Bob Mortimer wins Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for his ‘mischievous’ debut novel

A pig volition beryllium named aft Bob Mortimer’s debut novel, The Satsuma Complex, arsenic the comedian’s publication has been announced arsenic the victor this year’s Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction.

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer.

Mortimer, who recovered fame arsenic 1 fractional of Reeves and Mortimer alongside Vic Reeves, said helium was “really chuffed” to person won the award. “I inactive person nary thought if I tin really constitute but this grant gives maine caller hope,” helium added.

The Satsuma Complex tells the communicative of ineligible adjunct Gary Thorn, who goes for a pint with a enactment acquaintance, Brendan, who has to permission early. Gary past meets a miss successful the pub; helium falls for her, but she abruptly disappears. Gary did not drawback her name, and lone remembers her by the publication she was reading, The Satsuma Complex. When Brendan goes missing, Gary decides to way down the girl.

Mortimer “approaches the satellite with a sly, mischievous smile”, said judging seat and Hay festival laminitis Peter Florence. “I conjecture this is what happens erstwhile you crook a brilliant, oblique comedic attraction to life. The connection and the code extremity your cognition each the time, and helium has this unusual quality to support the scholar connected the precise brink of guffawing for full chapters astatine a time.

“You get to emotion each these characters, the bully ones and the atrocious ones and the precise atrocious ones. And you’ll commencement talking to squirrels. And past you’ll person to deliberation astir what that’s achieving for you.”

The grant seeks to recognise the funniest caller novels that champion evoke the tone of PG Wodehouse’s witty characters and comic timing. Along with the pig (which volition proceed to unrecorded astatine Oaklands Farm successful eastbound Sussex), Mortimer volition besides triumph a jeroboam of Bollinger Special Cuvée, a lawsuit of Bollinger La Grande Année and the implicit acceptable of the Everyman’s Library PG Wodehouse collection.

Other novels shortlisted for the grant were Darling by India Knight, Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham, Mother Hens by Sophie McCartney, Murder astatine Crime Manor by Fergus Craig and Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan.

Alongside Florence connected this year’s judging sheet were comedians Pippa Evans and Sindhu Vee, Everyman’s Library steadfast David Campbell, broadcaster James Naughtie and Hay festival vice-president Justin Albert.

Previous winners person included Jonathan Coe, Helen Fielding and Terry Pratchett. Last year, Percival Everett won the prize for his caller The Trees.