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''Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer'' is a British comedy television series, the third by comedy double act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and their second in a
sketch show Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
format. Directed by Mark Mylod and produced by Alan Marke, it first aired in 1999 on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
.


Show format

While maintaining elements from '' The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'', ''Bang Bang...'' was very different in many ways. As with their previous sketch show, a song kicked off the proceedings, and once again the duo sat at their trademark desk. However, the desk was almost completely bare, (as opposed to their previous prop-covered ones), and had a transparent front through which the moving form of a naked man (in interviews, the duo explained that he was "a
homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person", : homunculi , , ) is a small human being. Popularized in 16th-century alchemy and 19th-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has root ...
") could be seen. The studio set was different too, the huge R&M letters replaced with large representations of the pair behind warped glass. There were also changes in their double-act dynamic. Vic's character was frequently unhinged and waved guns and large blunt objects around with relish, while Bob played a slightly baffled innocent most of the time. As usual, however, they tended to fall out easily, resulting in one of their trademark slapstick fights, which grew more absurd, violent and freeform as the series progressed. One memorable instance involved Vic's head becoming grotesquely disfigured after a spin in a tumble dryer. Bob then gleefully set about the hunchbacked, pathetic Vic with a baseball bat. There were also a number of pre-recorded sketches. These would often feature Charlie Higson, Morwenna Banks,
Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain (TV series), Little Britain'' (2003–2006) ...
and
David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...
in supporting or cameo roles. It was a firm favourite with Vic and Bob's cult following, but confused and unsettled many new fans who had joined them after viewing their more accessible game show spoof, '' Shooting Stars.'' The duo said that ''Bang Bang...'' was their "first real attempt at making something commercial". Vic and Bob have said they are very proud of the show, with Bob stating: "We have this hope that, if there's anyone left bothered about us in fifty years' time, ang Bangwill be the one they'll remember".


Recurring sketches


Lunch-Hour Capers (The Car Door Blokes)

These odd slapstick sketches saw the duo driving around idyllic locations, accompanied by a semi-instrumental version of " Zabadak", only to park their car between two immovable objects (trees, other parked cars, a petrol pump etc.), resulting in a protracted bout of "very frustrating" door-opening attempts, after which the duo would have to resort to other methods. Usually, at some point the car's boot or windscreen wipers would fly off and explode nearby. In these sketches, someone was always killed in a strange way, ejecting an egg from their mouths to
Babybird Babybird are an English rock band formed by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones, who has been releasing music since 1995. While Jones' early solo work was released under the "Baby Bird" name, the altered "Babybird" was first use ...
's "There's Something Going On" before vanishing. The duo have explained that the eggs symbolise "their souls". This recurring joke even extended to the desk, where Vic accidentally shot himself with a gun, disappeared and left an egg behind, which Bob then greedily ate. Bob has described the Lunch-Hour Capers as "the most surreal thing we’ve ever done."


Fun, Fun, Fun

Tom Fun, who had previously appeared in '' The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'', and his best friend Derek (revealed in the last sketch to be the former drummer of
Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...
) were shown in these oddly touching sketches wandering around aimlessly at dawn, having been thrown out of their lodgings for generally unclear reasons involving Derek's behaviour (one example given being Derek's public attempt to eat an arctic roll "like a pelican might eat it"). Their quest to find something "fun" to do was very childlike and knew no bounds, from going down the drains, to prising up cobblestones or rooting around in a skip. In most of the sketches, Derek asks Tom "Is it Giro day?" to which he responds negatively. Each of these segments opened with the "fun fun fun" refrain from the song "Five Get Over Excited" by The Housemartins. In the last episode of the series, the pair are seen holding hands as the credits roll, walking along a beach at sunset to Roxy Music's "Oh Yeah!". Mortimer has described the pair as "lovers". Tom Fun and Derek later appeared together (officially describing themselves as "partners" for the first time) in sketches as part of 2009
mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
''
Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English-Irish actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. His accolades include four BAFTA Awards and three British Comedy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Aw ...
: The Inside Story''. Abandoning their Giros, they appear to have found work as disenchanted make-up artists. Derek also briefly appeared in '' Catterick'' without Tom, but decidedly more manic and obsessed with feminine hygiene products.


The Club

The main event of ''Bang Bang'' was this spoof fly-on-the-wall docu-drama, which took us behind-the-scenes of Baron's Nightclub, the "4th best club in Hull." Paul Baron (Vic) was the dodgy proprietor who kept the premises' keys on impractically short "luxury chains" about his person. Vic and Bob have stated that despite visual similarities, Paul Baron was not modelled on famous nightclub owner
Peter Stringfellow Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs. Early life Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsi ...
. Paul's previously long-lost brother Tony (Bob, with a bizarre Chinese accent) was in charge of the day-to-day running of the club, often expressing "serious reservations" about Paul's half-baked ideas. The club's compere was insane American Kinky John Fowler (Vic), whose "plucking peppercorns" routine was not one of Tony's favourites. After a disastrous "Erotic Night," and an even more calamitous "Talent Night" (which consisted of a man with a fox on his head and a man frightening ducks with a hydraulic machine), things took a turn for the better when
boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
Mandate (managed by Kinky John) played a successful set, and Paul managed to secure the services of
Les Dennis Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 to 2002. Early life Dennis was born as Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liv ...
for one night only. At the end of the series, a jealous Kinky John got "shit-faced" and threatened everyone with a large gun. Luckily for Kinky John, Mandate may have hit the big time in the Vic and Bob universe, as Jeff Randall (Bob) is seen singing their song "Touching Heaven" (performed in ''Bang Bang'') in the duo's remake of '' Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)''. Kinky John had previously appeared in one-off
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
special ''It's Ulrika'', written for
Ulrika Jonsson Eva Ulrika Jonsson (born 16 August 1967) is a Swedish-British television presenter and model. She became known as a TV-am weather presenter, and moved on to present the ITV show '' Gladiators'', and later featured as a team captain on the BBC T ...
by Vic and Bob in 1997. In the sketch, which also featured
David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...
and
Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain (TV series), Little Britain'' (2003–2006) ...
, Kinky John introduced Jonsson to the stage of a Vegas-style night club. In his autobiography, Walliams describes how Kinky John's character began to develop in lulls in recording. "He would wander over to the rest of us and open with 'I’ve got a great deal. Three hundred coconuts are coming into town tonight. Are you in?’ ..What a joy to see the two funniest men in the world create something new, right in front of my eyes." After debuting as a main character in ''Bang Bang'', Kinky John featured in Vic's 2002
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
comedy series '' Vic Reeves' House Arrest'' as Detective Inspector John "Deacon" Fowler via an autobiography of his early life. He would return again as DI Fowler in the duo's 2004 sitcom '' Catterick'' along with the club's bouncers Carl and Chris. He also appeared in "
Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English-Irish actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. His accolades include four BAFTA Awards and three British Comedy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Aw ...
: The Inside Story" as John Fowler, Television Controller 1993-1993. Vic has said he believes the club sketches to be the inspiration for other fly-on-the-wall style comedies that emerged after ''Bang Bang'', particularly ''
The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
''.


The Stotts

Once again, the Stotts returned, developing their celebrity interviews, which always started with "a little explosion" to "warm things up".
Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill (born 17 September 1960) is an English former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won 22 Grands Prix acr ...
was asked "When you are in a motor race, do you have a map, or just follow everyone else?".
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
was given a full-frontal view of what lurked within Davey's kilt, a truly baffled Paul McKenna was asked if peanuts were soluble, Caprice was told that Davey's long pointy shoes were offered to him by the King of Spain in retribution for him "attacking his wife with a fish slice," while
Michael Winner Michael Robert Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was an English filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...
was quizzed on whether a human could leave fingerprints on a parsnip. One recurring question that was asked, often by Donald (Bob), was whether the guest, after work or at the end of the day, had, "A nice relaxing poo." At the end of every interview, the pair would abandon the celebrity onstage leaving them alone to the sounds of the adagietto from
Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
's fifth symphony.


"Never Previously Considered Funny Enough To Broadcast..."

A recurring series of bizarre sketch scenarios, usually involving parodies of celebrities. They were always introduced by narrator Patrick Allen, who would conclude each narration with "What happened that day has never previously been considered funny enough to broadcast...until now!"


References


External links

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Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
at
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
{{Vic and Bob BBC television comedy BBC television sketch shows 1999 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British television sketch shows British English-language television shows