Shooting Star Vic Reeves dropped into Whetstone on Saturday to show off his "generously-shaped lips" when he posed in a charity art exhibition for sculptress Frances Segelman.

The TV funnyman kept still for two hours at the All Saints Art Centre, Oakleigh Road North, and confessed to his lifelong love of art.

"I've had an interest in art since birth and I went to art school before I got into comedy," he said.

"I finished art when I was about 27 but I thought comedy would be an easy way of making a living."

The Randall and Hopkirk Deceased star revealed he has collected art for years but has one rather obscure piece in his back garden a half-buried car.

He said: "I've got an Austin in my garden. Omnibus were doing a documentary and they wanted us to do something interesting, so I just thought 'why don't we just bury that car?'."

'We' means Vic's partner-in-crime Bob Mortimer, who Vic describes as the "funniest person I know".

The duo have been together for 13 years after Bob came to see Vic in a show. They have gone from strength to strength ever since.

The pair have just finished another series of Shooting Stars, which is due to be screened in January.

Not having been to the borough before, Vic was a little puzzled on his whereabouts: "We're in Barnet are we? I've not seen anything of the place but I like it in here All Saints Art Centre. The sculpture is very good and I'm impressed with how it looks."

Ms Segelman, who also completed the sculpture of playwright Jack Rosenthal on Saturday, has been commissioned to make sculptures for Denise Van Outen, Bruce Forsyth and Jilly Cooper.

The sculptress was equally impressed by her subject. She said: "He was really nice. I think he has a lovely face, generously-shaped lips and great hair. "I think we could auction it for the London Youth charity."

The completed bronze resin sculpture is due to be completed in two months' time.

December 4, 2001 17:54

KEVIN BURCHALL