''House of Fools'' is a British comedy television series that was first broadcast on
BBC Two on 14 January 2014. The series features
Bob Mortimer and
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
, who are also the writers.
''House of Fools'' was recommissioned for a second series in March 2014. A Christmas Special aired on 28 December 2014, with the second series following on 16 February 2015.
On 25 August 2015, BBC Two cancelled the series.
Plot
The series takes the duo of
Vic and Bob
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...
's blend of rapid-fire jokes and surrealist wit, applying it to the
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
format. Episodes are filled with musical routines to deliver plot points, strange events that break up the action, non-sequitur gags, off-colour jokes, and oddball characters.
Each episode shows
Bob Mortimer's house being filled with uninvited people, to his frustration - usually built around a basic sitcom premise.
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
is one of the uninvited guests who lives in the house. Also living in the house is Bob's son Erik (
Daniel Simonsen Daniel Simonsen is a Norwegian comedian and actor.
Career
Simonsen has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2009. As well as his Newcomer Award, his show "Champions" received positive reviews, he supported Simon Amstell on his UK tou ...
). Julie (
Morgana Robinson
Morgana Robinson (born 7 May 1982) is an Australian-born English impressionist, comedian, writer and actress, who is best known for her comedy sketch programme ''The Morgana Show'', ''Morgana Robinson's The Agency'', appearances on ''The TNT Sho ...
) lives next door.
Cast
*
Bob Mortimer as Himself
Bob owns the house where most of the action takes place. A proud wig-wearer, Bob has a crush on
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British writer, comedian and broadcaster on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She has written ...
as a running gag. Though he is often led to frustration by the antics of his friends, Bob and his friends always manage to pull through tough situations with teamwork, which they celebrate in the closing credits musical routine of the show.
*
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
as Himself
Bob's best friend and housemate, acting as both a source of annoyance and a voice of reason to Bob. Vic tends to be more easy-going than Bob, with more of a sense of awareness about the bigger picture. Vic is willing to go out of his way to help his friend Bob out, though he will often indulge in strange and juvenile behaviour, such as stealing wigs using a trained hawk from a wig-wearer's convention. He often starts the episode with a song, usually to the tune of "
Day Trip to Bangor".
*
Daniel Simonsen Daniel Simonsen is a Norwegian comedian and actor.
Career
Simonsen has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2009. As well as his Newcomer Award, his show "Champions" received positive reviews, he supported Simon Amstell on his UK tou ...
as Erik
Bob's son, Erik is a recluse who rarely comes down from his heavily guarded bedroom. When he does, it's usually to dry-retch at something that disgusts him, or mock his father for being uncool. By contrast, he considers Bob's friend and flatmate
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
to be a cool guy, and maintains an amiable relationship with him. In spite of constantly putting Bob down, Erik appears to secretly harbour genuine devotion and love for his father, as seen in the episode The Birthday Affair.
*
Morgana Robinson
Morgana Robinson (born 7 May 1982) is an Australian-born English impressionist, comedian, writer and actress, who is best known for her comedy sketch programme ''The Morgana Show'', ''Morgana Robinson's The Agency'', appearances on ''The TNT Sho ...
as Julie
Vic and Bob's crazy next-door neighbour, Julie is something of a nymphomaniac, constantly encouraging the male characters to 'buff my Barnaby Rudge'. She is particularly fixated on
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
, who spurns her romantic advances nervously. Julie often appears aloof of problematic situations, even smiling broadly when people are distressed, and often plays gags on others. In spite of her odd behaviour, she is often willing to go out of her way to help her neighbours when they are in trouble.
*
Matt Berry as Beef Galore
Vic and Bob's suave, eccentric retro/70s styled next door neighbour with a fetish for African ladies and countless anecdotes about his rather nefarious activities in Africa. His first entrances in episodes are usually accompanied by a singing routine in
disco dance music. He often shows up to help out or entertain his friends.
*
Dan Skinner as Bosh Rogan Josh
Vic's jailbird brother, Bosh takes an instant dislike to Bob despite living in his house and paying no rent. Bosh is unable or unwilling to find either a job or a place to stay, and frequently invents excuses for him to extend his visit when confronted. As a running gag, he often calls people a twat, even when being friendly. He often proves himself useful when the other characters are in need.
*
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...
as Martin
Julie's deceased former lover, Martin is referenced several times by Julie before making an appearance in The Ghost Affair.
*
Ellie White
Ellie White (born 1989) is an English comedy actress. She is best known for playing Princess Beatrice of York in the British royal family parody, '' The Windsors'' (2016–2020), and Katia in the sitcom, ''Stath Lets Flats'' (2018–2021).
...
as Rachel (series 2)
Rachel is Erik's girlfriend and has several noticeable similarities to Erik, including her clothes, speaking voice and mannerisms.
Production
''House of Fools'' was commissioned by
Janice Hadlow
Janice Vivienne Hadlow (born November 1957) in Lewisham is a former BBC television executive. She was the controller of the BBC television channel BBC Two, taking over this position in November 2008 having previously been controller of BBC Four. A ...
and Shane Allen, both working for the BBC.
The pilot episode was filmed on 22 March 2013 at
BBC Television Centre
Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...
. The remaining five episodes of Series 1 were filmed at
Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...
on 8, 15, 22, 29 November and 6 December 2013 in front of an audience of 260 people. Series 2 was filmed at
dock10,
MediaCityUK.
The series is a BBC Comedy production in association with
Pett Productions
''Pett Productions'' was an independent production company, established by Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves and Lisa Clark in 2001. The company was based at the Maidstone Studios in Maidstone, Kent and has produced several television shows in comedy, ...
.
''House of Fools'' has Lisa Clark as producer and Mark Freeland as executive producer. The theme music is called "Party Time", written by
Keith Mansfield
Keith Mansfield (born 1941 in London, England) is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the '' Grandstand'' theme for the BBC.
Career
Other works include "The Young Scene" (the ...
and published by KPM.
Episodes
Series 1 (2014)
Christmas Special (2014)
Series 2 (2015)
Home media
Both series of ''House of Fools'' have been released on DVD.
See also
*''
Shooting Stars''
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{Vic and Bob
2014 British television series debuts
2015 British television series endings
2010s British sitcoms
BBC high definition shows
BBC television sitcoms
English-language television shows
Television shows set in the United Kingdom
Television shows shot at Elstree Film Studios