Vic and Bob
Encyclopedia
Vic Reeves
(born 24 January 1959, real name Jim Moir) and Bob Mortimer
(born 23 May 1959), more commonly known simply as Vic and Bob or Reeves and Mortimer, are a British comedy
double act
. They have written and starred in several comedy programmes
on British television since 1990, with Vic having made his first TV appearance in 1986.
Reeves and Mortimer's unique comedy combines surreal
, often inexplicable, visually and verbally inventive material which often verges on the downright bizarre with traditional comedy double act staples such as violent, cartoonish slapstick
(such as the duo engaging in escalating fights with large frying pans, baseball bats, hammers etc...), witty, often improvised silly banter (usually at a trademark, prop-strewn desk) and purposefully corny, rapid-fire jokes.
It is all infused with an anarchic energy and a deliberate, knowingly exaggerated "edge" to the performance. Their act is more versatile than many double acts who rely on the straight man/funny man dynamic. Often Mortimer will be the exasperated foil to Reeves' eccentric buffoon, or Reeves will play blankly bemused or annoyed to a manic or hyperactive Mortimer.
They forged a status for themselves as "the alternatives to alternative comedy" in the late 1980s and early 90s, and to this day inhabit a comedic universe all of their own, while still managing to exert an influence on British comedy.
In a 2005 poll The Comedian's Comedian, the duo were voted the 9th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
.
For Mortimer's work, see Bob Mortimer
.
, London
, in the mid-1980s. Having tried out various stage names, he settled on Vic Reeves
and began a show called Vic Reeves' Big Night Out at The Goldsmiths Tavern. It was here that he met and began working with Bob Mortimer
, and the show then moved to a bigger venue, the Albany Theatre in Deptford
, in 1989. The show began to attract various well-known audience members, such as Charlie Higson
, Paul Whitehouse
, Jonathan Ross
and Alan Yentob
.
to Channel 4
as a six-part series in 1990. The show quickly attained a cult following. A New Year's Eve
special bridging 1990/91 followed (in which Kim Wilde
made an appearance). This was followed by a second eight-part series in 1991.
Few recordings of early Big Night Out live shows exist, although a video was made available to members of the original fan club
in the mid-1990s, containing material and characters very similar to those that made it to the TV show. In addition to Reeves and Mortimer, the other mainstay of the programme was Les (played by Fred Aylward), Vic's bald, lab coat-clad assistant who never spoke, loved spirit level
s and had a fear of chives.
Other established characters in the TV series included The Man with the Stick, who wore a paper helmet daubed with drawings of what he had witnessed during the last week, and carried a stick with a mystery item attached to the end; Graham Lister, Reeves' nemesis who regularly entered the talent show, "Novelty Island", with a series of dreadful acts; Donald and Davey Stott, two brothers from the North East with high-pitched voices, who would recreate popular television game shows; Tinker's Rucksack, a pair of ramblers, one of whom was conducting an affair with the other's wife; and 'Judge Lionel Nutmeg', a judge who presided over the "That's Justice" segment of the show.
to BBC Two
, writing and appearing in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer
, indicating the rise in Mortimer's standing from sidekick to Reeves' equal.
The programmes were more slick and scripted than their Channel 4 predecessors. Two series of six episodes each were made, and most of the original Big Night Out format was abandoned, although various actors returned in new roles, including Caroline Aherne
and Charlie Higson
(The Fast Show
) and Matt Lucas
(Little Britain
). The live stage show that followed the TV series hosted a welcome return for Novelty Island (a sketch from the original Big Night Out).
In 1993, the pair also recorded Reeves and Mortimer's Driving School, a one-off comedy show featuring, amongst others, Pat Wright and Dave Arrowsmith, the Bra Men characters from The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.
In 1997, they co-wrote a one-off special, It's Ulrika! for Shooting Stars
panellist, Ulrika Jonsson
. The show aired on BBC1, and featured appearances from Vic and Bob, as well as Matt Lucas
, David Walliams
and Charlie Higson
.
A new sketch show followed in 1999, Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
. Most notably, characters Donald and Davey Stott (who had appeared throughout the Big Night Out era) returned to the screen. The series also featured various celebrity cameos, including Caprice
, Michael Winner
, Sinéad O'Connor
and Damon Hill
, and appearances from comedy actors Charlie Higson
and Morwenna Banks
.
Higson and Banks also appeared, together with Matt Lucas
, Reece Shearsmith
, Mark Benton
and others, in the surreal 6-part BBC Three
comedy series Catterick (2004), sometimes listed as Vic and Bob in Catterick.
In 2004, in collaboration with Steve Coogan
, Reeves and Mortimer produced a two-part special for ITV, entitled The All Star Comedy Show. The programme featured Banks, Lucas, Shearsmith, Benton, Reeves, Mortimer and Coogan, plus a wide array of further guests including Fiona Allen
, Ronni Ancona
, Leslie Ash
, Lynda Bellingham
, Ronnie Corbett
, Tim Healy
, Jane Horrocks
, Neil Morrissey
, Griff Rhys Jones
, John Simm
, Meera Syal
, Ricky Tomlinson
and Richard Wilson.
In 2005, a full series was commissioned and was given the new name Monkey Trousers
. The series retained most of the same characters, and featured several guests in common with The All Star Comedy Show, plus some new faces including Mackenzie Crook
, Ralf Little
, John Thomson and Alistair McGowan
.
A one-off Big Night Out, primarily to promote the DVD release of Vic Reeves Big Night Out
was held in September 2005.
The pair also recorded a pilot program for BBC Two, entitled Star Chamber. The program was a debate show chaired by Mortimer, and featured Reeves, Charlie Higson
, Johnny Vegas
, Liz Smith
and Rhys Thomas
. The program has yet to be commissioned.
Reeves said in a magazine interview in 2007 that he hoped to do a new sketch show with Mortimer, for Christmas 2007 or early 2008. This has not yet happened.
was screened on BBC Two
as part of the At Home with Vic and Bob evening of programming. It began running as a regular series in 1995. Maintaining their bizarre and irreverent style, the pair played host to two teams of celebrity guests (captained each week by Mark Lamarr
and Ulrika Jonsson
, and later Will Self
, and further Jack Dee
) answering what can be loosely described as general knowledge questions. They were also accompanied by regular appearances from Lucas as drumming baby George Dawes (Lucas is now better known for his work on Little Britain
with occasional Reeves and Mortimer collaborator, David Walliams
). The quiz element of the show always played second fiddle to the comedic aspects.
Two series of Reeves and Mortimer's second quiz followed in 1999. Entitled Families at War, it featured two families competing in bizarre tasks on a loose Shooting Stars
theme. The show was far more mainstream, less comedy-based, and obviously designed for comfortable Saturday evening BBC1 viewing.
When asked, in November 2007, about bringing back former shows, Reeves also expressed his opinion that a second series of Catterick was highly unlikely. However, he said he would be very happy to bring back Shooting Stars
for a sixth series. On 27 February 2008, whilst on a tour of the North East region to support the Learning and Skills Council
's Apprenticeship Week, he added "We might be doing Shooting Stars again – it depends on the BBC".
In July 2008, the BBC confirmed that they had commissioned a one-off Christmas Special of Shooting Stars along with an additional "best-of" episode featuring interviews and outtakes, to mark the show's 15 year anniversary. Also confirmed were the return of Reeves, Mortimer and Matt Lucas (as George Dawes), and that the special would be produced by Pett Productions
, Reeves and Mortimer's own production company. It was filmed at BBC Television Centre
in London on 28 November 2008, and broadcast on BBC Two on 30 December 2008, along with the anniversary programme. Ulrika Jonsson returned as captain of Team B, with Jack Dee
appearing as the new captain of Team A. Dizzee Rascal
, Kate Garraway
, Christine Walkden
and Dragons' Den's
Peter Jones
were the guests.
This Christmas Special spawned the third incarnation of Shooting Stars
, which included a sixth series in 2009, a seventh series in 2010 and another Christmas special airing on 30 December 2010. An eighth series of the show is due to begin on BBC 2 on the 8th August 2011.
, a one-off pilot for Channel 4
's Bunch Of Five season. The Human League
vocalist Phil Oakey, and the future Fast Show trio of Paul Whitehouse
, John Thomson and Simon Day
, all co-starred. The Weekenders is also notable as the one programme where Vic is intentionally referred to throughout by his real name, Jim. Intended to be a series, the programme was never commissioned, but now seems to be a vague sign of things to come.
In early 2000, Vic and Bob headed the cast in revival of sixties private detective drama, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
. The new version, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
ran for two series and constituted their first real (though still quite light-hearted) acting roles. The scripts for the series were written by Charlie Higson
and Vic was briefly romantically linked to co-star Emilia Fox
. The pair also presented a one-off behind the scenes show called On Set with Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), which was broadcast on BBC Choice
in 2000.
Their 2004 comedy drama Catterick
, screened on BBC Three
, evoked the same woozy, unreal atmosphere with a far higher budget. The series was based around the lives of Carl and Chris Palmer, with appearances from D.I. 'Kinky' John Fowler - updated versions of characters from The Club sketches from Bang Bang It's Reeves and Mortimer. Vic and Bob played the main roles, with Charlie Higson
, Morwenna Banks
, Tim Healy
, Mark Benton
, Matt Lucas
and The League of Gentlemen
s Reece Shearsmith
.
On 27 February 2008, Reeves announced that he and Mortimer were working together on a new series, as well as possibly reviving Shooting Stars:
entitled Radio Reeves & Mortimer. The show was partially presented in character as 'co-hosts' Councillors Cox and Evans.
In November 2007, BBC Radio 2
aired a weekly radio-based sketch show / sitcom featuring Reeves and Mortimer, entitled Vic Reeves' House Arrest
. The first episode was broadcast on 17 November 2007 and the series ran for 6 episodes. The show centred on Reeves being put under house arrest
for a crime he didn't commit. Mortimer played Reeves' hairdresser, Carl. Other performers include The Mighty Boosh
star Noel Fielding
as a local vagrant and Reeves' wife, Nancy Sorrell
in multiple roles.
In an interview on British TV show Something for the Weekend
Reeves stated there were benefits to doing a radio show, as even more bizarre and outlandish images could be conjured, which could not be replicated using props on a television programme - such as balancing the whole of Ireland
on a record stylus
to stop it from skipping.
However he also said that he would be interested in making the radio show into a television series.
chocolate bar in the early 1990s.
Reeves' contract with Churchill was terminated in March 2005 after he was arrested for a drink-driving offence in which he drove his vintage Jaguar
into a stationary vehicle in Boughton Malherbe
, near Maidstone
before careering into a bank and hitting a fence. For this offence he was disqualified from driving for thirty-six months as of 21 April 2005 and ordered to do 100 hours community service
. Reeves' voice-over
for the adverts may have been replaced by another voice artist - albeit in the same style - prior to the incident. Mortimer continued to provide the voice for the Churchill dog until at least 2009.
.
, Vic and Bob's Afternoon Delights, is being hosted on Fosters
' UK website. A new episode is added each weekday, with each episodes consisting of a single sketch.
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....
(born 24 January 1959, 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...
(born 23 May 1959), more commonly known simply as Vic and Bob or Reeves and Mortimer, are a 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:...
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...
. They have written and starred in several comedy programmes
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
on British television since 1990, with Vic having made his first TV appearance in 1986.
Reeves and Mortimer's unique comedy combines 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...
, often inexplicable, visually and verbally inventive material which often verges on the downright bizarre with traditional comedy double act staples such as violent, cartoonish slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
(such as the duo engaging in escalating fights with large frying pans, baseball bats, hammers etc...), witty, often improvised silly banter (usually at a trademark, prop-strewn desk) and purposefully corny, rapid-fire jokes.
It is all infused with an anarchic energy and a deliberate, knowingly exaggerated "edge" to the performance. Their act is more versatile than many double acts who rely on the straight man/funny man dynamic. Often Mortimer will be the exasperated foil to Reeves' eccentric buffoon, or Reeves will play blankly bemused or annoyed to a manic or hyperactive Mortimer.
They forged a status for themselves as "the alternatives to alternative comedy" in the late 1980s and early 90s, and to this day inhabit a comedic universe all of their own, while still managing to exert an influence on British comedy.
In a 2005 poll The Comedian's Comedian, the duo were voted the 9th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Career as a double-act
Vic and Bob have performed on a number of television programmes as a double act, though they have also worked alone or in collaboration with other people. For Reeves' work outside of the Reeves & Mortimer double act, see Vic ReevesVic 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....
.
For Mortimer's work, see 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...
.
The early years
Jim Moir's comedy career began in New CrossNew 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...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in the mid-1980s. Having tried out various stage names, he settled on 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....
and began a show called Vic Reeves' Big Night Out at The Goldsmiths Tavern. It was here that he met and began working with 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 the show then moved to a bigger venue, the Albany Theatre in Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, in 1989. The show began to attract various well-known audience members, such as Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
, 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...
, Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
and Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob is a British television executive and presenter who has worked throughout his career at the BBC.-Early life:...
.
Television
Jonathan Ross played a large part in Reeves' first TV appearances, which included Reeves hanging suspended from the ceiling during an episode of The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross (1988). His company, Channel X, brought Vic Reeves Big Night OutVic Reeves Big Night Out
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...
to 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...
as a six-part series in 1990. The show quickly attained a cult following. A New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
special bridging 1990/91 followed (in which Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
made an appearance). This was followed by a second eight-part series in 1991.
Few recordings of early Big Night Out live shows exist, although a video was made available to members of the original fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
in the mid-1990s, containing material and characters very similar to those that made it to the TV show. In addition to Reeves and Mortimer, the other mainstay of the programme was Les (played by Fred Aylward), Vic's bald, lab coat-clad assistant who never spoke, loved spirit level
Spirit level
A spirit level or bubble level is an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface ishorizontal or vertical . Different types of spirit levels may be used by carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, other building trades workers, surveyors, millwrights and other metalworkers, and in some...
s and had a fear of chives.
Other established characters in the TV series included The Man with the Stick, who wore a paper helmet daubed with drawings of what he had witnessed during the last week, and carried a stick with a mystery item attached to the end; Graham Lister, Reeves' nemesis who regularly entered the talent show, "Novelty Island", with a series of dreadful acts; Donald and Davey Stott, two brothers from the North East with high-pitched voices, who would recreate popular television game shows; Tinker's Rucksack, a pair of ramblers, one of whom was conducting an affair with the other's wife; and 'Judge Lionel Nutmeg', a judge who presided over the "That's Justice" segment of the show.
Sketch shows
In 1993 Reeves and Mortimer transferred from Channel 4Channel 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...
to BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, writing and appearing in 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...
, indicating the rise in Mortimer's standing from sidekick to Reeves' equal.
The programmes were more slick and scripted than their Channel 4 predecessors. Two series of six episodes each were made, and most of the original Big Night Out format was abandoned, although various actors returned in new roles, including Caroline Aherne
Caroline Aherne
Caroline Mary Aherne is an English comedian and BAFTA winning writer and actress, best known for Mrs Merton and The Royle Family.- Background :...
and Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
(The Fast Show
The Fast Show
The Fast Show, known as Brilliant in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special Last Fast Show Ever in 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and...
) and Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
(Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
). The live stage show that followed the TV series hosted a welcome return for Novelty Island (a sketch from the original Big Night Out).
In 1993, the pair also recorded Reeves and Mortimer's Driving School, a one-off comedy show featuring, amongst others, Pat Wright and Dave Arrowsmith, the Bra Men characters from The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.
In 1997, they co-wrote a one-off special, It's Ulrika! for Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
panellist, Ulrika Jonsson
Ulrika Jonsson
Eva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish television presenter in the UK, who became famous as a TV-am weather presenter and moved on to present Gladiators and became a team captain of the show Shooting Stars.-Early life:...
. The show aired on BBC1, and featured appearances from Vic and Bob, as well as Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
, David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
and Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
.
A new sketch show followed in 1999, 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...
. Most notably, characters Donald and Davey Stott (who had appeared throughout the Big Night Out era) returned to the screen. The series also featured various celebrity cameos, including Caprice
Caprice Bourret
Caprice Bourret is an American supermodel, actress, television personality and businesswoman. She currently resides in the United Kingdom where she runs her company By Caprice Lingerie Ltd.- Early life :...
, Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
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...
, and appearances from comedy actors 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 Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks is a British comedy actress, writer and producer.Banks is perhaps best known in the UK as a cast member of the British Channel 4 comedy series Absolutely, where her best-known character was a schoolgirl who sat on the edge of a desk.She appeared as the Keeper of the Rules in the...
.
Higson and Banks also appeared, together with Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
, Reece Shearsmith
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson "Reece" Shearsmith is an English actor and writer. He is most famous for his work as part of The League of Gentlemen along with fellow performers Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and co-writer Jeremy Dyson.-Early life:...
, Mark Benton
Mark Benton
Mark Benton is an English actor, perhaps most famous for his roles as Eddie in Early Doors and Howard in Northern Lights.-Life and career:Benton was born in Guisborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England....
and others, in the surreal 6-part BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
comedy series Catterick (2004), sometimes listed as Vic and Bob in Catterick.
In 2004, in collaboration with Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
, Reeves and Mortimer produced a two-part special for ITV, entitled The All Star Comedy Show. The programme featured Banks, Lucas, Shearsmith, Benton, Reeves, Mortimer and Coogan, plus a wide array of further guests including Fiona Allen
Fiona Allen
Fiona Allen is an English comedienne and actress.-Career:Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including Smack the Pony, Goodness Gracious Me and The All Star Comedy Show...
, Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.- Career :...
, Leslie Ash
Leslie Ash
Leslie Ash is an English actress, best known for her role in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly. Her book My Life Behaving Badly: The Autobiography was published in 2007....
, Lynda Bellingham
Lynda Bellingham
Lynda Bellingham is a Canadian-born English actress, broadcaster and author, who is known for her distinctive husky voice.-Early life:...
, Ronnie Corbett
Ronnie Corbett
Ronald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE is a Scottish actor and comedian of Scottish and English parentage who had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the British television comedy series The Two Ronnies...
, Tim Healy
Tim Healy (actor)
Timothy Malcolm Healy is an English actor. He is best known for playing Dennis Patterson in the television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He is married to the actress Denise Welch.-Career:...
, Jane Horrocks
Jane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
, Neil Morrissey
Neil Morrissey
Neil Anthony Morrissey is an English actor, media personality and businessman. He is best known for his role as Tony in Men Behaving Badly....
, Griff Rhys Jones
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith...
, John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
, Meera Syal
Meera Syal
Meera Syal MBE is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No...
, Ricky Tomlinson
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric Tomlinson , known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and James "Jim" Royle in The Royle Family....
and Richard Wilson.
In 2005, a full series was commissioned and was given the new name Monkey Trousers
Monkey Trousers
Monkey Trousers was a short-lived comedy series on ITV in 2005, featuring Alistair McGowan, John Thomson, Ronni Ancona, Mackenzie Crook, Griff Rhys Jones, Neil Morrissey, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Marc Wootton and Steve Coogan...
. The series retained most of the same characters, and featured several guests in common with The All Star Comedy Show, plus some new faces including Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
, Ralf Little
Ralf Little
Ralf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...
, John Thomson and Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
.
A one-off Big Night Out, primarily to promote the DVD release of Vic Reeves Big Night Out
Vic Reeves Big Night Out
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...
was held in September 2005.
The pair also recorded a pilot program for BBC Two, entitled Star Chamber. The program was a debate show chaired by Mortimer, and featured Reeves, Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
, Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
, Liz Smith
Liz Smith (actress)
Liz Smith, MBE is a British actress, best-known for her roles in the sitcoms The Vicar of Dibley and The Royle Family. She also appeared in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
and Rhys Thomas
Rhys Thomas (comedian)
Rhys Thomas is an English comedian and actor.-Career:His breakthrough came while working as a runner on Shooting Stars, when he showed Charlie Higson and Bob Mortimer some sketches he had performed in college...
. The program has yet to be commissioned.
Reeves said in a magazine interview in 2007 that he hoped to do a new sketch show with Mortimer, for Christmas 2007 or early 2008. This has not yet happened.
Quiz shows
In 1993 a pilot episode of Shooting StarsShooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
was screened on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
as part of the At Home with Vic and Bob evening of programming. It began running as a regular series in 1995. Maintaining their bizarre and irreverent style, the pair played host to two teams of celebrity guests (captained each week by Mark Lamarr
Mark Lamarr
Mark Lamarr is an English comedian, radio DJ and television presenter.-Early life:Lamarr was born in the Park South area of Swindon and has three elder sisters. His father is Irish...
and Ulrika Jonsson
Ulrika Jonsson
Eva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish television presenter in the UK, who became famous as a TV-am weather presenter and moved on to present Gladiators and became a team captain of the show Shooting Stars.-Early life:...
, and later Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
, and further Jack Dee
Jack Dee
James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...
) answering what can be loosely described as general knowledge questions. They were also accompanied by regular appearances from Lucas as drumming baby George Dawes (Lucas is now better known for his work on Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
with occasional Reeves and Mortimer collaborator, David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
). The quiz element of the show always played second fiddle to the comedic aspects.
Two series of Reeves and Mortimer's second quiz followed in 1999. Entitled Families at War, it featured two families competing in bizarre tasks on a loose Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
theme. The show was far more mainstream, less comedy-based, and obviously designed for comfortable Saturday evening BBC1 viewing.
When asked, in November 2007, about bringing back former shows, Reeves also expressed his opinion that a second series of Catterick was highly unlikely. However, he said he would be very happy to bring back Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
for a sixth series. On 27 February 2008, whilst on a tour of the North East region to support the Learning and Skills Council
Learning and Skills Council
The Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
's Apprenticeship Week, he added "We might be doing Shooting Stars again – it depends on the BBC".
In July 2008, the BBC confirmed that they had commissioned a one-off Christmas Special of Shooting Stars along with an additional "best-of" episode featuring interviews and outtakes, to mark the show's 15 year anniversary. Also confirmed were the return of Reeves, Mortimer and Matt Lucas (as George Dawes), and that the special would be produced by Pett Productions
Pett Productions
Pett Productions is an independent production company, established by Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves and Lisa Clark in 2001. The company is based at the Maidstone Studios in Maidstone, Kent and has produced several television shows in comedy, reality, documentary and internet format.-Productions:*The...
, Reeves and Mortimer's own production company. It was filmed at BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in London on 28 November 2008, and broadcast on BBC Two on 30 December 2008, along with the anniversary programme. Ulrika Jonsson returned as captain of Team B, with Jack Dee
Jack Dee
James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...
appearing as the new captain of Team A. Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, Kate Garraway
Kate Garraway
Kathryn Mary Garraway is an English journalist currently employed by ITV Breakfast.She has presented the UK version of The Biggest Loser.-Early life:...
, Christine Walkden
Christine Walkden
Christine Helen Walkden is a British television presenter and gardener, best known for her appearances on gardening programmes and The One Show...
and Dragons' Den's
Dragons' Den (UK)
Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
Peter Jones
Peter Jones (entrepreneur)
Peter Jones, CBE is a British entrepreneur and businessman with interests in mobile phones, television, media, leisure, and property. He became a television celebrity through his appearances on the BBC Two show Dragons' Den and on his American television show American Inventor...
were the guests.
This Christmas Special spawned the third incarnation of Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
, which included a sixth series in 2009, a seventh series in 2010 and another Christmas special airing on 30 December 2010. An eighth series of the show is due to begin on BBC 2 on the 8th August 2011.
Sitcom and drama
In 1992, Reeves and Mortimer made their first brief detour into sitcoms by writing and recording a pilot episode of The WeekendersThe Weekenders (UK TV series)
The Weekenders is a television pilot made for Channel 4 starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer broadcast on 17 June 1992. Entitled "The Meat Festival", it was a surreal situation comedy in which two friends, Jim and Bob visit a meat festival taking place in an open field...
, a one-off pilot for 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...
's Bunch Of Five season. The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
vocalist Phil Oakey, and the future Fast Show trio of 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...
, John Thomson and Simon Day
Simon Day
Simon Day is a British comedian most famous for his roles in the sketch show The Fast Show, sitcom Grass and a series of comedic adverts for Powergen.-Life and career:...
, all co-starred. The Weekenders is also notable as the one programme where Vic is intentionally referred to throughout by his real name, Jim. Intended to be a series, the programme was never commissioned, but now seems to be a vague sign of things to come.
In early 2000, Vic and Bob headed the cast in revival of sixties private detective drama, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
. The new version, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall & Hopkirk is a British television series, produced by Working Title Films for BBC One. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk and stars Vic Reeves as Hopkirk and Bob Mortimer as Randall, Emilia Fox as Jeannie, and Tom Baker as Wyvern.- Background :Two series...
ran for two series and constituted their first real (though still quite light-hearted) acting roles. The scripts for the series were written by 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 Vic was briefly romantically linked to co-star Emilia Fox
Emilia Fox
Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox is an award-winning English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appears as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the programme's second...
. The pair also presented a one-off behind the scenes show called On Set with Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), which was broadcast on BBC Choice
BBC Choice
BBC Choice was a BBC TV station which launched on 23 September 1998 and closed on 9 February 2003. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, and was the first new channel from the BBC since BBC Two launched in 1964...
in 2000.
Their 2004 comedy drama Catterick
Catterick (TV series)
Catterick, aka Vic and Bob in Catterick, is a surreal 2004 BBC situation comedy in 6 episodes, written by and starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, with Reece Shearsmith, Matt Lucas, Morwenna Banks, Tim Healy, Mark Benton and Charlie Higson. The series was originally broadcast on BBC Three and...
, screened on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
, evoked the same woozy, unreal atmosphere with a far higher budget. The series was based around the lives of Carl and Chris Palmer, with appearances from D.I. 'Kinky' John Fowler - updated versions of characters from The Club sketches from Bang Bang It's Reeves and Mortimer. Vic and Bob played the main roles, with Charlie Higson
Charlie Higson
Charles Murray Higson , more commonly known as Charlie Higson - also Switch - is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer...
, Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks is a British comedy actress, writer and producer.Banks is perhaps best known in the UK as a cast member of the British Channel 4 comedy series Absolutely, where her best-known character was a schoolgirl who sat on the edge of a desk.She appeared as the Keeper of the Rules in the...
, Tim Healy
Tim Healy (actor)
Timothy Malcolm Healy is an English actor. He is best known for playing Dennis Patterson in the television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He is married to the actress Denise Welch.-Career:...
, Mark Benton
Mark Benton
Mark Benton is an English actor, perhaps most famous for his roles as Eddie in Early Doors and Howard in Northern Lights.-Life and career:Benton was born in Guisborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England....
, Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
and The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen (comedy)
The League of Gentlemen are a quartet of British dark comedy writers/performers, formed in 1995 by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith...
s Reece Shearsmith
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson "Reece" Shearsmith is an English actor and writer. He is most famous for his work as part of The League of Gentlemen along with fellow performers Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and co-writer Jeremy Dyson.-Early life:...
.
On 27 February 2008, Reeves announced that he and Mortimer were working together on a new series, as well as possibly reviving Shooting Stars:
Other television appearances
- Alan Carr: Chatty ManAlan Carr: Chatty ManAlan Carr: Chatty Man is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Alan Carr. The award-winning show is on Channel 4. The show features interviews with celebrity guests, sketches, topical chat and music....
(Channel 4Channel 4Channel 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...
, guests, along with Ulrika JonssonUlrika JonssonEva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish television presenter in the UK, who became famous as a TV-am weather presenter and moved on to present Gladiators and became a team captain of the show Shooting Stars.-Early life:...
, 25 July 2010) - The One ShowThe One ShowThe One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
(BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, interviewees, 25 August 2009) - Steve Coogan: The Inside Story - Vic and Bob played various familiar characters and celebrities giving anecdotes on Coogan's career. (BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, 2009) - Something for the WeekendSomething for the Weekend (2000s BBC TV series)Something for the Weekend is a British television series, broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday mornings. It features cookery, drinks, interviews with celebrity guests and clips from the week's television, as well as classic clips in the 'Deja View' section...
(BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, interviewees, 2 episodes, 2009 - 2010) - Comedy ConnectionsComedy ConnectionsComedy Connections was a BBC One documentary series produced by BBC Scotland that aired from 2003 to 2008. The show looked at the stories behind the production of some of Britain's comedy television programmes, showing how they tied in with the production of other comedy shows...
- Shooting StarsShooting StarsShooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
(BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, 3 April 2006) - The Comedian's Comedian (contributors, 2005)
- TOTP2TOTP2Top of the Pops 2 is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on British television....
(BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, guest presenters, 1 episode, 2004) - Richard & JudyRichard & JudyRichard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
(interviewees, 13 February 2004) - Star Sale (June 2004)
- Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do (presenters, 2003)
- Sport Relief - "Celebrity Boxing" section. Bob took part in, and won, a boxing match against Les DennisLes DennisLes Dennis is an English comedian, television presenter and actor best known as the host of Family Fortunes for 15 years.-Early life:...
. Reeves also appeared in the program. (2002) - It's Your New Year's Eve Party (2001)
- Jack DeeJack DeeJames Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...
's Full Mountie (from the Just for LaughsJust for LaughsJust for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
festival) (BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, performers, 2000) - The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (1999)
- Late LunchLight LunchLight Lunch is a Channel 4 lunch-time comedy chatshow broadcast between March 1997 and February 1998. It starred Mel and Sue...
(Channel 4Channel 4Channel 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...
, interviewees, 1 episode, 1998) - OmnibusOmnibus (TV series)Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series, broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings....
- "The Film of Reeves & Mortimer". They were the subject of the BBCBBCThe 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...
documentary, during which they buried Reeves' vintage carVintage carA vintage car is commonly defined as a car built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930 known as the "Vintage era". There is little debate about the start date of the vintage period—the end of World War I is a nicely defined marker there—but the end date is a matter of a little...
in his back garden. (1997) - Selection Box: "Dad's ArmyDad's ArmyDad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
" (BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, contributors, 1 episode, 1997) - Light LunchLight LunchLight Lunch is a Channel 4 lunch-time comedy chatshow broadcast between March 1997 and February 1998. It starred Mel and Sue...
Cardigan Christmas (Channel 4Channel 4Channel 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...
, interviewees, 1 episode, 1997) - Children in NeedChildren in NeedChildren in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
- A Nose through Nature section. The show featured Scratch and sniffScratch and sniffScratch and sniff technology generally refers to things that have been treated with a microfragrance coating. When scratched, the coating releases an odor that is normally related to an image being displayed under the coating...
technology. (1995) - The Mrs Merton ShowThe Mrs Merton ShowThe Mrs Merton Show is a mock talk show starring Caroline Aherne as the elderly host Mrs Merton. It ran from 1994 to 1998, and was produced by Granada Television.The writers included Aherne, Craig Cash, Dave Gorman and Henry Normal....
(BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, interviewees, 1 episode, 1995) - Comic ReliefComic ReliefComic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
: Behind the Nose (BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, 1995) - Christmas Night with the Stars. Along with Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
and Hugh LaurieHugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
, they were backing musicians for Sandie ShawSandie ShawSandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
. (1994) - Do You Remember the First Time? (short film on PulpPulp (band)Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
's HitsHits (Pulp album)Hits is a greatest hits collection by popular UK indie-pop band Pulp, released in Britain in November 2002. As a collection, it only covers Pulp's singles from the early-90s when they started becoming popular, although the band had existed in one form or another since 1979."Mis-Shapes", from...
DVD, interviewees, 1994) - The WordThe Word (TV series)The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
(interviewees, 3 episodes, 1993–1994) - At Home With Vic & Bob - Vic and Bob chose sitcoms, sketch shows and films for a night on BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. Programming included a special compilation of clips from Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
's BBCBBCThe 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...
television series Rutland Weekend TelevisionRutland Weekend TelevisionRutland Weekend Television was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series, the first consisting of six episodes, the second of seven, were broadcast, in 1975 and 1976. A Christmas special also aired on Boxing Day 1975.It was Idle's first television...
, the original pilot of Shooting StarsShooting StarsShooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
, and Mike LeighMike LeighMichael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
's film Nuts in MayNuts in MayNuts in May is a television film devised and directed by Mike Leigh, originally broadcast as part of the BBC's Play for Today series on 13 January 1976. It is the comical story of a nature-loving and rather self-righteous couple's exhausting battle to enjoy what they perceive to be the idyllic...
. (27 December 1993) - The Ross Show (interviewees, 1991)
- Going Live!Going Live!Going Live! was a Saturday morning magazine show, broadcast on BBC1 between 1987 and 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene.Other presenters included Trevor and Simon, Peter Simon, Emma Forbes, and puppet Gordon the Gopher....
(interviewees, 1991) - 8:15 from Manchester8:15 from Manchester8:15 from Manchester is a Saturday morning children's magazine show broadcast on BBC1 when Going Live! was between series.Broadcasting from Manchester, it was presented by Ross King and Charlotte Hindle. The first edition was broadcast on 21 April 1990. It was produced by Martyn Day...
(interviewees, 1991) - The Word (TV series)The Word (TV series)The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
(interviewees, 1990, 1993 and 1994) - One Hour with Jonathan Ross: (participants in the "Knock down gingerKnock down gingerKnock, Knock, Ginger or Knocky Door Ginger were the names for the game dating back to 19th century England or possibly before to the Cornish traditional holiday of Nickanan Night. This game or prank is played by children in many cultures. It involves knocking on the front door of a victim, then...
" game, 1989) - Just for LaughsJust for LaughsJust for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
: "The Day of the Heckle" (sketch, 1989) - The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross (sketch, 1988)
Radio
In 1994, between series of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, the pair hosted a one-off hour long show on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
entitled Radio Reeves & Mortimer. The show was partially presented in character as 'co-hosts' Councillors Cox and Evans.
In November 2007, BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
aired a weekly radio-based sketch show / sitcom featuring Reeves and Mortimer, entitled Vic Reeves' House Arrest
Vic Reeves' House Arrest
Vic Reeves' House Arrest was a weekly radio comedy series written by and starring Vic Reeves. It was produced by Open Mike Productions and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 It co-starred Reeves' wife, Nancy Sorrell, his comedy partner, Bob Mortimer and The Mighty Boosh star, Noel Fielding...
. The first episode was broadcast on 17 November 2007 and the series ran for 6 episodes. The show centred on Reeves being put under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
for a crime he didn't commit. Mortimer played Reeves' hairdresser, Carl. Other performers include The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six episode radio series, it has since spawned a total of twenty television episodes for BBC Three and two live tours of the UK, as well as two live shows in the...
star Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
as a local vagrant and Reeves' wife, Nancy Sorrell
Nancy Sorrell
Nancy Sorrell is an English former lap dancer turned model, actress and TV presenter who has been married to Jim Moir since 25 January 2003. She appeared in the 2004 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and was later joined in the jungle by her husband...
in multiple roles.
In an interview on British TV show Something for the Weekend
Something for the Weekend (2000s BBC TV series)
Something for the Weekend is a British television series, broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday mornings. It features cookery, drinks, interviews with celebrity guests and clips from the week's television, as well as classic clips in the 'Deja View' section...
Reeves stated there were benefits to doing a radio show, as even more bizarre and outlandish images could be conjured, which could not be replicated using props on a television programme - such as balancing the whole of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on a record stylus
Magnetic cartridge
A magnetic cartridge is a transducer used for the playback of gramophone records on a turntable or phonograph. It converts mechanical vibrational energy from a stylus riding in a spiral record groove into an electrical signal that is subsequently amplified and then converted back to sound by a...
to stop it from skipping.
However he also said that he would be interested in making the radio show into a television series.
Film
- In August 2003, Reeves and Mortimer appeared in the film Once Upon a Time in the MidlandsOnce Upon a Time in the MidlandsOnce Upon a Time in the Midlands is a 2002 film directed and co-written by Shane Meadows and set in an anonymous town in the Midlands. It was filmed on location in Nottingham.-Plot:...
, as Plonko the Clown and Kung-Fu Clown respectively. - In 2004, they appeared in another film, Churchill: The Hollywood YearsChurchill: The Hollywood YearsChurchill: The Hollywood Years is a 2004 film, directed by Peter Richardson. It stars Christian Slater as Winston Churchill, and Neve Campbell as Elizabeth II...
as Bendle and Potter respectively.
Music
- Reeves and Mortimer first appeared on Jools HollandJools HollandJulian 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...
's single "Holy Cow" in 1990, singing backing vocals.
- The following year, Reeves collaborated with The Wonder StuffThe Wonder StuffThe Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band, originally based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the Black Country, England.-Origins:...
to cover "DizzyDizzy (song)"Dizzy" is a song originally recorded by Tommy Roe which was a worldwide hit single in 1969.Written by Roe and Freddy Weller, "Dizzy" was a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number one on the U.S...
", originally released in 1969 by Tommy RoeTommy RoeTommy Roe is an American pop music singer-songwriter.Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" and "Dizzy" , critic Bill Dahl wrote that Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 1960s, but Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his...
. The song reached number one and spawned a spin-off full-length album on Island RecordsIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, I Will Cure YouI Will Cure YouI Will Cure You is the only album by the comedian Vic Reeves. It was released in 1991, produced by Steve Beresford, Andy Metcalfe and Philip Oakey...
, which featured re-recorded songs from Big Night Out, cover versions and new material.
- A companion video titled Four Golden Memories was released, which featured videos for "Dizzy" and Vic's other singles "Born FreeBorn Free (song)"Born Free" is a popular song with music by John Barry, and lyrics by Don Black. It was written for the 1966 film of the same name and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song....
" and "Abide With MeAbide With MeThe hymn tune most often used with this hymn is "Eventide" composed by William Henry Monk in 1861.Alternate tunes include:* "Abide with Me," Henry Lyte, 1847* "Morecambe", Frederick C...
", plus live versions of "Dizzy" (filmed on tour the previous year) and "Meals On Wheels".
- The pair collaborated with EMFEMF (band)EMF were an indie dance band from the United Kingdom. The band, from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, came to prominence at the beginning of the 1990s. During its initial eight year run , EMF had released three studio albums and had gone on hiatus and reformed twice...
to cover The MonkeesThe MonkeesThe Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
' sixties classic "I'm a BelieverI'm a Believer"I'm a Believer" is a song composed by Neil Diamond and recorded by The Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks,...
" in 1995. The cover reached number three in the British charts.
Books
- Me:Moir, Vic Reeves' autobiography - Vic ReevesVic ReevesJames 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....
, Virgin BooksVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
2006 - Sunshine on Putty: The Golden Age of British Comedy from Vic Reeves to The OfficeThe Office (UK TV series)The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
- Ben Thompson, Fourth Estate / HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, 2004 - Sun Boiled Onions - Vic ReevesVic ReevesJames 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....
, Michael Joseph LtdPearson PLCPearson plc is a global media and education company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is both the largest education company and the largest book publisher in the world, with consumer imprints including Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Ladybird...
, 1999 - Reeves & Mortimer - biography by Bruce Dessau, OrionOrion Publishing GroupOrion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It is owned by Hachette Livre. In 1998 Orion bought Cassell.-History:Full history of the group can be found on Orion Publishing Group is owned by -Imprints:...
, 1998 - Shooting Stars, BBC Worldwide PublishingBBC WorldwideBBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
, 1996 - The Smell Of Reeves & Mortimer, Fantail Books / Penguin GroupPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
1993 - Vic Reeves Big Night In, Fantail Books / Penguin GroupPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
1991
DVD and VHS
- Randall & Hopkirk - The Complete Series (series 1 & 2) (Universal Pictures Video, 13 November 2006)
- Bang Bang, It's Reeves and MortimerBang Bang, It's Reeves and MortimerBang 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...
(BBC Video / Cinema Club, 3 April 2006) - The Smell of Reeves and MortimerThe Smell of Reeves and MortimerThe 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...
. The episodes on the DVD are the shorter broadcast versions, rather than the extended versions available on the VHS releases from the mid-nineties. (BBC Video / Cinema Club, 3 April 2006) - Vic Reeves Big Night OutVic Reeves Big Night OutVic 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...
(series one and two, minus the New Years special) (Channel 4 DVD, 12 September 2005) - Monkey TrousersMonkey TrousersMonkey Trousers was a short-lived comedy series on ITV in 2005, featuring Alistair McGowan, John Thomson, Ronni Ancona, Mackenzie Crook, Griff Rhys Jones, Neil Morrissey, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Marc Wootton and Steve Coogan...
(Sanctuary Visual Entertainment, 4 July 2005) - Catterick (2 Entertain Video, 13 June 2005)
- Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)Randall & Hopkirk is a British television series, produced by Working Title Films for BBC One. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Randall and Hopkirk and stars Vic Reeves as Hopkirk and Bob Mortimer as Randall, Emilia Fox as Jeannie, and Tom Baker as Wyvern.- Background :Two series...
Series 1 (Vision Video Ltd, 29 October 2001. Re-released by Universal Pictures Video, 30 April 2007) - Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) Series 2 (Vision Video Ltd, 14 October 2002)
- Viz Top Tips with Reeves and Mortimer (VHS only, Pearson New Entertainment, 1996)
Live Shows
- We Know Where You Live Live! - Reeves performed at the benefit gig for Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Wembley ArenaWembley ArenaWembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, 3 June 2001 - Shooting Stars / Fast Show Live - Labatt's Apollo, Hammersmith, January - February 1998
- Smell Of Reeves & Mortimer "Weathercock Tour" - National tour, October 1995
- R&M "Puce Tour" - National tour, Feb - March 1994
- Vic Reeves Big Night Out "Brown Tour" - National tour, 10 Dates at the Hammersmith Odeon and a recorded performance in Newcastle, 1991
- Vic Reeves Big Night Out Tour - National Universities tour, October, 1990
- Vic Reeves Big Night Out - The Goldsmiths Tavern and Albany Empire, pre-1990
Advertising
Reeves and Mortimer capitalised on their fame in the 1990s and 2000s by appearing in a variety of television advertisements. The earliest to feature the pair was for Cadbury's BoostBoost (chocolate)
Boost is a brand of chocolate bar currently manufactured by Cadbury. The bar is sold in the United Kingdom and South Africa by Cadbury UK and in Australia and New Zealand by Cadbury Australia. Its wrapper says that it consists of milk chocolate with caramel and biscuit filling...
chocolate bar in the early 1990s.
- Beginning in 1998, the pair voiced adverts for Churchill Insurance. Mortimer providing the voice of the adverts' signature nodding dog, Churchill, and Reeves as the consumerConsumerConsumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
, prompting the dog extol the virtues of insurance deals offered by the company.
Reeves' contract with Churchill was terminated in March 2005 after he was arrested for a drink-driving offence in which he drove his vintage Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
into a stationary vehicle in Boughton Malherbe
Boughton Malherbe
For other "Boughtons" in Kent see Boughton under Blean; Boughton Malherbe; and Boughton MonchelseaBoughton Malherbe is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, situated between Maidstone and Ashford...
, near Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
before careering into a bank and hitting a fence. For this offence he was disqualified from driving for thirty-six months as of 21 April 2005 and ordered to do 100 hours community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
. Reeves' voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
for the adverts may have been replaced by another voice artist - albeit in the same style - prior to the incident. Mortimer continued to provide the voice for the Churchill dog until at least 2009.
- The final advert in the Renault ClioRenault ClioThe Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
's Papa & NicolePapa & NicolePapa' and 'Nicole were fictional characters created to advertise the Renault Clio in the United Kingdom between 1991 and 1998. The "Papa!" "Nicole" and "Nicole!" Papa" verbal exchanges between Nicole and her father during the advertisements were adapted from an original exchange between Nicole...
series featured Nicole (played by Estelle SkornikEstelle SkornikEstelle Skornik is a French actress.In the United Kingdom she is best remembered for playing "Nicole" alongside Max Douchin in a range of Renault Clio advertisements that at one point also featured the comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.She also starred as "Ada" in the film version of From...
) jilting her groom (Reeves) at the altar for Bob (Mortimer) and the pair eloping in a Clio, spoofing a scene from the 1967 film The GraduateThe GraduateThe Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
.
- Reeves and Mortimer appeared in a British TV LicenceTelevision licensing in the United KingdomIn the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, any household watching or recording live television transmissions is required to purchase a television licence every year. As of 2010, this costs £145.50 for colour and £49.00 for black and white. The licence is required to receive any live...
advert shown on BBCBBCThe 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...
channels in the early 1990s. The advert spoofed the BBC trailers of the time, which informed viewers of upcoming programmes due for broadcast. The Reeves and Mortimer advert replaced these real programmes with their own inventions, including crime-drama "Detective in a WheelbarrowWheelbarrowA wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear, or by a sail to push the ancient wheelbarrow by wind. The term "wheelbarrow" is made of two words: "wheel" and "barrow." "Barrow" is a...
", a comedy called "Three Blokes in a Bath", coverage of "OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
AnvilAnvilAn anvil is a basic tool, a block with a hard surface on which another object is struck. The inertia of the anvil allows the energy of the striking tool to be transferred to the work piece. In most cases the anvil is used as a forging tool...
Throwing" and coverage of "International Pan Fighting".
- In 2009, they voiced an advertisement for Birds EyeBirds Eye__FORCETOC__Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen foods owned by Pinnacle Foods in North America and by private equity group Permira in Europe....
Salmon Fish Fingers.
Production
In 2001, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Lisa Clark formed their own production company, Pett Productions, which has produced several television programs that have featured one or both comedians. For more details see the article Pett ProductionsPett Productions
Pett Productions is an independent production company, established by Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves and Lisa Clark in 2001. The company is based at the Maidstone Studios in Maidstone, Kent and has produced several television shows in comedy, reality, documentary and internet format.-Productions:*The...
.
Web television
As of 04 July 2011, Reeves and Mortimer's first web seriesWeb series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
, Vic and Bob's Afternoon Delights, is being hosted on Fosters
Foster's Lager
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian brand of 5.0% abv pale lager, It is a product of Foster's Group brewed under licence in several countries, including the U.S. and Russia...
' UK website. A new episode is added each weekday, with each episodes consisting of a single sketch.