BobMortimer

Taken by Reeves's approach to humour, Mortimer became an instant fan.

Soon he was joining in on stage, bringing his own – slightly darker – spin to the material and introducing new characters.

As the show attracted ever more attention it was spotted by Channel 4, which thrust it onto the screen to great success.

A move to the BBC saw Mortimer's vital role recognized with his name at last joining his co-star's in the title of "The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer".

Since then he has gone on to appear with Reeves in projects from Shooting Stars to Catterick via the mainstream revival of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) as well as writing on everything from The Fast Show to Tittybangbang.