Hebburn (TV series) A six-part series was then commissioned by Channel X North and Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow Productions. Cook co-wrote the series with Graham Duff, who had written the sitcom "Ideal". Chris Ramsey, a comic from South Shields, was cast to play Jack Pearson, with Kimberley Nixon as his new wife, Sarah. Vic Reeves (credited under his real name, Jim Moir) and Gina McKee were cast as his parents. The show also featured Geordie actors Victoria Elliott and Lisa McGrillis, alongside performances from North East stand-ups Steffen Peddie, Barry Dodds and Alfie Joey. Principal photography began with a week's shoot
Vic and Bob improvised silly banter (usually at a large, prop-strewn desk) and purposefully corny, rapid-fire jokes. Both at times play the straight man; often Mortimer will play the exasperated foil to Reeves' eccentric buffoon, or Reeves will play blankly bemused or annoyed to a manic or hyperactive Mortimer. They forged a status for themselves as "the alternatives to alternative comedy" in the late 1980s and early '90s. In a 2005 poll "The Comedian's Comedian", the duo were voted the 9th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Vic and Bob have performed on a number of television programmes as