Bob Mortimer has been labelled a “national treasure” by fans after a clip from his latest show, Last One Laughing UK, went viral.
Mortimer, 65, is one of many comedians taking part in the show, in which contestants have to spend six hours with each other without laughing or face elimination.
The other comedians involved are Daisy May Cooper, Joe Lycett, Judi Love, Rob Beckett, Sara Pascoe, Lou Sanders, Joe Wilkinson, Harriet Kemsley and Richard Ayoade. The Prime Video show is hosted by Jimmy Carr and Roisin Conaty.
Mortimer, whose other credits include the game show Shooting Stars and Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, has quickly become one of the breakout stars of the series after the first four episodes were released on 20 March.
One of his performances in particular has gone viral, amassing more than 2 million views on Instagram alone.
In the clip, Mortimer performs a very low-budget magic show soundtracked by the Queen song “A Kinda Magic”. He begins by appearing to make a tea towel levitate by using a concealed shoe and coat hanger before cracking an egg into a handbag.
Seconds later a toy chick emerges from the handbag, which sends Carr and Conaty, who are watching in another room, into hysterics. Throughout the performance, Mortimer whispers: “It’s magic.”
The likes of Cooper, Ayoade and Wilkinson struggle to contain their composure during Mortimer’s show, doing everything they can to stop themselves from laughing.
The clip has now been shared across social media with many people praising Mortimer’s very silly and very funny brand of comedy.
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“This man is a national treasure,” said one fan after sharing the clip.
Another person, perhaps sympathising with the other comedians, wrote: “I lasted about 4 seconds before I started laughing.”
A third wrote: “It’s only a matter of time before we call you Sir Robert Mortimer. I’ve watched this magic class masterclass a dozen times. Epic stuff!!”
The show, first began in Japan in 2016 – where it is called Documental – has since been adapted by numerous countries including Ireland, France, Germany, Canada, South Africa and Brazil.
Mortimer has faced health issues in recent years, having undergone heart surgery in 2015. He required the use a wheelchair while shooting the seventh season of Gone Fishing amid a health crisis that left him unable to walk.
Mortimer first opened up about his ongoing medical issues in September 2022, revealing that he had shingles, a skin infection that causes a painful rash and is caused by the varicella-zoster virus – the same virus that causes chickenpox.
