This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
All comedians have a war story of their worst ever gig, where their jokes fell flat, absolutely no one laughed and the biggest cheer came when they left the stage. All except Bob Mortimer.
“Do you know what? I haven’t had that,” the 66-year-old muses as he gently arranges several sachets of sugar for his cup of tea (he recently revealed that he’s cut down from his high of 16; 17 was “too sweet”).
“I’m almost slightly jealous of comics talking about their terrible gigs and so on. Me and Vic [Reeves] had a very unusual journey in that the first shows we did were to friends, and friends of friends through word of mouth who were very happy to be there. And then we went on the telly. And TV audiences are easy.”
Or perhaps, Bob Mortimer is just that funny. The Middlesbrough native was already a legend in the comedy community for his double act with Vic Reeves (aka Jim Moir), before bagging a new generation of fans for his scene-stealing stints on the panel show Would I Lie to You? and his thoughtful, mischievous contributions to Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.
And then last year there was LOL: Last One Laughing UK, which cemented Mortimer’s reputation as the funniest man on TV. In the series, returning next week with Mortimer back to defend his title, a gaggle of comedians are locked in a room and told not to laugh at each other’s jokes. Mortimer, finally, has learnt what it’s like to play to a silent audience.
“It’s frightening,” he says now. “One, knowing that they’re not going to laugh, and two, because it’s your peers. It’s not any audience, it’s Romesh and David [Ranganathan and Mitchell respectively, who join this year’s line-up].”
Still, the fear didn’t hold him back last year. After a fierce final duel with runner-up Richard Ayoade, Mortimer won. “I wondered about having an advantage, having done it before, but the moment I walked in, I thought, ‘No, it’s an entirely different dynamic,’” he says. “I think the first three that I clocked were Alan Carr, Romesh and David, and I thought, ‘Uh-oh, I have no chance. This is tough.’”
He knew some of the younger comedians less well, but says: “That’s one of the joys of doing the show. As silly as it sounds, you can get quite close to people in those intense six hours. At my age, you like seeing young people doing good, and they were really funny. It was a joy.”
There is a lot of talk about comedy – and what’s considered “funny” – changing. As someone who has been in the business of making people laugh for decades, what does he think? “I think it’s perhaps gotten a little bit more serious in its references and its topics,” he muses. “I was brought up with Tommy Cooper and Spike Milligan. A comic was someone who was ridiculous; who was daft, stupid, childish. That was my reference.
“Now, I think people are taking references from things that make you go, ‘Oh, that’s clever’. There are more layers to it. We were just basic 101 comics. But I’m sure it will come back, slapstick and stupidity.”
Before I leave, I pose a few quickfire questions. Does he remember the most he has ever laughed? “There’s a number of times where I’ve wet myself laughing, and you kind of remember them,” Mortimer chuckles. “The last time was with Matt Berry and Jim Moir – Vic – at the Comedy Awards. Actually, I wouldn’t really like to say what we were laughing about…”
On that note, what’s the most inappropriate time he has ever laughed? “I once told an inappropriate joke at a wedding, and the whole of the bride’s side of the wedding left,” he says. “It’s too rude to tell you! And too damaging to everyone involved...”
Well, if not that joke, any other favourites? “I’ve always liked the joke: ‘True or false: Kerry Katona doesn’t actually own a cat’,” Mortimer says, smiling – then glances down at his heap of sweeteners. “And did you know that Alan Sugar is actually 30 per cent Canderel?”
I sympathise with his competitor. In a room with Bob Mortimer, it’s almost impossible to be the last one laughing.
The latest issue of Radio Times is out on Tuesday, with special Last One Laughing covers – subscribe here.
Last One Laughing UK returns on Amazon Prime Video from Thursday 19 March.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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