Vic and Bob
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vic Reeves (born 24 January 1959, real name James "Jim" Roderick Moir) and Robert "Bob" Renwick 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 from 1990.
Reeves & 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 (a frequent occurrence is the duo engaging in escalating fights with large frying pans, baseball bats, hammers etc...), witty, often very silly banter (usually at their 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 80s and early 90s, and to this day inhabit a comedic universe all of their own, while still managing to exert a massive 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.
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[edit] The early years
Vic Reeves' comedy career began in The Goldsmiths Tavern in New Cross, 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 Deptford Albany, in 1989. The show began to attract various well-known audience members, such as Charlie Higson, Paul Whitehouse, Jonathan Ross and Alan Yentob.
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. His company, Channel X, brought Vic Reeves Big Night Out to Channel 4 as a six-part series in 1990 (in doing so, the original apostrophe after 'Reeves' was dropped). The first series was followed by a New Year's Eve special, in which Kim Wilde made an appearance, and a second series.
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-90s, which show material and characters very similar to those that made it to the TV screen. Established characters in the TV series included Les, Vic's bald, lab coat clad assistant who never spoke, loved spirit levels and hated chives; The Man with the Stick, who wore a paper helmet with strange drawings on it and carried a stick with a mystery item on the end of it; Graham Lister, who regularly entered the talent show, "Novelty Island", with a series of dreadful acts; Donald and Davey Stott, two brothers from the North East, 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; Wavy Davy, a chap who basically waved at people and turned out to actually be the devil; Judge Lionel Nutmeg, the crazy judge who presided over the "That's Justice" segment of the show; The Ponderers, two long chinned weirdos who literally just pondered; and Mr. Dennis, an easily riled newsagent.
[edit] Sketch shows
In 1993 Reeves and Mortimer transferred from Channel 4 to BBC 2, writing and appearing in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, indicating the rise in Mortimer's standing from sidekick to Reeves' equal.
These 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).
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 and others, in the surreal 6-part BBC Three comedy series Catterick (2004), sometimes listed as Vic and Bob in Catterick.
A one-off Big Night Out, primarily to promote the DVD release of Vic Reeves Big Night Out was held in September 2005.
[edit] Quiz shows
In 1993 a pilot episode of Shooting Stars was screened on BBC 2 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) 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 known equally well for his work on Little Britain with occasional Reeves and Mortimer collaborator, David Walliams). The quiz element of the show always plays second fiddle to being a comedy vehicle for Vic and Bob and their guests.
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.
2005 saw Bob host a celebrity trivia quiz for BBC 1, 29 Minutes of Fame, with regular guests such as Jo Brand.
[edit] Sitcom and drama
In 1992, Reeves and Mortimer made their first brief detour into sitcoms by writing and recording a pilot episode of The Weekenders, a one-off pilot for Channel 4's Bunch Of Five season. Human League vocalist Phil Oakey, and the future Fast Show trio of Paul Whitehouse, John Thomson and Simon Day, all 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.
Their 2004 comedy drama Catterick, screened on BBC3, 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 - all originally characters from Bang Bang It's Reeves and Mortimer. Vic and Bob play the main roles, with Charlie Higson, Morwenna Banks, Tim Healy, Mark Benton, Matt Lucas and The League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith.
In early 2000, Vic and Bob headed the cast in revived sixties private detective drama Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), 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.
[edit] Other work
On 27 December 1993, Vic and Bob chose sitcoms, sketch shows and films an entire night on BBC2, which was dubbed At Home With Vic & Bob. Programming included a special compilation of clips from Eric Idle's BBC television series Rutland Weekend Television, the original pilot of Shooting Stars, and Mike Leigh's film Nuts in May.
In 2000, Vic appeared solo in UK Play series Vic Reeves Examines, which featured celebrities such as Ricky Gervais, Johnny Vegas, Lauren Laverne and Emma Kennedy discussing a topic of their choice.
The pair capitalized on their fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s by appearing in television adverts for products as diverse as Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Boost, First Direct bank and Churchill car insurance. Reeves also published a book of his artwork, Sun Boiled Onions.
In July 2002 Bob fought - and defeated - Les Dennis in the BBC's televised "Celebrity Boxing" match.
Vic has a keen interest in the supernatural, and in 2003, along with his wife Nancy Sorrell, made a guest appearance in an episode of LivingTV's acclaimed ghost-hunting series Most Haunted.
[edit] Music
Reeves and Mortimer first appeared on Jools Holland's single "Holy Cow" in 1990, singing backing vocals.
The following year, Reeves collaborated with The Wonder Stuff to cover "Dizzy", originally released in 1969 by Tommy Roe. The song reached number one and spawned a spin-off full-length album on Island Records, I Will Cure You, 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 Free" and "Abide With Me", plus live versions of "Dizzy" (filmed on tour the previous year) and "Meals On Wheels".
The pair collaborated with EMF to cover The Monkees' sixties classic "I'm a Believer" in 1995. The cover reached number three.
Bob also recorded "Let's Dance" with favourite football team Middlesbrough F.C. in 1997.
[edit] DVDs
In 2005 Vic Reeves Big Night Out was finally released on DVD (series one and two, but minus the New Years special), followed, in early 2006, by The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer. To the disappointment of fans, the DVD versions of series one of Smell are the shorter broadcast versions, not the extended versions released on VHS in the mid-nineties.
[edit] References
- BBC Guide to Comedy. Catterick. Retrieved on February 17, 2005.
- BBC Guide to Comedy. The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. Retrieved on February 17, 2005.
- BBC Guide to Comedy. The Weekenders. Retrieved on February 17, 2005.
