Vic Reeves flies the Jolly Roger and swashes his buckle to indulge a lifelong fascination with pirates in a live show today. The Darlington-born comedian and presenter is in Cape Cod, America, to host a dive to the wreck of the pirate ship Whydah. It's a dream come true for the popular celebrity who has never lost a sense of wonder in pirate stories since first reading them as a child. Pirate Ship - Live hopes to find a treasure chest buried under 20 feet of sand for almost 300 years. And Vic hopes to get the chance to don a diving suit to join the team of experts and find some of the pirate booty himself. His interest in the subject extends to owning a first edition book written by a 17th century pirate as well as being first choice to host the five programme. He explained why he is still walking the plank when most adults have left pirate stories behind. He said: "I think it was the thrill of adventure combined with the pantomime of the whole thing. "All the stories about the golden age of piracy have evolved into something far more glorious than it was which was basically a band of itinerants sailing around and robbing people. "It's going to be really exciting like a giant lucky dip." Vic's job is to coordinate live coverage of the dive with a reconstruction of the story behind the Whydah. The former British slave ship - said to be the world's only authenticated pirate ship - was stolen by the Devon-born pirate Black Sam Bellamy but was sunk in fierce storms. Already some artifacts have been found including a leg bone belonging to nine-year-old crew member John King. A team of underwater archeologists, led by Barry Clifford, hope to find some of the huge haul of stolen cargo. Vic said: "The storm that destroyed the Whydah was so violent that the wreckage was strewn over four miles. "But the heavy stuff - the cannons and the mother lode of gold and ivory - would have gone straight down." The story of the vessel and its self-appointed captain is itself a glimpse into the romance of the period. Black Sam was a man who enjoyed wearing fine clothes but gained a reputation as a successful and ruthless pirate. He stole from over 50 ships but promised - so the story goes - to return to his mistress when he was satisfied with his treasure. A few gold and silver coins, jewelry, pistols and the personal affects of pirates have all been discovered in recent months. They include the small shoe, silk stocking and part of the leg bone belonging to young John King. Five said: "Marine archaeologists believe they are on the verge of discovering tons of pirate booty looted from 50 different ships from that time." V PIRATE SHIP - LIVE, today, five, 8pm. | 
