Rare Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer footage unearthed

Early film of live Big Night Out shows posted on YouTube

Extremely rare early footage of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer’s early live gigs has been unearthed and posted on YouTube.

The footage is thought to have been shot at the pair’s cult gigs at at the Goldsmith's Tavern in New Cross and the Albany Empire in Deptford – both in South London – before they were snapped up by Channel 4.

It was included on a VHS tape sent out to members of the Vic Reeves Big Night Out Fan Club in 1993.

A caption on the original video cautions: ‘This video contains rare footage of Vic Reeves Big Night Out long before it became a TV show. It was filmed on camcorder and as a result is, in parts, of poor quality and has come from the only remaining copies, the masters of which disappeared a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.’

The 30-minute film includes items that would become staples of the TV show, including Donald & Davy Stott; Fred Aylward as Les, Vic’s mute, lab coat-wearing assistant; and Novelty Island with Mortimer as Graham Lister.

Reeves – real name Bob Moir – started running his Big Night Out shows at the Goldsmiths Tavern (now New Cross House) in 1986. Mortimer attended one of the earlier shows and struck up a friendship with the star, and soon became a regular fixture in the shows. As its popularity grew, it moved to the Albany Empire theatre in 1988.

A TV pilot was produced in 1989 through fan Jonathan Ross' production company Channel X – which became a series the following year.

The footage of the live shows was posted online by Matt Price, who runs the Facebook group Reeves & Mortimer - Depository of Curious Stuff.