WILTY - Did Bob Mortimer Once Set his House on Fire with Fireworks? REACTION

[@Thoucraggyknob]

The actual story behind this one is sad. A few months before Bob burnt the house down, his father had been killed in a car crash, leaving his mother having to work all hours to support her 4 kids. That's why Bob was left alone in the house that day.

[@NymphieJP]

That's heartbreaking :(

[@AuroraMeansDawn27]

I HOPE they still had photos of his dad.

[@felixthecat02]

I am old enough to remember 'Standard Fireworks', the traffic light, the roman candle, the catherine wheel and that bloody awful snowstorm that seemed to go on for ever

[@TenCapQuesada]

Oh, me too! And I remember the box was just as Bob described. Don't know why David made such a big deal of it though. Surely he remembers them as well?

[@vilebrequin6923]

And of course, the name Standard (made in Huddersfield), didn't imply orthodoxy as David Mitchell jokes. Its emblem was a fluttering banner...or pennant, thus Standard (as in a flag).

[@ElunedLaine]

And boxes did cost half a crown

[@stevencarr4002]

@@ElunedLaine We called it half a dollar.

[@Cybertruck1000]

@@TenCapQuesada Ripraps too...

[@davidmorley2387]

“Mum said don’t go out” is gold 😂

[@PaulBoden-d7p]

Young people cannot possibly imagine a world where young children were never supervised and participated in potentially lethal activities on a daily basis. Welcome to the sixties.

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

Oh yes , a time where cheap plastic stuff made in Hong Kong was replacing traditional metal items and furnishings . Not fire resistant .

[@cbcdesign001]

And the 70's.

[@4r7hr_87]

@@cbcdesign001 I grew up in the 80s playing on building sites. it's quite a recent thing. still, fewer kids die these days eh?

[@MrBaronCabron]

60s? try 80/90/early 2000s, it started to stop around the late 2000s

[@E_y_a_l]

People have checked and at least one of the reporters names was real

[@ethelmini]

I'm just a few years younger than Bob & grew up about 20 miles up the road. It made total sense to me.

[@PeterDay81]

Light up the sky with Standard fireworks.was the Standard Fireworks advert .

[@lilbullet158]

Back in the good old days of : *_"Light up the sky with Standard fireworks"_* Not forgetting, 'Guying' ; Carrol Singing' and 'Bob 'a' Job' week...

[@IanDarley]

Standard Fireworks were a massive company, the used to advertise on TV "Light up the sky with Standard Fireworks" was their tag line.

[@oopsdidItypethatoutloud]

I lit a sparkler. My dad went mad saying, It says you can't use them indoors and I started saying, it doesn't say that, and we had a conversation about how not suitable and don't use apparently mean the same thing ❤ from Northeast England ❤️

[@PaulMGleeson]

Great video very funny. Standard Fireworks' jingle was " Remember remember the 5th of November light up the sky with Standard fireworks "

[@PHDarren]

Still remember the drawing of Guy Fawkes made with fireworks on a poster one shop always put up every year for decades.

[@allanmanaged5285]

Wow that brings back some memories, mainly that Standard fireworks were not the greatest brand (truly).🎆

[@seamstressdragon8707]

This was in the 60s/70s, parents were much more lax about leaving their children unsupervised at home back then :D

[@BigAlCapwn]

Yep. I grew up in the 80s and even then as soon as you could walk and talk parents would think nothing of leaving you on your own in the house whilst they went out for a few hours. I used to walk to school on my own from about 6 years old (as did 95% of kids back then). People wo got dropped off and picked up by their parents were the exception and usually the richer kids

[@MeFreeBee]

I had my own key aged 9 and was alone for an hour or so after coming home from school. Quite normal back then.

[@alisonrandall3039]

I used to go down to the park when I was about 4 with my 2 year old brother in tow. On our own.

[@JamBar1873]

Now you guys have seen most of Bob on WILTY, it’s about time you read his autobiography, or listen to Bob reading it on Spotify. He’s had what you might call a rollercoaster of a life, and it might surprise you with how he describes himself.

[@SouthCoastRich]

Yep, I've read his autobiography, and it's very interesting and entertaining. 👍

[@2ndTim3_1-6]

that would ruin the reaction videos

[@paulbromley6687]

I’ve read Bobs autobiography and he’s lived an interesting life

[@cheryltotheg2880]

Yeah I read it too , really very good read, so sad about it his Dad😢

[@MrPercy112]

I recall both of those reporters; their bylines always raised a smile. 😁

[@dracula5487]

The crazier the story the more it has to be true with Bob. The legend that is Bob Mortimer.............🤣🤣🤣

[@nosehairuk]

I'm from same age group and area as Bob Mortimer, and think I remember a John Caramel as a local TV news host and not a newspaper reporter.

[@grantk9037]

You've done it again! Surely, the name of the game, is to get a balance between your comments and the enjoyment of wilty. As soon as the verdict is given you hit the off button. And nearly always there's a short humorous bit from the panel showing their reactions to their guess. Maybe let it finish naturally, then give your comments. As a Brit I've seen them all on UK TV. But enjoy seeing them again - including the actual ending! 😊

[@rickthompson437]

🎼 please do remember the 5th of November … light up the sky with ‘standard’ fireworks🎶

[@jrswinhoe58]

My parents were divorced in the 60's and my sister and I were on our own till our father got back from work ,aged seven and eight.

[@ralphraffles1394]

Young boys on our street used tie bangers to string attach to door knockers, light and scarper. Some of the madder ones put the banger through the letter box.

[@stephenhodgson3506]

Coming from Yorkshire where Middlesborough is the names were familiar with people I knew so the names didn't throw me. I also grew up with standard fireworks so that was plausible and been of a similar age to Bob I remember young children been left at home alone (particularly in working class families) in those days. So the whole story seemed plausible as I can remember house fires getting started on mischief night when some idiots would put lit fireworks through people's letter boxes as a prank.

[@davidbennett3098]

I'm about the same age as Bob and grew up in Sheffield, I remember Standard fireworks, they came in a long blue box with artwork showing lots of firworks exploding in the sky. It was quite usual in those days to be left alone in the house for a couple of hrs.

[@binaway]

Australia used to celebrate Bonfire Night on 5th Nov as well. It was stopped as it's the beginning of the dry season where a small fire can become a giant scrub fire very quickly.

[@lindamerrett6600]

I always love Bob Mortimers stories. he embellishes them to make them more funny.🇬🇧

[@kevinturner3997]

There is another programme Bob does with another British comedian, Paul Whitehouse. It is called Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing. It's a gentle documentary style comedy.

[@peterdavidson3890]

The “Standard” brand firework tuppenny cannon was brilliant.

[@ericj166]

... especially when placed in a cow pat.

[@peterdavidson3890]

We used tuppenny Cannons in peoples old cast iron drainpipes followed by a spud then run like f**k

[@peterdavidson3890]

@@ericj166and cast iron drain pipes with a spud crammed after lighting it, the explosion was fantastic and bits of drainpipe scattered all around

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

Fireworks are harder to get hold of nowadays but when I was a kid all the Newsagents shops had boxes of Standard fireworks , the smallest being within ' Penny for the Guy' takings . I'm thinking the Standard referred to the battlefield flags and rocket signals . Anyway we weren't always sensible and Bob's story was very plausible . Davidand teams bemused questioning got the most out of the story making it a classic .

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

Thinking about it the kitchen is the only room with a concrete floor in houses of the vintage .

[@PhilipMarsh-cs9bx]

The Kentish gazette paper in the 1970’s did have reporter’s called waffle and caramel👌

[@matthale6563]

The names of the reporters are correct. Somebody on youtube found an article and uploaded it.

[@anitahargreaves9526]

Never knew that. Thank you !alex this funnier.

[@Thoucraggyknob]

Yep, Ron Waffle is still working, and is a freelance journalist in the north of England who occasionally works for the Guardian.

[@PaulDear-jb2bu]

Growing up as a kid in the 60s and 70s my parents would often go out and leave me in the house alone or with one or both of my brothers (One older, one younger), and all they would say to us was, "don't answer the door to anyone if someone knocks". It was the done thing back then.

[@nessa8389]

I'm on my 60s, and when I was a kid Standard Fireworks were what you bought. This is way before chinese fireworks and such. Also, I was a latch key kid! We were given keys to the house, and I did chores and cooked, and I was only 7 or 8 ish . I loved being responsible. Unfortunately, my mom n dad both had to work, so that's what happened. I asked to help, and I had the key on a piece of string around my neck so I didn't lose it, and that was it. Different times then lol x

[@phueal]

In terms of "telling the truth" - here's what the cast have said: “Someone like Bob Mortimer will tell a truth, but obviously you do wonder ‘well how much of that is the truth?’” Brydon says. “But Bob is so sort of individual, such a unique presence that you don’t question. “It could be a little bit annoying if you had someone else on and you thought hang on a minute, they made that bit up. But with Bob, it doesn’t seem to matter. But I think that’s the idea, isn’t it?” Mack added: “The fact that we’re having to ask each other shows that we’ve not fully understood the rules after 10 years, but I think the basic unwritten rule is that if you’re saying a truth, everything you have to say has to be true. “Unless you tell a joke - that was just a joke. But most of it has to be [true]. But people bend that rule a bit…” Case in point: when we watched this week’s episode being recorded, one panelist visibly blanched when informed the entire wild story he’d just told was supposed to be true, and not just the lead statement. Whoops...

[@glyngasson8450]

This story is in Bob's autobiography, the family were made homeless

[@SketchyMagpie]

I had an unfair advantage when I watched this as Bob told the story on a show called Fantasy World Cup in the 90s!

[@Will-nn6ux]

I like it when David rants about Bob flouting the rules of WILTY. 😀As much as I like Bob's stories, I do share David's irritation a bit!

[@Cybertruck1000]

Really good to see genuine reactions from people across the pond. So much political stuff going on in the world that divides but this transcends that. I've seen this one several times but seeing you both crack up took me away in the joy of it once again. A lot wrong with the UK but we seem to have a particular type of funny bone here. Daftness at it's best.

[@oopsdidItypethatoutloud]

Bob Mortimer best bits from 8 out of 10 cats does countdown. You'll love it ❤ from Northeast England ❤️

[@perryedwards4746]

Kids were left alone in the 60's and 70's and kids could buy fireworks, it was normal

[@ethelmini]

Pretty sure there was an age restriction, same as booze & fags, but we had independent corner shops. One near our junior school used to put loose cigarettes in the cabinet with the penny sweets

[@peterb2286]

Bob is a national treasure and he is so good at making up stories. He drives David Mitchell mad but he has had a very interesting life and surprisingly a lot if it is true.

[@happilyeggs4627]

I laugh at Bob so much. I know all his history and I still laugh. Back when Bob was a young whippersnapper, and a new face on tv with Vic Reeves, on "Vic and Bob's Big Night Out", I read a bio of his life in a magazine. I won't reveal a word. Suffice to say, Bob has led a very interesting life.

[@steviekeane]

I've probably watched wilty bob mortimer repeats a hundred times .

[@Dave-bb4uk]

It's nicks face and body language when he gets it wrong it,s brilliant.

[@sillybilly1662]

Light up the sky with Standard fireworks was a fact.

[@vinsgraphics]

Me and a couple kids burnt a house down. We were about 8. It was an abandoned house in a ghost town I grew up in, in Australia. Peter West was the ringleader of us, wanted to set a fire in an old cupboard, and I happened to know where to find matches. Didn’t take long to get going, we couldn’t put it out, and we scampered out of the house pretty quick. I thought I was gonna get the hide peeled off me, but surprisingly I got off easy compared to Westy. I think he got the thrashing off his life. We weren’t allowed to hang out together after that.

[@philipcochran1972]

Two and six means two shillings and six pence; twelve pennies in a shilling. I remember the jingle on the TV advert. "light up the sky with Standard fireworks"

[@drum253]

I'm 62 and can still remember the TV advert jingle for standard fireworks coming on every year. So while Standard sounds like a terrible name, they were clearly massive enough to run a TV ad campaign every year. The being sold to a 7yr old though, even then, sounds highly unlikely, although, I dare say some places would be dodgy enough to do it. Wasn't typical though, that's for sure, although often kids would be sold cigarettes back then, as long as they had a note from their parents.

[@AlBarzUK]

I’m 75 and I remember buying bangers for a few pence when I was about ten, from a local newsagent. (I also bought cigarettes at 15, no problem. 🤗) NB There weren’t any supermarkets back then.

[@errolanthony7462]

I love how Nick seemed a little stressed with Bob at the end because this is typically what happens to David Mitchell. Bob got to you 😂 All in good fun of course 🤭

[@watchreadplayretro]

Oh wow so there IS a 2nd part to your own WILTY (maybe more too!) oh great news! "If they would use their boots [stamp, stamp, stamp] to put it out..." lol haha go Team Jodi, winning by going against Nick's logic :D

[@markthomas2577]

'Standard' were the main brand of fireworks when I was a kid !

[@GrilloTheFlightless]

Bob is completely right. It’s the water from the hose that causes most damage in a lot of cases. To prevent the spread of fire they saturate areas that haven’t even burned yet. And that volume of water gets in deep into the structure causing floors to be soggy, ceilings wrecked and joists to rot. And the smoke and soot mix with the water causing toxic black liquid to run into all sorts of places causing stains. If the fire brigade get there on time they can usually contain the fire pretty well, but the water often causes more extensive damage.

[@michaelstill5184]

Did Standard fireworks come in a white box with blue lettering? I have an advantage, having been a Bob fan for 30 years I remember him on chat shows telling this and other stories!

[@kenhewitt7357]

Standard means the Standard, the level all things are held to.

[@daffodil800]

A lot of these stories are well detailed in Bob's autobiography, they seem bizarre but are completely true!

[@nigelheathcote6084]

Check out bob mortimer toaster next to his bed , absolutely hilarious, everybody joins in on the crack, ❤

[@TheWarpseed]

Furnishings in the 70's tended to be a bit flamable so if the living room/lounge went up then I'm not suprised the whole house went too TBH. I also am old enough to remember 'Standard' Fireworks. They were rubbish.

[@natmanprime4295]

good stuff as usual

[@andrewmills509]

Great video guys I thought he was telling the truth because he kept using the phrase standard fireworks and if memory serves me right they were a popular brand of Fireworks back in the day growing up 😊

[@adancer3592]

One of my first jobs was at a candy store at the mall We made Carmel popcorn So it had a huge popcorn machine. The shop was like being in a fishtank glass all sides Well one day we had two working witch was unusual. So we had no excuse that one of us weren't watching it as closely as we should had It caught fire and our little shop instantly filled with smoke. We were doing everything we could to pit ot out while a crowd gathered on all sides watching us panicking. The Manager from a shop stormed in and started yelling at us that if the sprinklers go off he was going to sue ! We were both were about 15 16 & for sure though we would be fired But we weren't thankfully & nobody called the fire department.

[@AndrewRoberts11]

I'm sure someone could trawl the British Newspaper Archive, as the Middlesborough Daily / Evening Gazette has been digitised, and see who wrote the 1966/7 story of a Robert Mortimer burning down 9 Tollesby Road, with some Standard Fireworks.

[@edwinpreston8159]

It’s a legendary BM story! Go on line and google “child burns down Middlesbrough house - 1970’s”

[@Tony2438]

I did not doubt it at all for starters the brand standard fireworks was well known at that time and yes kids can cause in homes even damaging the foundations

[@Morgana0x]

Caramel and Waffle were two real reporters on the local newspaper.

[@ninevoices9401]

What's great about this show and Bob in particular is that, (if it's true) only the basic claim itself has to be true. You can embellish as much as you want to make it seem implausible. Which Bob is a master at.

[@kpsingh6648]

The names he used - Caramel and Waffle - are actually true! It came out in the UK and they showed the local reports!

[@byronabrahams871]

I did the same thing at 6. Well, only my bedroom.

[@arlasoft]

A lot of people recommending his autobiography, you'll find in there a lot of the names he comes out with are actually real. Got a feeling that even Caramel and Waffle came up but I might be remembering that wrong.

[@helenwood8482]

I knew this was true, because kids and fireworks cause that kind of thing. His childhood was a lot like mine, although mine was in the 70s.

[@jja77a]

Please react to Bob Mortimer's "hand lion" from this same episode

[@timohara5691]

If you think about it. The person who invented caramel probably named it after himself.

[@stevencarr4002]

Like Lord Sandwich?

[@martinwebb1681]

Waffle is actually a surname, 96% of those with the name Waffle live in the United States, but there are a few in the UK. Caramel is also an actual surname but much rarer with most being found in France, however there are Caramels living in 39 different countries including England.

[@steviekeane]

Bangers got banned uk in 80s . As kids used to throw them in streets .

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

A great way for the final demise of an Airfix model past it's best .

[@aafsterlife9647]

I thought he was telling the truth! He wasn't making stuff up... not an instant of hesitation!

[@colin8662]

Caramel and waffle did work for the gazette any kids could buy fireworks back in the 50 s and 60s

[@dazza9326]

I've never seen this one before, I thought it was a lie, but as always with Bob anything is possible.

[@ChaseOakley-rw2lx]

I've got a bone to pick with you. Stop wearing hats indoors. Come at me, teacher!

[@MrPercy112]

👍

[@tinyderppotato5410]

bob sells cat names on twitter

[@lekarzkto]

General rule of thumb. Everything Bob Mortimer says is the truth.

[@kernow9324]

I don't know how we children of the '70s survived to reach adulthood. We were told to go out and play, which we did for hours. No mobile phones, we didn't wear watches. The stupid things we did for entertainment would have made our parents go grey prematurely if they'd known. We were allowed to be kids and life was fun.

[@Nikolaiwww]

Hi. Not sure if the This is my with Raj Bisram, David Mitchell, Gemma Cairney - Shaun/shawn is on your radar, but all clip I seen on this fail to include the after credit scene. So you would only see it if you saw the full episode and didnt stop at the credits....So i made the full clip WITH the after credit scene. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZa1gnd8q7arfZY anoys me when ppl putting out clip and dont include it all. Only reason I made it.

[@tomfoolery9749]

He talks about this incident in his book

[@karlmcgowan9375]

And on the 8th day God created BOB...💯👍

[@cheryltotheg2880]

Bob’s are the best

[@ac4th371]

Anyone other than Bob saying it, I'm saying lie no question. That goes for ALL his crazy stories.

[@alecrichardson1949]

Considering there's seven-year-olds buying heroin in Middlesbrough, buying fireworks isn't too far fetched.

[@stephenhitchen8753]

For the 1st time watching bob, I was really caught in 2 minds,as to whether it was truth ot lie.

[@qwizzle78]

U should react to good morning best bits and for something a little more extreme try Frankie Boyle offensive jokes and continue with the coke studio season 15 reactions

[@seanmc1351]

i had the feeling this was true, back in the 80's when your teens and girlfriends, a group of us fiends, 4 couple did everything together, in the 90's you get married houses and stuff, my friend one of the couples, was filling a petrol lighter in front of a coal fire, we all had coal fires back then, mining villages, the lighter caught fire, he through it, buy the time he messed around, the fire overwhelmed him, took hold so quick, he could not get upstairs, open plan living room, his baby was in bed, they ran got ladders tried to get in through bedroom window, the house well alight, fire brigade got there, he lost his daughter, just lesson, fire kills, i know i will take flack for this post, but if it means someone thinks, may save a life, he lost his daughter marriage and house,

[@larey12]

I thought it was a lie. When he said the whole house had gone I thought he went a bit too far with this.

[@SuperClarky666]

you will never figure out bob mortimer😂

[@johnhewett9483]

Standard fireworks were the thing in the day, i think they were 2/6 too. Nick probably time to give up with guessing Wilty. Just ask jodi.

[@Jamienomore]

If anyone said I was like Bob I'd take that as a complement. Maybe that's just me. 🧸

[@TheOrlandoTrustfull]

This was the North of England in the 1970s. Children being left alone in the house wasn't that strange, especially kids of single working parents.

[@paulmccloud9395]

Standard Fireworks are still going strong - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIaWgJ6DYr1lfMk

[@Thisandthat8908]

tbf there is this smartphone company called "nothing" and their "nothing phone". Which is cause for much hilarity (for about 5 minutes). So a brand "not" may be around too. Also i think not all details in Bob's story are real, otherwise he wouldn't be so good. And David was just burned too many times by Bob to rule anything out for a few details.

[@Tass...]

Nobody wants to believe a 7yr old burned down the family home so it's natural to go with lie in this case.

[@NeedahKhan]

2am coke studio reaction please

[@Max_Flashheart]

Great reaction. I thought it is true because it is Bob. Yes they can embellish the story with made up parts to throw the other team off the truth.

[@MrPercy112]

True; but both of those reporters actually existed. Their bylines always made me laugh.

[@Max_Flashheart]

@@MrPercy112 Wow that makes it ever better. Thanks for sharing

[@MrPercy112]

Mind, I’ve often wondered if they were ‘spoof’ names, invented by the reporters themselves, to guarantee attention? They were both syndicated across a number of North Eastern newspapers. Cheers.

[@Max_Flashheart]

@@MrPercy112 nom de plumes were common

[@MrPercy112]

‘Bob de plumes’ even? 😁

[@steviekeane]

Those press guys remind me of the pigs that were in spitting image .

[@happilyeggs4627]

You really should check out Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer as Mulligan and O'Hare, singing "Rose. If you do, it's the 3 mins and 6 second version. There are other versions but they have been butchered.