Vic Reeves

James "Jim" Roderick Moir, more commonly known by the pseudonym Vic Reeves, (born January 24, 1959) is an English comedian, best known through his double act with Bob Mortimer (see Vic and Bob).

Supposedly he derived the name Vic Reeves from his favourite singers Vic Damone and Jim Reeves. He, his father and grandfather are all called Jim Moir (and all share the same birthday). Whilst at the BBC, he also shared a name with James/Jim Moir a senior BBC executive.

In 2003, he and Mortimer 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.

Personal Life

Jim 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 Eastbourne school in the town without any qualifications. He wished to attend art school but was unable to afford this.

Moir has two children, Alice and Louis, by his first wife Sarah Vincent. He was romantically linked to Emilia Fox, co-star of the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) remake, before marrying second wife Nancy Sorrell. Nancy gave birth to twin girls Elizabeth and Nell at the William Harvey Hospital in Kent on 25 May 2006. The babies were conceived after the couple received IVF treatment.

Every now and then he 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 (which the BBC's 1997 Omnibus documentary - A Film Of Reeves & Mortimer - revolved around).

He is a keen amateur birdwatcher

Career

Before moving to London to pursue a career in the civil service, Moir 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 Moir 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. Although still primarily 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. At least one exhibition/sale of these pieces occurred at the Whitechapel Art Gallery during 2002 (priced from £500 to £5000).

as Vic Reeves

As well as working and performing in bands, in London, Moir 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, New Cross. 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 the few comedians to have had a number one hit in the UK chart, which he did in company with The Wonder Stuff, singing Dizzy (previously a number one hit for Tommy Roe). The single's B-side was the original composition Oh! Mr. Hairdresser, recorded with The Images of Cream and supposedly featuring Bob Mortimer on the mandolin. He also released a version of Born Free which was critically acclaimed and also reached the top ten. A third single during the same period, Abide With Me, had little success, although a later team-up with EMF, covering The Monkees hit I'm a Believer was somewhat more successful.

As well as their own off-the-wall comedy shows (see Vic and Bob) -- which also featured future cast members of The Fast Show and Little Britain -- 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.

In 2004 he and Sorrell were both contestants in the fourth series of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.

In September 2005 Reeves hosted a show for Virgin Radio called Vic Reeves Big Night In, for a short period on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7.00pm.

In May 2006 he presented a programme on Tyne Tees about Northeast comedy culture, It's funny up North with...Vic Reeves.

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Since 1998, with his comedy partner Bob Mortimer, Moir 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. (However, it is believed that Reeves' voice-over for the adverts was replaced by another voice artist - albeit in the same style - long before this incident (2004 at the latest), as now has Mortimer's.)

Renault Clio - part of the Papa & Nicole series, featuring Bob Mortimer and Estelle Skornik

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Personal Life

Career

as Vic Reeves

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See also