Vic Reeves (born Jim Moir), a British
comedian, best known through his double act with Bob
Mortimer. Supposedly he got the name Vic Reeves from
his favourite singers Vic Damone and Jim Reeves.
James Roderick Moir (known to his family as Rod)
was born in Leeds, but at the age of five, moved to
Darlington with his mother, father and younger sister
Lois. In his youth he was a fan of Monty Python. He
left school without qualifications. He wished to attend
art school but this was unaffordable.
Before moving to London to pursue a career in the
civil service, Jim had worked as a pig farmer, a cabbage
farmer, in cancer research and as a factory inspector.
He also formed the Fashionable Five, a group of five
friends (including Jack Dent, who ran the original
Fan Club) who would follow bands like The Enid and
Free onto stage and perform pranks, (including Jim
pretending to have a brass hand, and following a Terry
Scott lookalike around Darlington town centre in single
file formation). Eventually, they formed their own
band. Vic had an early break through the help of Malcolm
Hardee.
In 1983 he began a part-time course at a local art
college, developed his love of painting and eventually
persuaded a local art gallery to stage an exhibition
of his unique work.
As well as working and performing in bands, in London,
Jim also joined the alternative comedy circuit under
many different guises. These included a loudmouth American
called Jim Bell, a beat poet called Mister Mystery
and, eventually, "The North-East’s Top Light
Entertainer" - Vic Reeves. His stage show "Vic
Reeves Big Night Out" began life as a regular
Thursday night gig at Goldsmith’s Tavern. Here
he met Bob Mortimer, a solicitor who jumped up on stage
one night and ended up joining the show. His growing
TV profile led to the Big Night Out getting a slot
on channel 4.
Reeves is one of few comedians to have had a no 1
hit in the UK chart, which he did in company with The
Wonder Stuff, singing "Dizzy" (previously
a no 1 hit for Tommy Roe). He also released a version
of Born Free which was critically acclaimed and also
reached the top ten.
As well as off-the-wall comedy shows, Reeves played
Marty Hopkirk in the BBC's 1990s revival of the comedy
thriller, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), with Mortimer
as Randall and Tom Baker as Wyvern.
Although Reeves primarily is known as a comedian,
he is also gaining a reputation as an artist. His drawings
and paintings have been used in his television shows
and is a major part of his 1999 book, Sun Boiled Onions.
Every now and then his appears in the British tabloids
for random, bizarre acts with seemingly little intention
to attract media attention. One such act included burying
his vintage car in his back garden.
In 2003, he and Bob were listed in The Observer as
one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a
2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he and Bob
were voted the top 9th greatest comedy act ever by
fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Jim has two children, Alice and Louis, by his first
wife Sarah. He was romantically linked to Emilia Fox,
co-star of the Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) remake,
before marrying second wife Nancy Sorrell. In 2004
he and Sorrell were both contestants in the fourth
series of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.
Since 1998, with his comedy partner Bob Mortimer,
Jim has lent his voice to the nodding dog in the Churchill
Insurance adverts. He had his contract terminated in
March 2005 after being arrested for a drink/driving
offence in which he ploughed his vintage Jaguar into
a stationary car in Maidstone before careering into
a bank and hitting a fence. For this offence he was
on 21 April 2005 disqualified for driving for thirty-six
months and ordered to do 100 hours community service.
His father and grandfather share the same birthday
as Vic and are both called Jim Moir. |