BBC Television Comedy from the 80s
The Young Ones is a British-made television sitcom made in 1982 and 1984, about four totally mis-matched students sharing a house together in the early 1980s.
But like all classic television programmes, it transcended its' roots to become the classic British comedy series of the early 1980s, helping to launch the then-alternative comedy scene into mainstream TV culture.
Like Monty Python in the 1960s and The Goodies in the 1970s, it occasionally went into surreal sketches and characters that retained a vague link to the main narrative.
Almost every significant "alternative" British comedian of the late 1980s and 1990s were featured in The Young Ones, either on screen or behind the scenes. People such as Chris Barrie, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Hale & Pace, Lenny Henry, Hugh Laurie, Norman Lovett, Griff Rhys Jones, Tony Robinson, Jennifer Saunders, Mel Smith, and two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson got their first starts on television through The Young Ones.
During the late 1970s to early 1980s, the British "youth" culture was (yet again) in a vague alternative rebellion. Punk had hit the music culture, with bands like The Sex Pistols spitting on stage, and saying naughty swear words on live television, shocking mainstream conservative Britain.
The comedy scene was no exception. Alternative comedians were now coming to the fore, with their brand of "toilet" humour mixed in with a bit of left-wing political satire and a few swear words.
During this time, Rik Mayall (Rick), Adrian Edmondson, (Vyvyan) and Ben Elton had all graduated with a drama degree from Manchester University, and headed for The Comedy Store in London. This was the "centre" of the alternative-comedy scene.
Mayall and Edmondson had set up a double-act called Twentieth Century Coyotes. Ben Elton established himself as a stand-up comedian and became the main compere at the Comedy Store.
Nigel Planer (Neil) and Peter Richardson (later in The Comic Strip) were also a double-act entitled The Outer Limits. The original plan for The Young Ones would have throw these two double-acts together. However, for some reason Peter Richardson either rejected the idea, or was not considered. Apparently, (according to someone who spoke to Adrian Edmondson), Ben Elton wanted to replace him, but the production team felt he was a better writer than actor.
At this time, Christopher Ryan (a stage actor, not a comedian) was in a play called CAN'T PAY, WON'T PAY. Andy De La Tour (an alternative comedian) recommended him for the role, Paul Jackson (the producer) saw him at the play, and the rest is history...
This was the pilot episode, and it shows. All
the essential elements that made The Young Ones what it is is there in
one form or another, but some elements of the characters are expanded upon
here and others contracted. Mike is more of a self-styled ladykiller, Neil
keeps trying to commit suicide, Rick's poetry and love of Cliff Richard
is more fanatical, and Vyvyan makes his entrance through a wall. The band
playing in the living room is NINE BELOW ZERO.
"As Rick, Vyv, Neil, and Mike move into their new house, the talking statue at the front door begins an odyssey of zaniness that is to culminate in a worker's revolution and a fully-fledged benefit concert in the front room."
Moving into an new house, Vyvyan finds oil in
the basement. This was made six months after Demolition,
yet transmitted the week after it. Infamous moments from this one include
Buddy Holly singing about insects, the two hard-working executives taking
a holiday in front of a 20-watt bulb, Neil having six pairs of arms and
Radical Posture / Alexei Sayle singing about Dr. Marten boots.
"Is life really that boring for the four students ? A terrorist siege in their own house; a visitation from Hell; a fairy tale world that flourishes while they are asleep. And yet they are so B-O-R-E-D that Neil is driven to dig himself in a grave and Vyv chops his finger off."
It's an average boring normal day in Studentville
- or is it? This features a walk down Abbey Road (in London) to the Kebab
and Calculator (in Bristol), the three bears, a red dwarf from Hell called
Footoomch (sp?), Vyvyan's mother, and Madness singing House Of Fun. Anyone
who was in Studentville will know days like this :-)
"A potentially explosive situation erupts when a bomb falls on the house .... But worse ! The TV licence man calls."
The lads find an atomic bomb and try to auction it to the highest seller. This involves Neil painting himself white to deflect a nuclear blast, the Dicky and Dino show, and Dexys' Midnight Runners singing "Jackie Wilson said" in the toilet. Footage of a plane dropping the bomb precedes the credits.
"Haven't you really got anything better
to do" fact: - Notice that when the gang switches on the TV to
find out what's going on, the picture of the test card is actually stuck
onto the TV, and the camera swings around to hide this fact after the TV
has outlived its' usefulness...
"It's party-time ! Where else could you mingle with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, a giant sandwich and a singing tomato? Pretty amazing stuff eh ? Just ignore Neil's boring hippy friend chilling-out in the fridge ... "
This one features Jennifer Saunders with toy mice
in her handbag, Neil on the moon, Rick's sociology professor Jim Morrison,
Cinderella and Santa Claus. The song is "You're My Kind Of Climate"
by RIP, RIG AND PANIC, featuring a young Neneh Cherry. If you've ever held
a party as a stoodent, you may well sympathise with this one..
"While London floods, Rick tries to elevate proceedings with a game of hide-and-seek. Meanwhile his sociology file is set on fire by Vyv, Mike's room is occupied by a pride of lions, and landlord Alexei Sayle turns into an axe-wielding homicidal maniac."
It starts with the guys being bored, and Neil repeatedly bashing himself in the face with a frying pan. The guys also try to eat Neil when he returns from the supermarket empty-handed. Vyv hides in the wardrobe and ends up in Narnia. No band or music.
"Who produced the world's stickiest bogey and the world's stupidest bottom-burp ? Who's smashing the oiks on University Challenge and who's swotting away for teacher like a total spasmo?"
The lads compete on a game show (representing Scumbag College) against some upper-class students from Footlights College, Cambridge while The Elephant Man tries to convince Tony Robinson that he is an elephant.
Probably the most famous episode, this is especially
appreciated after exams! This features Motorhead performing Ace Of Spades
with a rare 4-piece line-up, and lots of British stars of the future, including
someone who will later fall to pieces in front of 500,000,000 viewers across
the world...
"Hey man ! It's really weird ! Strange things keep happening. Like plates are disappearing and the tables keep, well, shrinking. Looks like there's a poltergoost in the house...."
Our heroes find themselves running out of money,
Vyvyan announces his pregnancy and Neil becomes a police officer. The song
is Subterranean Homesick Blues performed by (amongst others) Jools Holland,
Glen Tilbrook, and Stewart Copeland (of The Police).
The video revolution catches with the gang as
they decide to rent some nasty videos with plenty of sex and violence.
Of course, a vampire (naturally from South Africa) tends to ruin
things. The band playing in the living room are The Damned with Video Nasty.
This episode has a different beginning sequence, presenting the episode
as if it were a horror film
"Vyv's being violently and copiously sick because Rick's like scored with a chick and the whole house has like gone through some kind of time warp."
Can it be true ?!! Rick found a girlfriend ?!!! This episode also starts with different credits, a Dallas parody featuring a secretary typing with her nipples... The band are AMAZULU, with So Much Love.
"There's bogeys on the blankets and snot on the sheets when Neil and the others come down with the worst colds in the history of civilisation !"
"Hey, everybody ! School's out ! Hurray ! Hurray ! Except, like there's nothing to do, man, apart from getting on a big red bus and having a really explosive trip. It should be pretty good fun, actually."
In the final episode, the summer holidays beckon. Rick's parents die, and they are all thrown out of the house with no money. Will Rick be forced to sell his body ? What will our intrepid heroes do next ? The music is brought to you by John Otway, singing Body Talk.
All Episodes
Written By: Ben Elton & Rik Mayall & Lise Mayer
Additional Material : Alexei Sayle
Directed By: Geoff Posner
Rick, the political anarchist studying Sociology (or was it Domestic Science?) who was a poetic genius, adored Cliff Richard and rude words, was played by RIK MAYALL.
Vyvyan, the violent medical punk student who liked lager and curries was played by ADRIAN EDMONDSON. He had orange hair and four metal stars glued to his forehead. The back of his jacket says VERY METAL. His little pet was Special Patrol Group (SPG), a Scottish hamster with an attitude....
Neil, the lentil-loving depressed hippie studying Peace Studies and occasionally abused by his friends was played by NIGEL PLANER
Mike, the cool "straight" one who has lots and lots of girlfriends
(or so we think) and incriminating photos of the Dean, was played
by CHRISTOPHER RYAN
The writers were:
Additional material was by Alexei Sayle. The director was Geoff Posner. The producer was Paul Jackson, who went on to produce Red Dwarf, and was head of programming at Carlton Television...
Ed Bye was a production assistant. He later went on to direct GIRLS ON TOP, promoted as the "female Young Ones" and starring French and Saunders. He directed some episodes of Red Dwarf and now directs and produces The Full Wax. He's also married to Ruby Wax.
What have they done since? |
He is married to Jennifer Saunders (writer and star of Absolutely Fabulous) and on a Hysteria AIDS benefit concert said "You might remember me .. I used to be very funny. But it's been a long time since The Young Ones, and I've just come to this benefit to boost my sadly flagging career, though I don't know what the f**k this do is all about."
He also co-wrote a book entitled HOW TO BE A COMPLETE B*STARD (the ISBN number is 0-86369-182X). His first novel, The Gobbler, is now available in paperback.
He has also co-written a novel with Robert Llewelyn (Kryten, Red Dwarf) entitled "Therapy - How to Avoid It". Priced at £10, the ISBN number is 0 340 64905 4.
He also contributed a foreword to "Zen and the Magic of Roundabout Maintenance", a book about the Magic Roundabout written by Dougal and Zebedee (well, actually Roger Planer). The ISBN number is 0 14 090379 8, and was priced at £4.99
He's predominately a stage actor, and was in Guys And Dolls and Off The Ledge.
She was the girlfriend of Rik Mayall at the time - until he left her when she was pregnant for his current wife (at least according to a feature on him in GQ Magazine). She has also allegedly "dated" with Rowan Atkinson, Harry Enfield and Angus Deayton... though she's collaborated with Angus Deayton on a number of writing duties.