The comedian, 67, is said to have become unwell at a friend’s wedding celebration in Poole, though a later report says he has since been given a clean bill of health.
Vic Reeves, whose real name is Jim Moir, was taken to hospital by ambulance after reportedly becoming unwell at a wedding at the Hotel du Vin in Poole, Dorset. Paramedics were called to the venue, where he had been attending a friend’s celebration. A source told the Daily Mail that the mood changed quickly from laughter to concern. A report published on 11 October said he was checked over in hospital and given a “clean bill of health”.
What a witness described
According to the source who spoke to the Daily Mail, Reeves had been in good spirits and was entertaining guests. “Vic was telling jokes and entertaining people – and obviously everyone was hitting the bar as the party went on just as you’d expect,” the source said.
The source went on: “But suddenly it appeared to take a bit of a turn for the worse – there was a commotion in the middle of the group, and staff were being asked to call for an ambulance which turned out to be for Vic, who wasn’t looking at all well. It all happened very quickly.”
They added: “The next thing, he was being wheeled out by paramedics. It all seemed to shift from lots of laughter to serious concern pretty fast.”
Reports suggest Reeves may have pushed himself too hard during the festivities. The incident alarmed other guests. He was taken to a nearby hospital for urgent assessment. The collapse is based on witness accounts and has not been independently confirmed.
The update on his condition
The report published on 11 October said Reeves was checked over in hospital and given a “clean bill of health”. It is the only update beyond the initial accounts of the incident, and the source gives no statement from the comedian himself.
His previous diagnosis
Reeves revealed in 2021 that doctors had found a tumour in his head. It is a vestibular schwannoma, a usually benign growth on the nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain. Speaking on The Adam Buxton Podcast, he said: “I’ve got what’s called a vestibular schwannoma. It’s a tumour in my head. It’s like the size of a grape, so they just have to keep an eye on it.”
He explained: “It’s benign. They can’t remove it – they can shrink it, or they can just leave it and keep an eye on it, and that’s what they’re doing.” At the time, he said it was being monitored with regular MRI scans rather than removed surgically.
The condition has permanently affected his hearing. “I’ve gone completely deaf, 100 per cent deaf, in the left ear, and it will never come back. It’s dead – absolutely completely gone,” he said. It has also affected his birdwatching. “I like to go out birdwatching and I never know where the birds are. I can hear them, but I don’t know what direction they are,” he said.
A vestibular schwannoma does not, on its own, establish the cause of an acute medical emergency, and there is no confirmation that the reported incident was connected to it.
Life beyond comedy
Away from his best-known work with Bob Mortimer, Reeves has pursued painting and birdwatching. He also presented Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir, which followed him and his wife as they explored wildlife and painted birds.
