Depends...what old clips have you been watching?
Looking back on it now, I don't find Big Night Out as stunning as I did at the time, but I still think that it's top quality comedy almost entirely throughout. The Weekenders is still good, and the better moments of Smell Of are still on a par with (and occasinoally even better than) what came beforehand. However, everything else was light entertainment audience-courting, toilet humour-fixated garbage. I thought so at the time, and I still think so now.
As a Big Night Out buff (bugger?), it's almost genetic that I have to trumpet the two series as Vic & Bob's finest creations. Yes, "Smell Of" afforded a bigger budget, and therefore bigger ideas, but the thing I like about BNO was that the whole thing had to be recorded with minimal interruptions; it has a rawness that makes it all the more funny. And the interaction between Reeves and Graham Lister is a textbook example of how a running gag *can* be done extremely well and still be funny. When Lister brings on a glass of orange juice on Novelty Island and Reeves objects - sheer, sharp comedy.
The breadth of ideas that R&M gave us throughout the two series is still astounding to this day - the aforementioned Lister, the Stotts, Judge Nutmeg, Bob's new Desk (the funniest episode IMHO), the Living Carpets - even if a lot of the comedy came from ridiculous juxtapositions of unrelated things, they were still funny. It's a credit to them that they relied less on this particular comedic device in their BBC shows, and went more for mood and character-building. Big Night Out is still funnier, though. It's a bit like Dark Side of the Moon vs. Wish You Were Here - WYWH is the better album, but DSOTM has better tunes.
"I put so much petrol in my car the other day, I couldn't get in it!"
I think Vic and Bob were comic geniuses, and managed to create a type of comedy all of their own, which is an incredibly hard thing to do. They've been going steadily downhill since Big Night Out though, and Shooting Stars is something I really don't enjoy that much, apart from some of the little sketches they sometimes shove in there. Bang Bang had some good bits in places but was still a bit downhill.
And Randall and Hopkirk was just terrible, I imagined it was going to be a funny parody program.. like Marty would appear and you'd see everyone in the room leap 3 feet to the left and the clock change time by a few minutes etc, and just sort of a cheap tribute paying piss take on the original series. But it was just a boring, badly acted, unfunny load of dross. I'm sure they still have the talent do go back to the level they use to be at, but I think they just get really bored of doing the same kind of show all the time and have to go to something else.
On an unrelated note, TJ, don't know if you've seen it but here's an old Mavers related Mojo article for you that my mate stuck up for me:
http://geocities.com/lasarticle/mojo1.jpg
Just increment the last number from 1 to 7 for each page.
Its good that vic and Bob have the common sense only make a show last two series - hey, ewven if they are all the same, it looks more intereasting. Probably why Shooting stars appeared wrong - although it was good to begin with. Another case of familiarity breeding contempt. And also, making a 'star' out of Ulrika Johnsson - NOT a good idea
Oh damn it.
You've just reminded me how much i miss Novelty Island!
I really love Reeves and Mortimer, but (IMHO)without Bob, I don't think Vic's particularly funny.
Looking to Shooting Stars as an example, most of the quick and funny ad-libs come from Bob and Vic just plays the fool...
As I believe impedimented buffoon Jonathan Ross once commented (and I'm paraphrasing here), Vic gives the comedy a wide surface, whereas Bob gives it the depth.
I don't think either of them would be as good without each other.
Someone on the original Forum once used the metaphor that Vic is the chauffeur, but Bob is the mechanic. And do you know, I think they're right.