic) wears a kilt. Donald (Bob) is the slightly more sensible one, in a grey leather jacket]], but he is prone to "antique incidentsWardrobe malfunction
A wardrobe malfunction is a euphemism for accidental exposure of intimate parts. It is different from flashing, as the latter implies a deliberate exposure...
". The pair are also frequently startled. They have many talents including presenting talk shows (interviewing each other), game shows (including party games such as "Pass the Fat," Read the Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
Novel" and "Guess What's On Les's Back") and doing magic shows. Usually however, they just give up and leave the set before their spot is supposed to finish.
The Stotts were one of the very few characters from Vic Reeves Big Night Out to return in later Reeves & Mortimer series. They appeared in the second series of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer
The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer
The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer was a BBC TV sketch show written by and starring double act Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer. Its first series appeared in 1993 following the duo's move to the BBC after parting company with Channel 4...
and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer was comedy double act Vic & Bob's third television sketch show. It aired during January 1999 on BBC2 in the United Kingdom...
as talk show hosts again, often interviewing celebrities such as Sting and Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
.
Tinker's Rucksack
A pair of genial, bearded, anorak-wearing ramblersRamblers
The Ramblers, formerly known as the Ramblers' Association, is the largest walkers' rights organisation in Great Britain which aims to look after the interests of walkers...
who tell amusing anecdotes and share their knowledge of the world of rambling with the audience, constantly assuring them that "it's not all walking." One (Bob) is clearly having an affair with the other's wife.
Greg Mitchell
Greg Mitchell, the "gorgeous sandy-coloured labradorLabrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
", was a puppet dog with a completely naïve understanding of the world. He would often talk about something he had just done, in a high-pitched and rather fey voice. He would, however, suddenly realise that he hadn't thought it through and drop into a guttural Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
bellow, shouting "my wife's gonna KILL me!!!." Greg would also reappear in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.
The Living Carpets
Played by Vic and Bob wearing masks made of carpet swatches. They would sit in Les's Lunch Club and make increasingly outrageous claims, such as being responsible for "colouring in the black bits on Friesian cows with a special Biro", or "filling in the coloured bits in pilau rice" before accusing each other of being a "lying git", or one exclaiming "I heard that rumour" with the other responding "I know, I started it". While this is going on, Les would serve both of them tea whilst genteel music played in the background.On the Vic Reeves Big Night Out Tour the Living Carpets were played to two "imposters" but were voiced by Vic and Bob who were stood backstage and would enter the stage at the end of the act of kick the "imposters" off stage.
Wavey Davey
A simple, child-like, naïve man who waves at people, things and celebrities, in an increasingly malevolent way. He is later revealed to be SatanSatan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
.
Talc & Turnips
Two men (Vic and Bob) who came on in ridiculous leotards, silly wigs and big false teeth, wielding bits of wood, buckets, hoops with tomatoes attached to them and big placards announcing such things as "Squirrel in bucket of hot trout = racial harmony." The pair would just crash and fall around the place, being ridiculously clumsy and not making it at all clear what "point" they were supposed to be making. By the end of their "performance" the set would be in disarray and Les would have to clean up very quickly. While these characters baffled the audience and even the show's producers, Vic and Bob believe them to be the best characters on the show.Action! Image! Exchange!
Vic and Bob's performance art group, who perform "The Facelessness of Bureaucracy". They put on Sean ConnerySean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
or Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
masks, one wields either talcum powder or a beehive and the other a pair of swimming trunks or a bra, and enact a little dance to some traditional jazz punctuated by the sound of a breeze, to illustrate "a pensioner being attacked by some police officers", etc.
Mr. Dennis
A jumper-wearing, rather dull but highly strung newsagent and tobacconist, who doesn't stock Curly Wurlies as "they are far too elaborate" but occasionally slips in a real cigarette as a "treat for the children". He is in cahoots with Lister, and they are both the co-founders of a consumer-product safety and hygiene standards group, NIPS. Mr. Dennis gets easily riled and at one point goes on a violent rampage around the set, punching Les and knocking Lister out.Novelty Island
"Novelty Island" was a bizarre parody of talent shows like New FacesNew Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
, where the so-called Acts Of Tomorrow showcase their various ridiculous talents from the centre of a small paddock, with Vic acting as host. Generally, there would be three acts, one of which would inevitably be Graham Lister, and Vic would make no effort to hide his disgust at Lister's turns. Novelty Island also saw such memorable characters as Mr Wobbly Hand, Judith Grant, the Slitherer, the Hoxton Hockler, Mr Melon in the wind and Wavy Davey make appearances.
That's Justice
After a devilish build-up by Vic, Judge Nutmeg wheels on to the stage in a mobile bench, and Vic hauls a random member of the audience on stage to try them for a set of ridiculous trumped-up charges, such as "staring at a fixed point, causing terrible dryness" or "wringing out a flannel in a branch of Thomas CookThomas Cook
Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, England founded the travel agency that is now Thomas Cook Group.- Early days :...
s, one of the most respected travel agents on the high street!".
When the accused is inevitably found guilty, Vic spins the Wheel of Justice - after combing its hair - and the audience sing "Spin, spin, spin the Wheel of Justice, see how fast the bastard turns". An equally ludicrous punishment is then handed down (e.g. "One year being adored by the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
").
For one memorable week, Judge Nutmeg changed the format of the show and tried for a more liberal approach; the Wheel of Conciliation, where he tried to solve the marital problems of a 'separated' couple from the audience, who, incidentally, had never met before.
Catchphrases
- Vic: You wouldn't let it lie! - Proclaimed when one of the guests mentions one of his dark secrets or dubious activities.
- Vic: What do we cry when we see the Man With The Stick?
- Audience: What's on the end of the stick, Vic?
- Judge Nutmeg: What a terrible man, terrible man, terrible, terrible, terrible man!
- Judge Nutmeg: Oyez, oyez, oyez, any manner or business before the Twisted Court of Judge Nutmeg, gather forth and give me your attention!
- Vic: Very poor...very poor indeed! - uttered usually after one of Lister's pathetic turns on Novelty Island
- Living Carpet Vic: You lying get!
- Living Carpet Bob: YOU lying get!
- The Aromatherapists: Smell to get well...
- The Stotts: Stop startin' man, start stoppin', stop startin'!
- The Stotts: Oh (Davey, Doug), man, I'm startled!
- The Stotts: Marzipan's a private matter!
- Mr. Dennis: I don't stock Curly Wurlies as they are far too elaborate...
- Vic: I'm right naïve me, but happy...
- Bob: Ooh, Vic I've fallen.
- Greg Mitchell: Oh no!! My wife's gonna kill me!
- Vic: Look at the size of that sausage.
Big Night Out reunion gig
A one-off reunion show of the Big Night Out was performed at the old Raymond RevuebarRaymond Revuebar
The Raymond Revuebar was a theater and strip club at 11 Walker's Court, now The Box Soho, in the heart of London's Soho district. For many years, it was the only venue in London that offered full-frontal, on-stage nudity of the sort commonly seen in other cities in Europe and North America...
, now the Too2Much club, in London. It was filmed by Channel X, although there has been no news of what will happen to this recording. There is no sign that this will lead to a fully-fledged reunion tour though if it is a success then that may change. Vic has mentioned that he would like to do more live work, and that the return of the Big Night Out live is not out of the question.
DVD release
When Big Night Out made it to DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2005, many audiences were disappointed to find edits made just to remove the advert break boards. Along with these edits, was also a missing episode. The New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
special from 1991 was missing when the DVD claimed that it was the complete programme.
The videos originally released in 1990 & 1991 were given the rating of PG by the BBFC but the new DVD release of series 1 & 2 were given the rating of "12" by the BBFC. Channel 4 made a mistake on the cover art of the DVD which displays "15" as the certificate.
Additional:
As a result of the edits, some of the visual gags that straddled the commercial breaks are missing. Examples. In Episode 1 Series 1, Vic announces that he's going to have a pint before the break, and pours one at his desk. After the break, his desk is full of empty pint glasses, and he's drunk. He then goes off to urinate. Later in the same series, judgment on the "Novelty Island" acts is concealed in a giant kebab, which is consumed over the ad break. When the show returns the winner is announced. In the edited version, it cuts from the Island to the kebab which has mysteriously appeared on Vic's desk.