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Has there ever been a comedy straight man in a double act who found a new partner and switched role to become the funny guy? Bob Mortimer has done just that — and I’m struggling to think of a precedent.
If you don’t know what the straight man’s role is, think of Ernie Wise’s face as Eric Morecambe slaps him round the chops. Ernie’s job was much more than setting up the laughs. He was the backbone of every routine . . . the maypole around which his brilliant pal cavorted.
That was Bob’s job, when he was one half of Reeves and Mortimer. He played the adoring acolyte, awe-struck by the confidence of Vic Reeves, in a partnership that took them through stand-up comedy, panel games and sitcoms.