Entertainment

Vic Reeves Big Night Out returns for surreal BBC2 special

The one-off special, a “reimagining” of the original, will air on BBC2.
The one-off special, a “reimagining” of the original, will air on BBC2. The one-off special, a “reimagining” of the original, will air on BBC2.

Vic and Bob are returning to their roots to bring back surreal stage show Vic Reeves Big Night Out.

The one-off special, a “reimagining” of the original, will air on BBC2.

Vic Reeves Big Night Out introduced viewers to Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer when it transferred to TV in 1990 from its beginnings as a stage show.

Vic and Bob in their younger days (PA)
Vic and Bob in their younger days (PA)
Vic and Bob in their younger days (Fiona Hanson/PA)

The new show, Vic & Bob’s Big Night Out, will feature new characters, cameo appearances, songs, skits and stunts performed in front of a studio audience.

The comedy duo said: “This is the show we wanted to perform back in the 1980s. Now the time is right.”

They joked: “We will be increasing our respective heights in order to perform some of the more intricate and challenging moments.”

Vic Reeves (left) and Bob Mortimer (John Stillwell/PA)
Vic Reeves (left) and Bob Mortimer (John Stillwell/PA)
Vic Reeves (left) and Bob Mortimer (John Stillwell/PA)

BBC controller of comedy commissioning Shane Allen said: “In this special, Vic and Bob go back to their live stage show roots to mark three decades as the most pioneering, surreal and unique pairing in British comedy.

“With a mix of old and new characters, recorded in an intimate setting they give a modern spin on that rich tradition of English eccentricity that stretches back to the music hall, through Spike Milligan and the Pythons, in creating characters that delight or baffle depending on who you are.”