Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer: We blackmailed Simon Cowell to throw a bucket on Lucky Sexy Winners
"We’ve got JLS. They’re performing a brief excerpt from their new single – summat to do with smoked salmon"
As part of Funny Fortnight, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer return to Channel 4 with an anarchic new show bringing together Eddie Izzard, Simon Cowell and Dr Christian Jessen. They kindly agreed to tell RT.com all about it, and left us more confused than ever...
How does Lucky Sexy Winners differ from Shooting Stars?
Bob: Shooting Stars was a panel show. This is a quiz show. Well, it’s our take on a quiz show.
Vic: It’s like Ask the Family.
Bob: That’s what we’re saying today, anyway.
Why do a quiz show?
Vic: We wanted to do a sketch show but it’s more palatable to the British public to dress it up as a quiz show.
Bob: It’s really a sketch show with three people looking at us: Eddie Izzard, Thomas Turgoose and Chelsee Healey.
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Interesting combo...
Bob: And we’ve got JLS. They’re performing a brief excerpt from their new single – summat to do with smoked salmon.
Vic: Antony Worrall Thompson’s on it as well.
Bob: And Michael Bublé.
Is it true Simon Cowell will also be making an appearance?
Vic: Yep. Forced him. Blackmail.
Bob: We offered him free cigarettes. There’s a big screen behind us showing twelve celebrities – Vic’s drawings of celebrities – and Simon Cowell activates that machine for us.
Vic: And he throws a bucket at one point.
Gosh, you must have emptied your contacts book.
Bob: Funnily enough, we don’t know any of these people.
Vic: We don’t actually know anyone.
Bob, you’ll also be donning a stethoscope, I believe?
Bob: I’m donning a doctor’s fancy shirt because I’m doing a little sketch as Dr Christian Jessen, with his big collared shirts.
Are you a fan of Embarrassing Bodies?
Vic: I don’t watch it because I really don’t like the look of bollocks with warts on ‘em. It makes me feel quite uncomfortable.
Bob: In our house we play a game when it’s on: we challenge each other to turn over and see if there’s a cock on. There usually is.
Vic: Or else it’s pretty much guess work – is it or isn’t it?
Bob: Vic’s doing an impression of Miranda Hart.
Vic: Skipping. She does a little skipping and then there’s a big surprise. We didn’t ask permission. Maybe we should do but we didn’t.
Do you have any prizes?
Vic: Some big, big prizes.
Bob: An Xbox.
Vic: An energy drink, bus tickets to Peterborough...
Bob: Good stuff. Celebrities aren’t usually allowed to win stuff on TV, are they? It has to be for charity but they’re going to win stuff on our show.
Vic: A salt and pepper set.
Bob: Maybe just the pepper.
Vic: Some earrings.
Where do you get your ideas?
Bob: Watching the telly. It’s got to be – it’s all I do.
Vic: We have a grey, bland little office and we go in there.
Bob: It’s got a table and some chairs. Nothing else.
Vic: And a kettle.
Bob: We do have a kettle. I lied. We’ve moved up in the world.
How tricky are your questions?
Bob: They’re all tough.
Vic: Really hard.
Bob: And unlike on panel shows like Buzzcocks, the celebrities don’t know what they’re going to be asked in advance, so it’s a tough gig for them. We shall see how they get on.
Vic: Panel shows take three or four hours to record. This is done in real time – it’s all over in half an hour.
Which quizmasters have you been channelling?
Bob: I think I’m...
Vic: Robert Robertson.
Bob: You’re a bit like Larry Grayson. Got to be honest.
Vic: I’ve got his looks.
Bob: And his attitude – bit prickly.
Vic & Bob’s Lucky Sexy Winners is on Thursday 23 August, 9pm, Channel 4.
