Product Description

Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3179 in DVD
• Brand: DVD Boxsets
• Released on: 2006-04-03
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 175 minutes

Synopsis
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer display their own inimitable brand of anarchic and surreal comedy in a DVD set containing both series of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. Having switched from Channel 4 to the BBC in 1993, the duo introduced a host of new characters for their loyal fan base. These included the spoof folk duo Mulligan and O’Hare, the bra-wearing men, and their own take on the glam-rock group Slade. The series mixed studio-set comedy silliness with pre-recorded sketches, the latter of which frequently involved parodies of other television programmes. The second series of the show returned in 1995 and continued to display Reeves and Mortimers’ offbeat and bizarre sense of humour.

Customer Reviews

Sing Hosannah...
...I SHALL have minibites this Christmas...AND BEYOND!!!

At last! The greatest TV comedy sketch show in recent (or ancient) history, is finally available on DVD. Words can't really do justice to the freewheeling, anarchic genius of this truly glorious show. Its funny, I never really liked the Big Night Out, and Ive not enjoyed much of Vic and Bob's output since, but I think that's because I remember watching the first series of Smell.. as a kid, and was so knocked out by it that nothing they've done since could ever come close to it.

The first series was crammed full of more great ideas than probably every other TV sketch show in history put together. Vic and Bob positively filled the comedy cup to the brim with delriously brilliant daftness, then let it overflow, just for good measure. Further, it was a musical, as much as a comedy treat. The intro songs were catchy, lyrically inspired and brilliantly choreographed. And unlike the Big Night Out-where Bob was a mere sidekick- here he is a proper comedy partner. Indeed Vic and Bob's love-hate relationship has never been more brilliantly captured than here. Also, whereas the BNO was more or less straightforward vaudeville, here the feel is much more cohesive- the sketches and gags segue into one another in an almost dreamlike way which suits the show's total absurdity.

There are too many highlights to mention in the first series. There's the priceless interview with "Lovejoy" (aka Bob talking in a cod-Red Indian accent), there's the exploits of Gregory Mitchell and "Corky." There's the Reeves and Mortimer products sketches, (Such as "Quack-quack and alco-comb," and the "Convex boundary fence tax-evasion system"), and of course, the sheer lunacy of Uncle Peter, a character who makes you wonder if he's acting, or whether he genuinely has been released from a lunatic asylum. The show seems to teeter on the edge of anarchy at times, and yet, like all great comedy, there is method to the madness.

Like Im Alan Partridge (the only other recent British comedy show which has made me laugh till I almost died), the first series was significantly better than the second. But its worth having series 2, if only for the spoofs of Masterchef ("Its a shoe-cake. A cake-a-shoe, cake-like-a-shoe"), Stars in the Their Eyes, and "Bob's Organ" ("New York, Madrid, HULL- the whole world!")

The scandalous thing is, nobody I know watched the first series of this veritably prescious cultural artefact. So do yourself a favour and rectify the sitauation now- after all, its a Reeves and Mortimer product -"and that's about as good a guarantee of satisfaction, as you can get." (wink)

18Nickington8
When Vic and Bob moved from Channel 4 to the BBC, it wasn't obvious how they could better themselves from the superb Big Night Out. The pair introduced mainstream surreal humour, and were the first comedians to move away from the 'alternative' scene that had dominated the 1980s with the Elton/Fry/Mayall set.

Smell Of is more Big Night Out humour, with a clearer bigger budget and a little more mainstream aim. Did it come off? Totally. Although, in my opinion, Big Night Out was (by far) the funnier, this is still Premiership comedy. Vic and Bob started 'impersonations' in this series, though the term is used loosely - check out Bob as Noel Edmonds - not a real attempt at the man but something that is even funnier than your standard 'close as you can get' mimic.

The more surreal bits are the funnier. The Black and White scenes with the foodstuffs are brilliant and blinding. Jack Dent and Eric Potter are hilarious (Eclair Application Unit being my personal highlight of the series).

If you were a fan of V&B or even just surreal humour as a rule, you should get this. It's not dated at all, and watch out for earlier appearances of Steve Coogan and Rebecca Front.

WARNING THIS IS CUT!!! But it's still good.
If you already have this on VHS in the Red & Blue editions that came out a few years ago, be prepared to be a little disappointed as this has been cut back to the original TV versions.
If you've never seen the extended versions then it's not a problem, but remembering the bits they've cut out is a bit distracting at times.
Also be advised that there are NO extras whatsoever on the discs.