Bob Mortimer press clippings - Page 30

Radio Times review

For a while, Bob Mortimer isn't having much luck with his pet hates. Nobody seems to share his very specific dislike of shop assistants who put your change in your hand on top of the receipt, or his aversion to wrapping food in bacon.

But when he rails against the unripe fruit sold in supermarkets, suddenly the audience is with him, bursting into applause, and host Frank Skinner is onside, too. That's the thing with the micro-annoyances aired on this show - they're merely a leaping-off point for celebrity small talk. Also airing grievances are Rachel Riley (Essex girl stereotypes; officious people in uniforms) and Mrs Brown actor Brendan O'Carroll, who for some reason hates small pedal bins.

David Butcher, Radio Times, 18th February 2015

Radio Times review

Reece Shearsmith looks rather dour as he explains to his interviewer, Adam Buxton, that his looks have helped cast him as the villain/psychopath/character-most-likely-to-run-amok in the sketches of The League of Gentlemen. Is he angry in real life asks Buxton? Not really, he says. If anything, he thinks he has gone soft in his middling years.

He confesses to looking back at a sketch where a vulnerable character is bullied by teenage girls and thinking that he'd crossed the line, that the cruelty had outweighed the laughs. Push him a little harder though and he is soon chuckling over the Sardines episode of last year's Inside No. 9, which he co-wrote with fellow Gentleman, Steve Pemberton. Inspired by a cupboard in the office they share it involves 12 bodies squashed together -- and some child abuse. It does not sound funny but, as Shearsmith points out, it's the dark drama that has made his comedy so different.

Next week he gets to be the interviewer and Bob Mortimer answers the questions.

Laurence Joyce, Radio Times, 18th February 2015

Radio Times review

Once again Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and friends do their best to erase that troublesome line between a TV show where very funny people muck about and a sitcom. Either can be hugely enjoyable, but there are times when you wish House of Fools would put a bit more sit into its com.

You always get the sense that any given scene could have been more or less improvised, or maybe rustled up in rehearsals an hour before the recording. It's all so good in its slightly shambolic state, you wish they'd taken the trouble to sharpen it up.

Even so, for Vic 'n' Bob enthusiasts there's delirious pleasure here as Norwegian nerd Erik goes on a date and mad neighbour Julie opens a bistro.

David Butcher, Radio Times, 16th February 2015

Comedy greats Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer may be getting on a bit now but they've definitely not lost their touch as their surreal sitcom House Of Fools returns for a second series .

They're older and wiser, but as funny as ever.

The show is set in the home of old friends 'Vic' and 'Bob' where the gags come fast and furious, as do the pratfalls.

"It's an old-fashioned sitcom with people falling over and word play," explains Vic, "but there are also good stories with peaks and troughs."

This season sees their sexy neighbour Julie (Morgana Robinson) opening a bistro, Bob's strange son Erik (Daniel Simonson) getting a girlfriend, and more hilarious visits from their lothario pal Beef (Matt Berry).

It's the brand of comedy that made Vic and Bob famous in the 90s with their anarchic panel show, Shooting Stars.

"We needed barriers to keep the fans back," recalls Vic, 56.

"But now we are the oldest comics working," Bob, 55, adds. "And there's less drink involved."

"I have a Snowball 10 minutes before filming ends. That's about as rock 'n' roll as it gets, but this is probably the most fun we've had. I'm really proud of it."

Jennifer Rodger, The Mirror, 14th February 2015

Press clippings Page 30

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