Get ready to coo down the Dove from Above again, as Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer return with a new series of their surreal panel show Shooting Stars They both turned 50 this year, but comedy fans will be pleased to hear that Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are showing no signs of growing up. Following the success of a Shooting Stars Christmas special last year, a new series of the pair's supremely silly comedy panel show begins on BBC2 on Wednesday 26 August. We caught up with Vic and Bob to find out more… What’s new for the new series? Vic: The Dove from Above has come back, and we’ve got a little Victorian theatre in which we act out famous film scenes. We’re doing Rocky, James Bond... and The Elephant Man, which was a good one. Bob: We’ve got a new panellist called Angelos [played by Dan Skinner]. He’s a member of the public and he sits where Johnny Vegas used to be. It’s interesting to have a non-celebrity on a panel show. Jack Dee is a new team captain on the show. Is he grumpier than Mark Lamarr and Will Self? Vic: He’s probably grumpier, but that’s what we wanted to fill that seat. We had interviews to find someone really grumpy. People tend to be pretty chirpy these days. Bob: I would say Jack is grumpier. It’s more difficult to make him crack a smile, although he did pretend to smile once. We try to cheer him up by serenading him with tunes we play down a length of drainpipe. You’re always bashing each other over the head with things. Is it dangerous? Vic: Bob got hit in the face by a stuffed dog once. It knocked him out and he had to have stitches. He was also hit by a large diamond. In the new series, we have a fist fight to the sound of some cool jazz. Bob: We’d be fantastic in battle if the instruments of war were frying pans and anvils and things. But we’re too old and wizened to be called up now. Besides, I don’t think they allow anyone from showbusiness to be in the Army. Who takes longer in make-up before the show? Vic: Probably Bob. He likes to have all the creases ironed out. I’m pretty quick, I just get sprayed and run off. I can’t stand being filmed in high definition, you can see the blood vessels in people’s eyes. Who wants to see that? There’s no need for HD in light entertainment. If Shooting Stars were a film, who would you cast as the main characters? Vic: To play me, Kiefer Sutherland. For Bob, Kevin Spacey – there’s a definite similarity there. For Matt, Fatty Arbuckle or Ben Kingsley. And Liz Smith as Ulrika. Bob: Yes, Kevin Spacey as me, but Jeremy Clarkson as Vic. Boris Johnson could be George Dawes because Matt Lucas looks so like him when he puts a blonde wig on. For Ulrika, I’d choose either Patsy Kensit or Pat Butcher. What do you keep under the desk on Shooting Stars? Vic: There’s a lot of stuff under that desk. Rubber gloves, knick-knacks, sweets. I don’t keep the bongos under there any more because they are out of date now. People have drum-kits these days. Bob: It’s mainly Rennies. And lager. And some sweets. You’ll often see Vic chewing his way through the show because he’s bored. If you could endorse any product, what would you choose? Vic: I’ve noticed David Beckham is endorsing Sharpie pens, and I’d be quite happy endorsing Bic biros. They look like they’ve got a lot of dosh, and it’s a good thing to endorse. Bob: I could be the new voice of Rennies. Do you have any hidden talents? Vic: I’m learning how to hover. I’ve managed to get three quarters of an inch off the ground. It’s not like David Blaine’s hovering, though. When he does it, it’s a trick; when I do it, it’s real. Bob: I’ve invented a long stick with a claw on the end that you can change light bulbs with. It’s called the ‘Bulb-o’. It’s very handy. Which other double act would you like to go on holiday with, and where would you take them? Vic: The artists Gilbert and George. I’d take them to Blackpool. Actually, that would make a good reality show, especially if we set up a bed and breakfast there. Bob: I’d take the Mighty Boosh to High Wycombe, home of the Hell-Fire Caves, the worst tourist attraction in Britain. You have to go just to see the genius of the place.
