Jim Moir: I’ve been a fan of Corrie forever!’
Despite being one of the most popular comedians in the UK, Jim Moir – aka Vic Reeves – has confessed that he’s never been more nervous than he was for his latest role, joining the Coronation Street cobbles! Jim, 58, who lives in Kent with his wife Nancy S
On performing ‘It’s good to get nervous about things’
Hey Jim! So how did the part in Coronation Street come about? About three years ago I bumped into the Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn and he asked if I would ever consider doing Corrie. He left the soap, then Bob [Mortimer] and I were on tour and one night there was a note on my dressing-room door from the new producer Kate Oates, saying, ‘Would you like to be in Corrie? Give me a ring.’ I bumped into her at a television awards night and said, ‘Yeah, I would please.’
Is it a dream come true? Pretty much, because I’ve been a fan of Corrie forever. My wife said, ‘You could play Norris’ son.’ And I said, ‘No, I’m too old.’ And then it got out that I was going to play Norris’ son, but that was never the case.
Where does it rank in your career? I remember when Dizzy got to Number One in 1991. That was quite a highlight. Being on Top Of The Pops was pretty good and this is probably equal to that.
Were you nervous on your first day on the cobbles? Yeah. My 11-year-old daughters are going to big school and I said, ‘I’ve beaten you to it. You’ll get nervous going to big school, but I’m going to big school as well.’ It’s your first day with a lot of people who all know each other and who’ve all acted together.
So even though you’ve been in show business for 30 years, you still get anxious? I think if you didn’t you’d be cocky and that’s wrong. You’d have a big ego and think that you were above
stuff. I think it’s good to get nervous about everything.
What was your first scene like? I had a nice easy scene. I say easy – I had to drive a car outside the Kabin and stop. And I had shoes on that had very long pointed toes. It was a really nice car – a Sunbeam Tiger – but I couldn’t operate the pedals too well because of the length of the shoes!
Who were you most excited to meet? I think I was most excited to see the street itself. It’s like the first time you go to New York and you see those buildings and you go, ‘I’ve seen them in films! It’s all real.’
Are your kids Corrie fans? They came to visit me yesterday and I showed them the street because we watch it all the time!
You’re known as Jim Moir rather than Vic Reeves for this – why is that? I am always Jim Moir in everything I do, unless I am doing something with Bob, then I’m Vic Reeves. That’s what I stick with. It just gets confusing otherwise.
What is your character Colin like? He’s not as creepy as I originally thought. He’s a wheelerdealer and an opportunist – he’s very driven and he works for this string of newsagents. He’s a bit of a lothario and he wears these large suits and colourful shirts and very pointy shoes. He thinks he’s a wag. He’s great fun to play.
Have you any suggestions for him? The first scene I did, I decided to do an exaggerated point, and I said my line, ‘Is this shop owned by Norris Cole?’ and they really liked it, so I’ve got some exaggerated pointing!
Do you think it will bring new viewers to Corrie if your fans start watching? I don’t know, it might do. We’ll see if the figures go up by three!
If you have a day to yourself how do you like to spend it? I paint. I’ve got a big show at the Grosvenor Gallery in London at the moment. I’ve swapped tips with Connor Mcintyre [who plays Pat Phelan], who also paints, but his stuff is deep. I’m quite light. He said, ‘We should have an art talk.’ And I said, ‘Yeah. It’s always best over a light ale.’ And he said, ‘Or a sparkling water.’ I don’t want to get that deep into it!
What other work do you have on? We have just done a Vic & Bob’s Big Night Out. That was a one-off, so we’re going to have a meeting with the BBC about maybe doing some more. And other bits and pieces. To be honest, I can’t remember. Coronation Street absolutely drains my mind of any other thoughts – half my brain is thinking of the lines I have to learn.
If Coronation Street was to carry on for you, would you be up for it? I live in Kent, so it’s a bit of a trek to get to work. I’ve got other things to do, but if it’s kept open you never know, do you? I have spoken to people who said they came for a week and stayed forever.