They appeared on Sunday night at the Edinburgh Playhouse and on Monday at the Newcastle City Hall as part of a tour which was cancelled last year after Bob was admitted to hospital for major arterial surgery.
Bob, do you get nervous before you go on stage?
Not really. Vic yawns and goes to the loo, and I’m supposed to take pills to bring my heart rate down. But apparently they make you dim. Are they working?
Is it really 25 years, Vic?
No. It’s nearer 30 years since we first worked together, but it’s 25 years for us on TV.
Bob – Was it difficult to free up time for a tour?
For years TV has taken precedence for us. But this is important, so we made time.
How is playing live different to TV, Vic?
We want it to be different every night so we’ll be changing it, partly because we’re so old we forget what we’re doing.
Are all the favourite characters back?
Not all of them. We went on Twitter and asked fans to suggest their favourites, then we added some.
How did major surgery last year focus you, Bob?
I made my will the day after I was told I had 95% blockages in my arteries, then I got married on the morning I went in to hospital for the op.
What changes have you made to your lifestyle?
I got my cholesterol down. I eat like a chaffinch and find myself recommending soya. I also developed a taste for real ale. I’m fit again, but whether I’ll be funny . . .
Vic, are Reeves and Mortimer still relevant?
I don’t think we’ve ever been relevant. We’re childish. New comics today have a career path that wasn’t there when we started. We’ve always just been mates mucking around.
Sad your sitcom, House of Fools, isn’t returning, Bob?
I half expected it. We’re seen as a specialist act and TV producers want younger people for that now. We could take it to another channel.
You have 24 hours left to live. How do you spend the time?
Bob: I’d like to clean my house. I have a superb hoover. And I’d spend time praying for Middlesbrough to be promoted.
Vic: I’d finish building an Airfix Lancaster bomber I started years ago. I’d also like us both to relive a motorcycle trip we took to Nice years ago.
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