Ross Noble relishes TV reunion with Bill Bailey
Ross Noble has heaped praise on Bill Bailey, his long-time showbiz pal.
Ross Noble loved reuniting with Bill Bailey on The Reluctant Vampire.
The 50-year-old comedian has known Bill, 61, for decades, and Ross relished the experience of working with his showbiz pal on The Reluctant Vampire, the new TV adaptation of Eric Morecambe's 1982 novel of the same name.
Ross told the BBC: "Bill is one of the most joyful people to spend time with, we first worked together over 30 years ago on the comedy circuit.
"I was a teenager and he was still in a double act. That was helpful as the gargoyles are a cross-talking double act which he mastered long before he was a solo performer.
"After we finished filming the makeup team would have drinks ready for us while they removed all the rubber. What a delight to see Bill dancing about to an unusual bit of music he had discovered in regular clothes with a gargoyle head and a drink in his hand."
Bill also cherished the experience of working with Ross.
The comedy star - who plays Guy the Gargoyle on the TV show - said: "It was great fun working with Ross, we’ve performed on shows together for many years, but never as gargoyles.
"I think this might be a spin-off benefit of the show, me and Ross get hired for some extra gargoyle work ... weddings, parties, or maybe just scaring pigeons ... or clearing pubs out after last orders."
Bill also discussed the "unusual" experience of portraying a gargoyle on The Reluctant Vampire.
He said: "It was an unusual experience, being that only my head was visible, my body was perched on a stool the other side of the set. There were a lot of prosthetics and make-up to be applied, so it took a while to prep.
"Once installed in gargoyle mode, it took a while to get into gargoyle acting, something I’d never done before. Playing a stone figure requires a degree of practice. You have to be stone-like, but not too stone-like. And animated, but not too animated it was about getting the right balance.
"Physically it was quite a challenge, as we were just acting with our gargoyle heads - they were poking through a wall, so once you were installed it was quite a palaver to get out."
