@@philjones45 Well, I first saw him on TV in the 90s in New Zealand, and I absolutely loved his surreal work on Shooting Stars. I also noted that catch phrases from Shooting Stars (Iranu! Uvavu!) were used in topical drama show Soldier, Soldier, so there was obviously enough cultural awareness of them back then that they could be used without explanation. I dare say you are right about how many people don't know who he is. I am in my mid 40s and very frequently have no idea who many so called celebrities are. I'm sorry if you object to my phrasing. My main point is that he is a quality surrealist storyteller, and I love him and want to have his babies.
@@philjones45 i grew up with watching shooting stars with my dad, the early shows were so funny, like the faces of the random celebrities with "the dove from above" or the sketches they did, my favourite was Geordie jumpers, whatever happened to Mark Lemarr?
Bob is simply ... unique. His life might have been entirely planned just so that he can participate in this show. He's led such an interesting and strange life that any story he tells, regardless of how outlandish and bizarre it sounds, *could* be true. He has definitely reached the status of National Treasure, and continues to amaze and entertain. His recent work with Paul Whitehouse on 'Mortimer & Whitehouse : Gone Fishing' sounds like it should be dull as hell - two middle-aged men go fishing and have a chat, but it's actually a fascinating study of two very intelligent and funny men, waxing lyrical about their outlook on life, and laughing at Bob's total inability to catch any fish.
He did get the name of the teacher slightly wrong - he added an L - but that is excusable with age. I studied politics under the same teacher a decade or so later by that time Bob was famous and he did occasionally regale us with stories about the pranks Bob got up to. The hand lion was gone by then.
Oh you should read/listen to his autobiography! He talks so fondly of that teacher, and how he was a father figure. So cool you have the same teacher (Mr Whittingham?) he seems like he was a great fella.
PigeonSmythe - Maybe you know the answer to this (that I ask every time I watch that story). When Bob says his teacher was 'Bill Whittlingham', it gets a decent chuckle, but I've never been able to figure out why. Any clues?
Fun fact: someone I was watching WILTY with knew the Castle Douglas story was true as soon as he mentioned his friend was Steve Bytheway - because she had taught people called Bytheway from Middlesborough and knew it was a surname up there.
It was the mention of the Gulf stream that got me because my Mum lives near Logan Botanical Gardens, so I know the area well! (Weirdly our family is from Dundee which Bob also mentioned). And Google a Scotch pie because it is a real thing!
Bob is just an absolute magnet for chaos and strangeness. His entire life sounds like it came out of a Dr Suess fever dream, and most of the time its true
No matter how many times I re-watch Bob Mortimer on WILTY I am always in hysterics. If you get to the one where you have to guess where he does his own dental care or not, it's absolutely brilliant! Would LOVE a part 2!
The sad reason as to why he was alone and his mum was out is that his Dad was killed in an accident when he was little so his mum had to work all hours to feed her children.
Apparently Bob is also a trained solicitor. Imagine you in court and he’s the person that represents you lol. Although by his performance on WILTY I wouldn’t mind him representing me
Bob Mortimer, a man who makes us all question our sanity...if you decide to do more Bob Mortimer on WILTY you are sure to have fun, go for it! My favourite story of his is Teft and Shrubbery about the game he played with his friend as a kid...or did he...
It's endlessly entertaining watching young people being incredulous at the insane amounts of responsibilities thrust upon us old gits at such a young age. Back in the early 80's, my parents used to let me walk miles away from home alone at 5 years old. It was horribly irresponsible of them in hindsight. All the kids from back then had many stories of narrowly escaping death and never telling their parents.
True, I and my twin brother used to go out to the local park when we were three years old, we were always given a very free reign, we were lucky both in the freedom and the lack of disaster.
Bob’s team captain: Lee Mack Other team’s captain: David Mitchell Host: Rob Brydon Lee Mack is a regular on comedy panel shows, he also stars in a show called “not going out” David Mitchell wrote Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb look, as well as acting in various other comedy shows. Rob Brydon was in Gavin and Stacy, he’s been in films and has a recurring series with Steve Coogan called The Trip where they both play themselves but go on a fictional restaurant review tour around Europe.
A tiny correction: David Mitchell didn't write Peep Show; it was written for him and Robert Webb by their friends Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. The characters of Mark and Jez are heavily based on David and Rob's personalities and the show was pretty much written for them, but they didn't write it. It's one of the few things Mitchell has been in that he didn't write. He's written a *lot* of other fantastic things, but not Peep Show.
Don't get too hung up on trying to guess whether the stories are true or not - the beauty of the show is that you can just sit back and enjoy teh quick witted banter. None of the contestants care whether they 'win' or 'lose' - it's far more important to contribute funny comments - the scores are really irrelevant.
Love this show to bits, such great comedic camaraderie. :) I consider David Mitchell to be a genius so was surprised when he made a joke of the fireworks being 'standard'. Here in the UK, back in the day, the only company that manufactured fireworks was called 'Standard Fireworks'. All shapes, sizes and prices were available from the 'Standard Fireworks' company. :)
@@paulbromley6687 "American Standard" was a major brand of toilets in North America. I'm GLAD they didn't have a tag line like that - "Take a sh!t in an American Standard" or "Take an American Standard sh!t"
@@paulbromley6687 Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks, Here's to remember the 5th of November, (series of explosions), Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks!...I remember the tune but I've been unable to google an example.
That was hilarious. I'd only ever seen the Castle Douglas story. Bob Mortimer is a legend. Bye the way (no pun intended), Scotch pies are real, they're small round shortcrust pies with a mutton filling. They're Uber popular at football matches and are sold in every bakery and supermarket in Scotland. You get a macaroni cheese version too. They're all delicious.
Welcome to the world of Mortimer, from the double act Reeve's & Mortimer long ago... You will never fully understand him, but always sit enchanted by his stories of his youth...
I was about 17 when Bob Mortimer ended up being Jarvis Cocker's lawyer after the Brits Michael Jackson incident. Since then, I can believe every bizarre situation that Bob Mortimer claims he was in.
Apparently the hand lion is completely true, confirmed by fellow students of Bob. The only part they are allowed to embellish when they have a true story is the names for privacy reasons, so Bob makes up the silliest names possible xD
I think Bob is just very good at taking slivers of truth and over embellishing them. Although you're right he has had an extremely interesting life, that and being a great story teller makes for some wild stories.
when you're telling a truth, it's supposed to be true, but bob is a storyteller more than anything, so they let him embellish a wee bit, like any good storyteller. we put more value in a well told story and a good laugh than following rules on a panel show
There's this one show I watched Bob on, and a person begins to call out his bullshit and you can clearly see he's a bit pissed off. Imagine interrupting Bob to call him out. It was so cringe
yea like the sergeant bytheway thing was obviously not him lying about his name and just a joke, but there are other times i think he bends the truth just a lil.
I think it’s more normal for kids to be on their own at 7-8 in the UK than the US, we tend to have more independence earlier too because of the lack of dependence on cars you have in the US
yeah, 7? definately would have been left alone. Not that often as my youngest brother would have been 3, so only when he was elsewhere (like with my Mum)
Bob is the best panelist on WILTY his stories are legendary and so funny and mostly true..not always but mostly ..love your reactions you're the best on TH-cam
Bob the best panellist on WILTY...probably true to be fair, though I would say Henning Wehn runs a close second - he's not appeared as much, though his stories tend to be just as outlandish
@@conceptualCrafter I was not a fan of Henning until I watched him on WILTY and he's brilliant as well ..I could watch the funny story tellers on here all day 🤣
I know it sounds like the most implausible detail, but Bytheway is a genuine surname in the north-east of England (where Bob Mortimer is from). We all wish for such an interesting life...
Watching Americans come across Bob's stories for the first time absolutely cracks me up. They all treat it like a competition and try to analyse the truth or otherwise of his stories. In my experience, over here, nobody gives a toss how much of it is true, we just enjoy the humour and the genius of his story telling. It's just fun, not a real competition. Bob is as funny as they come. Nice job guys.
Right?! Not just Bob, any American reacting to this show does the whole try to guess thing. It’s part of the entertainment for them, the win/lose thing. As an Aussie, I have never even considered doing this.
Bob used to be a lawyer too so he’s had a very Interesting life. He grew up in the 60s in the North so I’m guessing it was usual for working class families back then to leave their kids on their own at home. Try watching his story about the singer Chris Rea putting an egg in his bath!!! The whole WILTY series is great, especially the banter between Lee & David; both very sharp witted.
One of the funny things is that, in some parts of England, "Bytheway" is an actual, genuine surname, as is "Harryman", and so as silly as they sound the names are probably genuine.
Bob Mortimer is hilarious with so many stories. If he were to tell you he 'went to the shop, bought groceries then went home' It is likely false if frogs didn't start raining from the sky! 🤣
As a lad growing up in London in the '50s the fireworks that were most readily available from local corner shops and newsagents were one of two brands - Brocks or Standard
That was Part 1, hopefully you will review Part 2 of Bob Mortimer tales and discover more weird and wonderful tales from his past. Do you think he does his own Dentistry!
Bob Mortimer is such a great character & storyteller & you’ve hit on a gold mine as Bob is truly hilarious. You really need to react to more Would I Lie To You. See Kevin Bridges who ‘accidentally bought a horse’
Bob Mortimer is in his sixties and grew up during the 1960's and 1970's when there were two main brands of fireworks; Standard Fireworks and Brocks. In the late 1990's Standard went into receivership (after trading for over 100 years). The company is now owned by Black Cat Fireworks, a chinese company and they still trade to this day. Interestingly, Brocks started trading in 1798 and are still trading now, although they concentrate now mainly on big pyrotechnic displays with retail sales almost as a side line.
The way the game works is you generally, if telling the truth, can't fabricate whole parts of the story just to throw people off. They can sprinkle in tiny cheeky details, like Bob's fake names, but it's usually the case that the other contestants understand those parts are made up. If you're watching these vids and a story turns out to be true it's safe to say at least 90% of it happened as described.
genuinely the only name i think he's made up is cheeseman. if not the name than at least the reason for his nickname "cheesey" being that he brought around cheese slices to put on his spotty face instead of, you know, his surname.
Another strange fact is that he was Jarvis Cockers solicitor at the police station when he was arrested for the Michael Jackson stage invasion at the Brits. And Bob was drunk at the time (I think he was at the Brits himself) but managed to stop it going to court.
I should have said this was when he was at his most "popular" on TV - Shooting Stars etc but as he's mentioned on WILTY he was a solicitor earlier in life.
A Scotch pie or mutton pie is a small, double-crust meat pie filled with minced mutton, haggis or other meat. It may also be known as a shell pie or mince pie to differentiate it from other varieties of savoury pie, such as the steak pie, steak and kidney pie, it isn’t talking about alcohol
In about '93' I had a French teacher who used to say he made sure his computer was connected to a nice hot cup of tea when he printed out whatever worksheets he was handing out during my yr9 French class (I guess I was 13-14 at the time). It was only when I was in 6th form (16-18yrs old) and had read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, that I understood the joke. I went and told him I got it and he gave me a load of his own recordings of the original radio series from the late 70's. I guess my overall point is that the 'Hand Lion' might well have been a quirky gimmick his teacher used to try to disarm the students and make him appear wacky, in a Monty Python-esque way.
I remember the Standard brand and it's only just clicked how it could be regarded (I'm ages with Bob). It's an old brand, but still has a Wikipedia page 'In 1998 Standard went into receivership. They were purchased by China-based Black Cat Fireworks, bringing an end to production in the UK. The Standard brand is now one of several trading names of Black Cat in the UK, with the former Standard offices now the UK headquarters for this operation.'
The unsung hero or heroine here is the producer on WILTY who initially selected Bob as guest they deserve an award for foresight. If anyone could choose a neighbour of choice it would be Bob Mortimer for me… it may push up the house insurance premiums by a tad.
Bob Mortimer is in a long line of great British eccentrics I think he is wonderful, quite frankly he could tell any story and I would believe it was true .
The presenter, the guy in the middle, is Rob Bryndon, a Welsh comedian. One of his well-known roles was as Bryn West in "Gavin and Stacy", a BBC sitcom. Ben Miller is another actor, he played a part in the British drama "Death in Paradise". There is an episode of the programme QI (presented by Stephen Fry), where both Rob Bryndon and Ben Miller are taking part, they are on the same panel and wearing nearly the same shirts. THEY LOOK LIKE TWINS.
I think I understand the gulf stream enthusiasm. Bobs about the same age as me and the school curriculum when we were young made a big thing abut the gulf stream to explain our weather patterns, perhaps because it was only then being understood properly. The idea of going from cold eastern England to shores where the gulf stream apparently created an exotic climate and palm trees could grow seemed intriguing.
His friend's surname is "Bytheway" by the way, that's quite genuine - I'm currently reading his autobiography and he's in there along with all his other odd friends.
A scotch pie doesn't contain Scotch whiskey. It's a meat pie most likely with mutton or haggis made in Scotland. David Mitchell and Lee Mack have been team captains from the beginning of this show. Each show has the "This is my" round in which someone is brought out that has a relationship to one of the panelists and the opposing team has to figure out who really has the relationship.
I love how later in the show whenever Bob Mortimer told a story the teams always were like "that completely bs and cannot be true.. on the other hand - Bob told the story so it's probably true.
The funny names are not real and everyone knows it is just a joke but are amazed at his inventive mind. They don't make a difference to the truth or lie of the story and are just used to embellish...Bob is famous for this...National Treasure
Standard fireworks was a real brand, and manufactured in my hometown, they eventually got bought out by blackcat. The factory still exists on standard drive, but I think they’re looking for new premises right now, they’ve been burning off the gunpowder at the current factory site, so lots of explosion sounds every night for the locals.
6:37 “Why was his mum not there” He was from northern England in the 50s, kids were left to their own devices often, all of the doors on the street were often left open for kids to come and go
He's had to write his biography with a lot of caveats requiring you to guess as to whether the parts are true or not so that he does not spoil potential stories for the show
Scotch Pie is real. It's usually minced beef with some spices. Different areas have their own take on the standard types of pies (i.e. Steak, Minced Beef, Macaroni etc) and some have their own unique ones (Black Pudding & Steak being one). Bob is a comedy genius.
Advert on tv from the time "Light Up the Sky with Standard Fireworks ". I remember in the late 50' early 60's buying bangers and we would throw them around, great fun, (to us kids anyway)💥😏
Bob Mortimer has recently written an autobiography where he describes some of these outlandish moments of his life! It’s called ‘And Away’ if you wanted to check it out.
Scottish guy here, we don't call whisky scotch although sometimes burben depending on the drink. We call whisky whisky, scotch is used for foods in the name to separate our products from others like usually our shit is packed with more sugar
David Mitchell had a great point on one of the shows when he said, at this point, when it comes to Bob, you don't have to listen to the story because we're all just guessing at this point.
I think you would remember setting light to your house. My brother set fire 🔥 to our breakfast room and he would never admit it. Then around 20 years later, my mum said “ Ian it’s 20 years today since you set fire to the breakfast room” Ian said “ is it?” Mum smack 👋
I listens to that a couple of years ago. Since then David Mitchell and his wife, Victoria Coren Mitchell are my couple “crush”. I just think they are so well suited and would love to meet them.
So happy you guys are reacting to Bob, he's one of my favourite comedians. You should watch some of 'shooting stars' a bonkers game show which him and his comedy partner Vic Reeves presented...it's very "out there"
I remember Standard Fireworks, they had a factory near us. At about 7 I set fire to our Christmas tree trying to see if the shiny baubles were fireproof- they were not. One destroyed tree later and one sore bum from being spanked and I wanted to run away.
On November the 5th every year when I was younger than 15 my family had a bonfire because of Guy Forks night. Look it up, but it’s changed now a days, but at that time a good portion of families in the council estates (social housing with a small patch of garden at the front for flower and a larger patch of garden in the back which the family grew vegetables in). This back garden was fabulous for family bonfires, us kids would scour the area for any broken branches, boxes maybe an old tyre and stacked it for the fire. Front worry no more than about 4 or 5 foot, it looked like a monster at the time. We made a man sized manakin or a guy and took it round the estate and asked people for a “penny for the Guy”. This was to buy our fire works for the night. Getting to the point we would ask the families of my mates to come round they’d bring food and pop and the dads might bring a bottle of bear which would have been filled up at the local pubs “off licence” (a small door at the side of the pub where bear and alcoholic drinks could be purchased not for consumption on the premises. To cut this over long story short my Dad lit the fire baked potatoes were put around the bonfires and then he and the other dads would set off the firework display. This particular year for some reason he thought he’d scare the moms so he threw a Jack jumper toward them expecting it to jump away. No ! It jumped passed the mums and straight into the firework box, all hell broke out my dad the hero ran into the outhouse grabbed the box with the spitting fireworks and through it onto the garden. It was the best display I’ve ever seen. This is a bit of potted history for working class families in the fifties and sixties. We lived on what was called the green belt the gap between a town and farming country south west of Birmingham, this area was called the Black Country because of the cottage industry of Navy chain making, each house would have had a forge in the garden. My dads birth certificate states his mother, my grandmother, was a blacksmith. During the WWII my mom worked on a lathe and made cannon shell cases and my dad was in the steal works. Good grief all this memory just because you told us about the boxes of caps we called them bangers. I enjoy your banter when you react to subjects. Cheers both
Something to understand about WILTY is that nobody really knows what the rules are...one of the panelists was quoted as saying that the show has been running for a long time and nobody really remembers if there were rules when it started...so basically you're just trying to guess whether or not the statement on the card is true. I'm probably a similar age to Bob and I remember Standard Fireworks and I remember that they were 2/6 and I also remember that they were advertised on TV and I remember the jingle that was used on the adverts as well. Although I've not been to Logan Botanical Gardens, I've been to other botanical gardens on the west coast of Scotland and you can certainly see the effects of the Gulf Stream...there are palm trees in some places as well. Also, Castle Douglas is well known for it's food shopping in the local area and yes, Scotch Pies are commonplace in Scotland...but they don't contain Scotch whiskey. I enjoyed your reaction...thanks for doing them and good luck for the future.
Three teenage lads on holiday with no parental control having funny masks to hand? Of course they'll wear them to scare the locals 😂😂. Bob is a genius storyteller who obviously was a naughty child.
Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks - that was an advert on TV in the 60's around Guy Fawkes Day . I think Bob thought the as was ' burn down your house with Standard Fireworks ' 🎆
There is a video on TH-cam called > *Old Size 12 Selection Box Standard Fireworks* < You can bet that is the same type of box of fireworks that Bob Mortimer set fire to his house with when he was a child :)
" I had a vasectomy, because we decided we didn't want children, but when I got home, they were still there. "
One of my favourite Bob quotes.
Was that from Peter Beardsley's joke book?
@@laserpanda94 now that you mention it I think I remember it told by Peter on Athletico Mince. Nice catch
Q
@@danielh3668 0 0 0a
"I told my 4 year old son its normal to shit your pants. he still makes fun of me though"
Bob Mortimer is a National Treasure. He is also very possibly from another dimension. His most ridculous stories are the most likely to be true.
No he's just from a council estate which tend to have lots of weirdos living in them
No he's from a bygone age when you could joke about crazy stuff without a Karen ranting at you.
@@philjones45 Well, I first saw him on TV in the 90s in New Zealand, and I absolutely loved his surreal work on Shooting Stars. I also noted that catch phrases from Shooting Stars (Iranu! Uvavu!) were used in topical drama show Soldier, Soldier, so there was obviously enough cultural awareness of them back then that they could be used without explanation. I dare say you are right about how many people don't know who he is. I am in my mid 40s and very frequently have no idea who many so called celebrities are. I'm sorry if you object to my phrasing. My main point is that he is a quality surrealist storyteller, and I love him and want to have his babies.
@@philjones45 i grew up with watching shooting stars with my dad, the early shows were so funny, like the faces of the random celebrities with "the dove from above" or the sketches they did, my favourite was Geordie jumpers, whatever happened to Mark Lemarr?
Bob is simply ... unique. His life might have been entirely planned just so that he can participate in this show. He's led such an interesting and strange life that any story he tells, regardless of how outlandish and bizarre it sounds, *could* be true. He has definitely reached the status of National Treasure, and continues to amaze and entertain. His recent work with Paul Whitehouse on 'Mortimer & Whitehouse : Gone Fishing' sounds like it should be dull as hell - two middle-aged men go fishing and have a chat, but it's actually a fascinating study of two very intelligent and funny men, waxing lyrical about their outlook on life, and laughing at Bob's total inability to catch any fish.
Not to mention Bob's inability to stand upright on uneven ground.
@@keithhealing1115 oh no ….. I’ve fallen, lol
Paul (not looking at Bob): “Bob, can you get me _xyz”_
Bob: _falls over absolutely nothing_
It sounds so ridiculously unfunny but it really isn’t!
@@clarelawton4653 "oh...he's gone."
@@keithhealing1115 😂
He did get the name of the teacher slightly wrong - he added an L - but that is excusable with age. I studied politics under the same teacher a decade or so later by that time Bob was famous and he did occasionally regale us with stories about the pranks Bob got up to. The hand lion was gone by then.
Oh you should read/listen to his autobiography! He talks so fondly of that teacher, and how he was a father figure. So cool you have the same teacher (Mr Whittingham?) he seems like he was a great fella.
so there actually WERE a handlion!! tell us more pls!!
@@reallivebluescat was.
PigeonSmythe - Maybe you know the answer to this (that I ask every time I watch that story). When Bob says his teacher was 'Bill Whittlingham', it gets a decent chuckle, but I've never been able to figure out why.
Any clues?
@@darrallc - I didn't know he had written an autobiography. I will definitely go find it.
Been a fan of Bob since the early 90s. I truly believe he is the most naturally funny person in the country.
...........some praise in a Nation of natural comedians...
Fun fact: someone I was watching WILTY with knew the Castle Douglas story was true as soon as he mentioned his friend was Steve Bytheway - because she had taught people called Bytheway from Middlesborough and knew it was a surname up there.
It was the mention of the Gulf stream that got me because my Mum lives near Logan Botanical Gardens, so I know the area well! (Weirdly our family is from Dundee which Bob also mentioned). And Google a Scotch pie because it is a real thing!
As soon as Bob mentioned the name I knew it was true Bytheway he said it.👍
Bob is just an absolute magnet for chaos and strangeness. His entire life sounds like it came out of a Dr Suess fever dream, and most of the time its true
No matter how many times I re-watch Bob Mortimer on WILTY I am always in hysterics. If you get to the one where you have to guess where he does his own dental care or not, it's absolutely brilliant! Would LOVE a part 2!
The sad reason as to why he was alone and his mum was out is that his Dad was killed in an accident when he was little so his mum had to work all hours to feed her children.
hell, i did not know that!
Apparently Bob is also a trained solicitor. Imagine you in court and he’s the person that represents you lol. Although by his performance on WILTY I wouldn’t mind him representing me
Didn’t he represent Jarvis Cocker after he mooned Michael Jackson at the Brit?
You need to watch more of Him. He’s a very surreal comedian with a fantastic personality and as Michael Nolan has said a national treasure.
Bob Mortimer, a man who makes us all question our sanity...if you decide to do more Bob Mortimer on WILTY you are sure to have fun, go for it! My favourite story of his is Teft and Shrubbery about the game he played with his friend as a kid...or did he...
We do beg your pardon . . . .. & The mastermind of the heist !
It's not *my* sanity that he makes me question. :D
Bob is the only guest ever on the show that gets interrogated by his own team as well as the others lol
Standard Fireworks really were a firework company. I can still remember the jingle on the advert. 'Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks!'
I’ve watched WILTY in Australia. I’ve seen this one before, but still again had to wipe away tears of laughter. Brilliant British comedy 😂
It's endlessly entertaining watching young people being incredulous at the insane amounts of responsibilities thrust upon us old gits at such a young age. Back in the early 80's, my parents used to let me walk miles away from home alone at 5 years old. It was horribly irresponsible of them in hindsight. All the kids from back then had many stories of narrowly escaping death and never telling their parents.
True, I and my twin brother used to go out to the local park when we were three years old, we were always given a very free reign, we were lucky both in the freedom and the lack of disaster.
Bob’s team captain: Lee Mack
Other team’s captain: David Mitchell
Host: Rob Brydon
Lee Mack is a regular on comedy panel shows, he also stars in a show called “not going out”
David Mitchell wrote Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb look, as well as acting in various other comedy shows.
Rob Brydon was in Gavin and Stacy, he’s been in films and has a recurring series with Steve Coogan called The Trip where they both play themselves but go on a fictional restaurant review tour around Europe.
A tiny correction: David Mitchell didn't write Peep Show; it was written for him and Robert Webb by their friends Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. The characters of Mark and Jez are heavily based on David and Rob's personalities and the show was pretty much written for them, but they didn't write it.
It's one of the few things Mitchell has been in that he didn't write. He's written a *lot* of other fantastic things, but not Peep Show.
@@88Switches thanks, didn’t realise they didn’t write it.
Don't get too hung up on trying to guess whether the stories are true or not - the beauty of the show is that you can just sit back and enjoy teh quick witted banter. None of the contestants care whether they 'win' or 'lose' - it's far more important to contribute funny comments - the scores are really irrelevant.
Love this show to bits, such great comedic camaraderie. :) I consider David Mitchell to be a genius so was surprised when he made a joke of the fireworks being 'standard'. Here in the UK, back in the day, the only company that manufactured fireworks was called 'Standard Fireworks'. All shapes, sizes and prices were available from the 'Standard Fireworks' company. :)
Yeah I remember Standard fireworks too.
Light up the sky with standard fireworks was the tag line.
@@paulbromley6687 "American Standard" was a major brand of toilets in North America. I'm GLAD they didn't have a tag line like that - "Take a sh!t in an American Standard" or "Take an American Standard sh!t"
@@paulbromley6687 Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks, Here's to remember the 5th of November, (series of explosions), Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks!...I remember the tune but I've been unable to google an example.
It could have been just before David's time? Or his parents didn't really buy fireworks to light at home...
That was hilarious. I'd only ever seen the Castle Douglas story. Bob Mortimer is a legend.
Bye the way (no pun intended), Scotch pies are real, they're small round shortcrust pies with a mutton filling. They're Uber popular at football matches and are sold in every bakery and supermarket in Scotland. You get a macaroni cheese version too. They're all delicious.
I've just finished reading Bobs autobiography. I would recommend it to anyone who's a fan. Such a funny guy. And such an interesting life he's had.
The 'Standard ' brand was the main one back then. Bold lettering on the boxes. It was a household name, so I'm not surprised he remembered them.
Welcome to the world of Mortimer, from the double act Reeve's & Mortimer long ago... You will never fully understand him, but always sit enchanted by his stories of his youth...
My favourite is Bob's story about pranks in other people's gardens. Theft and Shrubbery. Bring able to break an apple in half is also a good one.
I was about 17 when Bob Mortimer ended up being Jarvis Cocker's lawyer after the Brits Michael Jackson incident. Since then, I can believe every bizarre situation that Bob Mortimer claims he was in.
Apparently the hand lion is completely true, confirmed by fellow students of Bob. The only part they are allowed to embellish when they have a true story is the names for privacy reasons, so Bob makes up the silliest names possible xD
There are pictures of a hand lion on Pinterest.
I think Bob is just very good at taking slivers of truth and over embellishing them. Although you're right he has had an extremely interesting life, that and being a great story teller makes for some wild stories.
if this was anybody else we wouldn't even question it but because its bob - David Mitchell
when you're telling a truth, it's supposed to be true, but bob is a storyteller more than anything, so they let him embellish a wee bit, like any good storyteller. we put more value in a well told story and a good laugh than following rules on a panel show
There's this one show I watched Bob on, and a person begins to call out his bullshit and you can clearly see he's a bit pissed off. Imagine interrupting Bob to call him out. It was so cringe
yea like the sergeant bytheway thing was obviously not him lying about his name and just a joke, but there are other times i think he bends the truth just a lil.
How can anyone not find British humour awesome 🤣 both clever and ludicrous 🤣🤣
I think it’s more normal for kids to be on their own at 7-8 in the UK than the US, we tend to have more independence earlier too because of the lack of dependence on cars you have in the US
And the fact we don't have to worry about guns
I would never have left any of my children on their own at 7 and have access to matches.
yeah, 7? definately would have been left alone. Not that often as my youngest brother would have been 3, so only when he was elsewhere (like with my Mum)
Bob’s the only one who gets so much leeway with his stories, just because it’s ridiculously entertaining to hear him tell them.
Bob is the best panelist on WILTY his stories are legendary and so funny and mostly true..not always but mostly ..love your reactions you're the best on TH-cam
Incognito I love Bob but I think he's neck-and-neck with Greg Davies (vegetables)...
Bob the best panellist on WILTY...probably true to be fair, though I would say Henning Wehn runs a close second - he's not appeared as much, though his stories tend to be just as outlandish
@@ticketyboo2456 agreed..Greg Davies is also a star story teller and most of his far fetched stories are also true
@@conceptualCrafter I was not a fan of Henning until I watched him on WILTY and he's brilliant as well ..I could watch the funny story tellers on here all day 🤣
Ahhhh Bob Mortimer…..the surreal gift that keeps on giving😂😂👍
I know it sounds like the most implausible detail, but Bytheway is a genuine surname in the north-east of England (where Bob Mortimer is from). We all wish for such an interesting life...
Yes I’ve heard of people with that surname.
Oh yes please. More Bob is always welcome.
Watching Americans come across Bob's stories for the first time absolutely cracks me up. They all treat it like a competition and try to analyse the truth or otherwise of his stories. In my experience, over here, nobody gives a toss how much of it is true, we just enjoy the humour and the genius of his story telling. It's just fun, not a real competition. Bob is as funny as they come. Nice job guys.
Right?! Not just Bob, any American reacting to this show does the whole try to guess thing. It’s part of the entertainment for them, the win/lose thing. As an Aussie, I have never even considered doing this.
Bob used to be a lawyer too so he’s had a very Interesting life. He grew up in the 60s in the North so I’m guessing it was usual for working class families back then to leave their kids on their own at home.
Try watching his story about the singer Chris Rea putting an egg in his bath!!!
The whole WILTY series is great, especially the banter between Lee & David; both very sharp witted.
One of the funny things is that, in some parts of England, "Bytheway" is an actual, genuine surname, as is "Harryman", and so as silly as they sound the names are probably genuine.
Bob Mortimer is hilarious with so many stories. If he were to tell you he 'went to the shop, bought groceries then went home' It is likely false if frogs didn't start raining from the sky! 🤣
Trust me as a boro boy I can tell you guys this is completely plausible ❤
As a lad growing up in London in the '50s the fireworks that were most readily available from local corner shops and newsagents were one of two brands - Brocks or Standard
Knowing that Bob Mortimer exists - and I know some doubt that - is life affirming. Suddenly, my youth makes complete sense.
That was Part 1, hopefully you will review Part 2 of Bob Mortimer tales and discover more weird and wonderful tales from his past. Do you think he does his own Dentistry!
My favourite show, possibly of all time, was "shooting stars" lots of running jokes and surreal moments never missed it.
Peanuts!
Bob Mortimer is such a great character & storyteller & you’ve hit on a gold mine as Bob is truly hilarious. You really need to react to more Would I Lie To You. See Kevin Bridges who ‘accidentally bought a horse’
Or Rhod Gilbert who paid for a tapas meal with a car. "It was very nice."
The episode where he claims to be able to tear the apple apart with his bare hands on truly bizarre. Bobs Dentistry skills also worth watching
Spoiler alert! ⚠️
@@slayerrocks2 OOps, thanks, corrected!!
Bob Mortimer is in his sixties and grew up during the 1960's and 1970's when there were two main brands of fireworks; Standard Fireworks and Brocks. In the late 1990's Standard went into receivership (after trading for over 100 years). The company is now owned by Black Cat Fireworks, a chinese company and they still trade to this day. Interestingly, Brocks started trading in 1798 and are still trading now, although they concentrate now mainly on big pyrotechnic displays with retail sales almost as a side line.
The way the game works is you generally, if telling the truth, can't fabricate whole parts of the story just to throw people off. They can sprinkle in tiny cheeky details, like Bob's fake names, but it's usually the case that the other contestants understand those parts are made up. If you're watching these vids and a story turns out to be true it's safe to say at least 90% of it happened as described.
genuinely the only name i think he's made up is cheeseman. if not the name than at least the reason for his nickname "cheesey" being that he brought around cheese slices to put on his spotty face instead of, you know, his surname.
Another strange fact is that he was Jarvis Cockers solicitor at the police station when he was arrested for the Michael Jackson stage invasion at the Brits. And Bob was drunk at the time (I think he was at the Brits himself) but managed to stop it going to court.
I should have said this was when he was at his most "popular" on TV - Shooting Stars etc but as he's mentioned on WILTY he was a solicitor earlier in life.
A Scotch pie or mutton pie is a small, double-crust meat pie filled with minced mutton, haggis or other meat. It may also be known as a shell pie or mince pie to differentiate it from other varieties of savoury pie, such as the steak pie, steak and kidney pie, it isn’t talking about alcohol
In about '93' I had a French teacher who used to say he made sure his computer was connected to a nice hot cup of tea when he printed out whatever worksheets he was handing out during my yr9 French class (I guess I was 13-14 at the time). It was only when I was in 6th form (16-18yrs old) and had read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, that I understood the joke.
I went and told him I got it and he gave me a load of his own recordings of the original radio series from the late 70's.
I guess my overall point is that the 'Hand Lion' might well have been a quirky gimmick his teacher used to try to disarm the students and make him appear wacky, in a Monty Python-esque way.
Did your French teacher go to parties and make the host's undergarments jump 2 feet to the left?😄
@@johnboy2562 I'm sure he'd he'd sat he tried to!
I remember the Standard brand and it's only just clicked how it could be regarded (I'm ages with Bob). It's an old brand, but still has a Wikipedia page 'In 1998 Standard went into receivership. They were purchased by China-based Black Cat Fireworks, bringing an end to production in the UK. The Standard brand is now one of several trading names of Black Cat in the UK, with the former Standard offices now the UK headquarters for this operation.'
I suspect that Standard was chosen as a name with the meaning of "Royal Standard", rather than run-of-the-mill.
Woah, so the firecrackers were by the same brand. INteresting
Parents often left kids alone in those days. I am a similar age and my mum regularly went shopping and left me at home when I was a child.
The unsung hero or heroine here is the producer on WILTY who initially selected Bob as guest they deserve an award for foresight. If anyone could choose a neighbour of choice it would be Bob Mortimer for me… it may push up the house insurance premiums by a tad.
Bob Mortimer is in a long line of great British eccentrics I think he is wonderful, quite frankly he could tell any story and I would believe it was true .
The presenter, the guy in the middle, is Rob Bryndon, a Welsh comedian. One of his well-known roles was as Bryn West in "Gavin and Stacy", a BBC sitcom. Ben Miller is another actor, he played a part in the British drama "Death in Paradise". There is an episode of the programme QI (presented by Stephen Fry), where both Rob Bryndon and Ben Miller are taking part, they are on the same panel and wearing nearly the same shirts. THEY LOOK LIKE TWINS.
Bob is an absolute genius. One of the funniest people I've ever seen. I used to deliver exhausts to a guy called Tom Bytheway, by the way.
I think I understand the gulf stream enthusiasm. Bobs about the same age as me and the school curriculum when we were young made a big thing abut the gulf stream to explain our weather patterns, perhaps because it was only then being understood properly. The idea of going from cold eastern England to shores where the gulf stream apparently created an exotic climate and palm trees could grow seemed intriguing.
Story no. 1: Ok I'm kind of thinking this might be a lie, mainly because of how many details he remembers...' oh you innocent. Gotta love Bob
His friend's surname is "Bytheway" by the way, that's quite genuine - I'm currently reading his autobiography and he's in there along with all his other odd friends.
A scotch pie doesn't contain Scotch whiskey. It's a meat pie most likely with mutton or haggis made in Scotland. David Mitchell and Lee Mack have been team captains from the beginning of this show. Each show has the "This is my" round in which someone is brought out that has a relationship to one of the panelists and the opposing team has to figure out who really has the relationship.
Yes, a scotch pie is a slightly different variety of meat pie.
I love how later in the show whenever Bob Mortimer told a story the teams always were like "that completely bs and cannot be true.. on the other hand - Bob told the story so it's probably true.
The funny names are not real and everyone knows it is just a joke but are amazed at his inventive mind. They don't make a difference to the truth or lie of the story and are just used to embellish...Bob is famous for this...National Treasure
Bob is incredible!! If you watch Reeves and mortimer stuff he was the straight man to Vic Reeves craziness. He is the best wilty contestant ever!!☠🤣🤣🤣
Standard fireworks was a real brand, and manufactured in my hometown, they eventually got bought out by blackcat. The factory still exists on standard drive, but I think they’re looking for new premises right now, they’ve been burning off the gunpowder at the current factory site, so lots of explosion sounds every night for the locals.
6:37 “Why was his mum not there”
He was from northern England in the 50s, kids were left to their own devices often, all of the doors on the street were often left open for kids to come and go
Imagine how incredible Wireless technology was when Bob was a kid... a remote controlled Lion was the Pinnacle of micro tech at that time.
"I dont know any more" is most people's answer to bobs stories 😂
we used to buy fireworks as a kid, and the brand was 'Standard'
Standard Fireworks existed from 1891 to 1998. After they went into receivership, the brand name was acquired by Black Cat Fireworks (China).
"Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks! Please do remember the 5th of November..."
He was back on WILTY this week so another funny story to work out while giving David a mental breakdown trying to figure it out lol.
Well, he has written books. He is a National Treasure for sure! I would love to just have a chat with him all day and tell me stories of his youth.
He's had to write his biography with a lot of caveats requiring you to guess as to whether the parts are true or not so that he does not spoil potential stories for the show
Scotch Pie is real. It's usually minced beef with some spices. Different areas have their own take on the standard types of pies (i.e. Steak, Minced Beef, Macaroni etc) and some have their own unique ones (Black Pudding & Steak being one).
Bob is a comedy genius.
It is most definitely not minced beef, its a mutton pie, mutton is an adult sheep.
@@TheLord84 I think you’ll find it can be either depending on area, maker etc.
I just love Bob Mortimer so much - he is such a laugh!
He calls it a _scotch pie_ because it's from Scotland, not because it has whiskey in it, lol. In Scotland, it's just a _pie._
The thing you guys need to know about Bob, is that if it sounds batcrap insane it is probably true.
Advert on tv from the time "Light Up the Sky with Standard Fireworks ".
I remember in the late 50' early 60's buying bangers and we would throw them around, great fun, (to us kids anyway)💥😏
Bob Mortimer has recently written an autobiography where he describes some of these outlandish moments of his life! It’s called ‘And Away’ if you wanted to check it out.
Scottish guy here, we don't call whisky scotch although sometimes burben depending on the drink. We call whisky whisky, scotch is used for foods in the name to separate our products from others like usually our shit is packed with more sugar
David Mitchell had a great point on one of the shows when he said, at this point, when it comes to Bob, you don't have to listen to the story because we're all just guessing at this point.
I think you would remember setting light to your house. My brother set fire 🔥 to our breakfast room and he would never admit it. Then around 20 years later, my mum said “ Ian it’s 20 years today since you set fire to the breakfast room” Ian said “ is it?” Mum smack 👋
There is a monologue by David Mitchell on his journey to be with his wife Victoria - worth listening to as a man's love for a woman of his dreams.
I listens to that a couple of years ago. Since then David Mitchell and his wife, Victoria Coren Mitchell are my couple “crush”. I just think they are so well suited and would love to meet them.
So happy you guys are reacting to Bob, he's one of my favourite comedians. You should watch some of 'shooting stars' a bonkers game show which him and his comedy partner Vic Reeves presented...it's very "out there"
I remember Standard Fireworks, they had a factory near us. At about 7 I set fire to our Christmas tree trying to see if the shiny baubles were fireproof- they were not. One destroyed tree later and one sore bum from being spanked and I wanted to run away.
🎶Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks 🎶 Happy memories.
@@primalengland that's the one 😁😁
On November the 5th every year when I was younger than 15 my family had a bonfire because of Guy Forks night. Look it up, but it’s changed now a days, but at that time a good portion of families in the council estates (social housing with a small patch of garden at the front for flower and a larger patch of garden in the back which the family grew vegetables in). This back garden was fabulous for family bonfires, us kids would scour the area for any broken branches, boxes maybe an old tyre and stacked it for the fire. Front worry no more than about 4 or 5 foot, it looked like a monster at the time. We made a man sized manakin or a guy and took it round the estate and asked people for a “penny for the Guy”. This was to buy our fire works for the night.
Getting to the point we would ask the families of my mates to come round they’d bring food and pop and the dads might bring a bottle of bear which would have been filled up at the local pubs “off licence” (a small door at the side of the pub where bear and alcoholic drinks could be purchased not for consumption on the premises.
To cut this over long story short my Dad lit the fire baked potatoes were put around the bonfires and then he and the other dads would set off the firework display. This particular year for some reason he thought he’d scare the moms so he threw a Jack jumper toward them expecting it to jump away. No ! It jumped passed the mums and straight into the firework box, all hell broke out my dad the hero ran into the outhouse grabbed the box with the spitting fireworks and through it onto the garden.
It was the best display I’ve ever seen. This is a bit of potted history for working class families in the fifties and sixties. We lived on what was called the green belt the gap between a town and farming country south west of Birmingham, this area was called the Black Country because of the cottage industry of Navy chain making, each house would have had a forge in the garden. My dads birth certificate states his mother, my grandmother, was a blacksmith. During the WWII my mom worked on a lathe and made cannon shell cases and my dad was in the steal works.
Good grief all this memory just because you told us about the boxes of caps we called them bangers.
I enjoy your banter when you react to subjects.
Cheers both
Yes!
Finally a British comedy reaction again and a long one too
Something to understand about WILTY is that nobody really knows what the rules are...one of the panelists was quoted as saying that the show has been running for a long time and nobody really remembers if there were rules when it started...so basically you're just trying to guess whether or not the statement on the card is true.
I'm probably a similar age to Bob and I remember Standard Fireworks and I remember that they were 2/6 and I also remember that they were advertised on TV and I remember the jingle that was used on the adverts as well.
Although I've not been to Logan Botanical Gardens, I've been to other botanical gardens on the west coast of Scotland and you can certainly see the effects of the Gulf Stream...there are palm trees in some places as well.
Also, Castle Douglas is well known for it's food shopping in the local area and yes, Scotch Pies are commonplace in Scotland...but they don't contain Scotch whiskey.
I enjoyed your reaction...thanks for doing them and good luck for the future.
That was the tell for me, I remember standard fireworks well, and they were quite effective, especially in bins/neighbours drainpipes 👍👍👍👍
Three teenage lads on holiday with no parental control having funny masks to hand? Of course they'll wear them to scare the locals 😂😂. Bob is a genius storyteller who obviously was a naughty child.
I remember the "Standard" fireworks and the ad on tv. LIGHT UP THE SKY WITH STANDARD FIREWORKS, i think it was in b/ w.
Believe it or not, but Bob Mortimer is a trained and qualified Solicitor !! - a legal Beagle !
the cockroach king!
#1 rule with Bob Mortimer is go for the truth..his truth is usually wilder than the lies..
Bob reminds me of Ed Bloom from the movie Big Fish.. all his stories are remarkable and amazing like that..
Yea you should definitely do the full Mortimerian tales videos.. the man is a nutcase and a great story teller and just a likeable guy
Bytheway (pronounced as Bob says it) is quite a common surname in Middlesbrough - I used to know someone of that name from there.
"One of the Mitchells” 😊
Grant, Phil and Dave.
" Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks!" Remember them well.
Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks - that was an advert on TV in the 60's around Guy Fawkes Day . I think Bob thought the as was ' burn down your house with Standard Fireworks ' 🎆
You can check out Claudia Winkleman's compilation on WILTY too! It's soooo good as well!
There is a video on TH-cam called > *Old Size 12 Selection Box Standard Fireworks* < You can bet that is the same type of box of fireworks that Bob Mortimer set fire to his house with when he was a child :)