Jim Moir: ‘I stopped wanting to play Vic Reeves'
I like to get four hours' painting in by 10am, so I'm in my studio at the bottom of our garden at 6. Halfway through I'll have breakfast: blueberries and yoghurt, occasionally a hard-boiled egg. I grew up on muesli — my mum reckoned
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Times
07-07-2025
- Times
Jim Moir: I like talking about teabags
Jim Moir, the comedian also known as Vic Reeves, will be in conversation with Hugo Rifkind at this year's Fringe by the Sea festival. What will he talk about? Moir gives us a sneak peak into how life as a painter has let him live on his own terms. And what else you should catch at the festival on the east Scottish coast. On one of his childhood holidays to Scotland, Moir climbed up the Scott Monument in Edinburgh with his grandfather. At the top, the older man pointed across Princes Street to the Jenners department store in its Victorian glory: 'I was born there, you know.' There's a good chance Moir will talk about art, comedy, wildlife and his childhood camping trips in Scotland (mostly to Loch Lomond and Kirkcudbright) at Fringe by the Sea. It depends on where Rifkind, and the audience, will take the conversation. 'I'll talk about anything,' he says from his home in Kent, birds chirping loudly in his garden. 'I like talking about teabags and stuff like that. I'm quite a connoisseur about tea. I say put milk in last because it has to be the exact right colour for me — it should look almost like coffee — and it either has to be Tippy Assam loose leaf tea or Yorkshire teabags. Or you can ask me about birds all day long because I know what I'm talking about.' (Top tip: if you're going to the show, ask him to do an eider duck impression — he nails it.) • Jim Moir: 'I'll only do a TV show if it's about birds and art' A benign brain tumour left Moir deaf in one ear and, although he can still hear pretty well, he can't always locate the source of noises. 'I always ask Nancy [his wife] where that sound is coming from. Even in the house, if she's calling me I can't always tell if she's upstairs or downstairs,' he says. Now 66, Moir had had enough of the entertainment world. But he is happiest when painting in his studio at the foot of the garden or out birdwatching with his wife, so Sky Arts's offer of Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir was impossible to resist. 'I could be retired but I don't think I ever will,' he says. 'I'm just doing what I like doing and making a living out of it so everything's great.' He actually makes more money from his paintings than he ever did from television — which tells you a lot about the nature of broadcasting and the public appetite for his works. His puffin prints sell particularly well and he currently has an exhibition called Dawn to Dusk at the Lady Lever Art Gallery Liverpool. One of the rooms of his show is dedicated to crepuscular birds, which are active at dawn and dusk. But for all the paintings of blackbirds, crows and curlews in his portfolio, it's not all ornithological. A lot of Moir's work embodies his peculiarly funny way of looking at life — the lens that helped make The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Vic Reeves Big Night Out and Shooting Stars so special (and, to some, so baffling). • Jim Moir: 'I stopped wanting to play Vic Reeves' For £950 you can own the watercolour The Thirsty Walker (a tap coming out of the tip of a shoe) and a Pox Clinic poster fetches a similar price. One watercolour is of a dazed-looking Matt Damon, his mouth all smudged with lipstick after kissing someone, while Hot Dinghy Punch Up depicts a two-person scuffle in a boat. Of course it does. Moir's been quoted in the past as saying that his comedy career was something of a distraction from art but that's not entirely accurate. It was more a 'diversion from painting — I'd say I saw the kind of comedy I was doing as art anyway', he argues. 'I didn't really think of it like stand-up or being a comedian, more a new way of showing abstract art. I still do.' And will he take the opportunity to see some comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe while he's back in Scotland — not all that far from the birthplace of his granddad? Unlikely. As he puts it: 'I'd rather see a bunch of gannets than a bunch of comedians.' Aug 10, noon, The Big Top, £22.50 How did we manage without Joe Wicks's YouTube PE sessions during lockdown? The Body Coach continues to inspire thousands to take care of their bodies through healthy heating (via his bestselling cookbooks) and, of course, his jovial way of encouraging people to move more. In this session he'll be chatting about his life and 1, 11.30am, The Big Top, £20 Fancy listening in on some top-level showbiz gossip? Christopher Biggins — the panto dame and past winner of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here — joins forces with the Bafta-winning actress Patricia Hodge for a chinwag in aid of Leuchie House, the East Lothian centre that provides respite care for people living with neurological conditions. A limited number of post-show meet-and-greet tickets are 5, 5pm, Lodge Stage, £20/£50 • Christopher Biggins: Joan Collins was mad at me for months Fringe by the Sea, Aug 1-10, North Berwick,
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Vic Reeves' wife Nancy Sorrell, 50, shows off her figure in a colourful bikini as the pair share fun snaps hitting the beach in Kent
Vic Reeves ' wife Nancy Sorrell showed off her figure in a colourful bikini as the pair shared fun snaps hitting the beach in Kent on Wednesday. The model, 50, posed up a storm in new snaps posted to Instagram this week amid the UK's heatwave. Vic, 66, - whose real name is James Moir - went shirtless as he stood next to his stunning wife by the sea. He also shared a funny video of them cooling off in the water as they waved at the camera. The star then wrote under his post: 'Not waving, but drowning. Or The mermaid and the walrus. And a stone shark. English coastal waters. @nancy_sorrell.' Vic and Nancy, who have been married for over two decades, share daughters Elizabeth and Nell. The model, 50, posed up a storm in new snaps posted to Instagram this week amid the UK's heatwave Nancy is also stepmother to Vic's two children Alice, 32, and Louis, 27, from his previous marriage to Sarah Vincent. The model first met Vic in 2001 when they both appeared on the same BBC Two TV show. She was then invited to appear in the comic's own show Shooting Stars, which he created and hosted with comedy partner Bob Mortimer. The pair immediately hit it off and the rest is history. It comes after Nancy spoke out about how many thought her relationship with Vic wouldn't last when they first got together due to the 15-year age gap. In an interview with The Sun she said: 'They said it was never going to last and that it was only going to last two weeks. 'They would point out the age difference but it was irrelevant to us. 'At the beginning it was tough. We didn't understand why people kept saying our relationship would end. But we just ignored it. She added: 'People we knew personally were fine about us but everyone else just thought our relationship wouldn't work and that it was a joke.' Nancy went on to say she believed they had proved their naysayers wrong with the length of their romance, although she still can't understand why people had an issue with their relationship. Back in May Jim opened up about how he copes with deafness after suffering a brain tumour and why he's decided to leave alter ego Vic behind for a quiet life in Kent. The beloved comedian and artist - who is best known by his stage name Vic Reeves - reflected on having a benign brain tumour which has left him '100% deaf' in one ear in an interview. Back in 2021, Jim found out that the growth is inoperable and has curtailed his hobbies such as listening to music and bird watching. Jim - who found fame with Bob Mortimer in the 90s - has touched on his daily life living with deafness. Describing his morning routine after ditching the limelight to The Times, he explained how he likes to get 'four hours' painting in by 10am, so I'm in my studio at the bottom of our garden at 6.' He said: 'Music drowns out the tinnitus caused by a benign brain tumour that was found in 2021. I got used to being 100% deaf in one ear quite quickly. Jim then touched on how art has been his life, and that 'comedy was a bit of a distraction.' 'People presumed I was Vic Reeves because he was the most popular character I played, but I just stopped wanting to do it,' he candidly shared. 'I like being at home and wanted to do a different kind of art. Bird prints are my bread and butter, but I'm also doing bronzes and painting lots of beetles.' He also described his 97-year-old mum as his role model. Jim, who lives in Kent with his wife Nancy, 50, previously said: 'I get up every morning very early, go into the studio, paint, and go out for a walk in the afternoon. I like that a lot better.' Describing life after quitting fame, he shared that he likes to keep himself busy and 'doesn't know if it's an OCD thing' but he likes routine. The last public appearance he had with Nancy was in September last year as he attended the 2024 Sky Arts Awards in London. The pair celebrated 20 years of marriage in 2023. The comedian commemorated the occasion by sharing snaps of himself and his wife, who is 15 years his junior, wearing matching personalised T-shirts. Vic and Nancy sported T-shirts printed with pictures of them dressed up in wigs and glasses, with the words '20 years' underneath. He captioned the snaps: 'Happy anniversary to us. 20 years of love and happiness.'
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- Scotsman
Full Fringe by the Sea programme announced - with Vic Reeves and Christopher Biggins
Fringe by the Sea has announced its final line up for the festival in August Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The final line-up for Fringe By The Sea has been announced, with performers including Vic Reeves and Christopher Biggins. With over 250 events across 10 days from 1 to 10 August, the festival spans music, comedy, conversation, film, and family entertainment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 17th Fringe By The Sea event takes place in North Berwick, in East Lothian, in August - alongside the main Edinburgh Fringe. The final programme includes Jim Moir, otherwise known as Vic Reeves, talking about his life as both an artist and one half of one of Britain's best loved comedy double acts; TV host Steph McGovern; Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay and an indie DJ set with Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite and Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, who will also be talking about his book, Nobody's Empire. Meanwhile, Christopher Biggins will be in conversation with Patricia Hodge in a fundraising event in aid of Leuchie House. This follows earlier announcements of shows featuring Boomtown Rats star Bob Geldof, electronica band Air and politician Rory Stewart. Eddi Reader and cyclist Chris Hoy are also already announced as performers for this summer. New for 2025 is Wavelength, a music film festival strand supported by Screen Scotland. Running throughout the festival, it features Seaside Screenings, filmmaker talks, and gigs inspired by film. Guests include Irvine Welsh, director Tim Pope, and rising Scottish acts such as Redolent and the documentary Since Yesterday, featuring the untold story of Scotland's girl bands. The RSNO is performing the tunes from James Bond as the last show of the festival. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Christopher Biggins is to appear at Fringe by the Sea. Fringe By The Sea has this year attracted acts making their only appearance north of the border this summer, such as the Ezra Collective and AIR, who will be performing their seminal album Moon Safari. Former North Berwick resident Hamish Hawk will be returning to headline an incredible indie night also featuring Billy Nomates, Cloth and Blur's Dave Rowantree doing a DJ set Festival director Rory Steel said: 'As word of Fringe By The Sea's welcoming atmosphere and brilliant talent on show spreads year after year, we're always aiming to keep one step ahead with an ever more impressive line-up. And what a billing we have this year, with more than 250 events taking place in North Berwick this August, there's absolutely something for everyone. 'Of course none of this would happen without the magnificent team who work for the festival as well as our wonderful volunteers that provide such an important role.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad According to the Economic Impact Report conducted by MKA Economics for Fringe by the Sea 2024, the festival's visitor spending has contributed an additional £9.9 million to the local economy. This marks a 36 per cent increase over the 2023 figure.
