Vic Reeves earned a spot alongside Benny Hill and Peter Kay as one of the few comedians to reach the top of the U.K. singles chart, while his early-1990s profile rested equally on musical releases and the alternative-comedy partnership he formed with Bob Mortimer. Born James Roderick Moir in Leeds during 1959, he completed an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering and later inspected factory work before assembling the anarchic group the Fashionable Five, whose initial activities involved staging pranks at live shows prior to their evolution into a full band.
Adopting the stage name Vic Reeves from the “North East’s Top Light Entertainer” persona he had developed on the London circuit, he began working with ex-solicitor Bob Mortimer; their distinctive brand of absurd physical comedy soon attracted a dedicated audience. An appearance on One Hour with Jonathan Ross led to the commission of Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out, after which the pair established themselves among the decade’s leading comedy acts through Shooting Stars and The Smell of Reeves & Mortimer.
Reeves, whose earliest brush with recognition came via a Shakin’ Stevens video, maintained parallel musical activities by supplying vocals for Jools Holland’s 1990 single “Holy Cow” and, the following year, topping the chart with a version of Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy” recorded with the Wonder Stuff. His first album, I Will Cure You, included the Top Ten single “Born Free,” a rendition of the hymn “Abide with Me,” and a duet with the Human League’s Phil Oakey; apart from that project, his only further release was the 1995 number-three single “I’m a Believer,” a Monkees cover credited to Reeves, EMF, and Mortimer.
He later expanded into acting and presenting, taking one of the principal parts in the BBC revival of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), hosting a ten-part historical documentary series for The Discovery Channel, and issuing a well-received volume of his artwork in 2009.
