Once upon a time in the '80s, when the programmers still had a bit of taste, MTV ran (and re-ran and re-ran) the BBC's chaotic but classic brit-com The Young Ones (along with, at one point, the marvelous Comic Strip Presents). Set in a ramshackle student hovel populated by four highly unlikely lads, The Young Ones featured a group of up-and-coming performers and writers just as they began to get a feel for their comic brilliance.
The Young Ones were Rik the pathetic poet (Rik Mayall), Vyvyn the indestructible anarchist (Adrian Edmundson), Neil the depressed hippie (Nigel Planer) and Mike the cool guy (Christopher Ryan). Along with their psychotic landlord (Alexi Sayle) and some of the coolest weekly musical guests ever to grace a sitcom (including the likes of Madness, Moterhead, Dexy's Midnight Runners and the Damned) the lads battled the fascist bully boys of the unforgiving establishment and, among others, the occasional South African vampire, serial killer, Easter Bunny and, most famously of all, the all-star snobs of Footlights College (Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry)... "Rah rah rah we're going to smash the Oinks!" Other guest stars included the likes of Keith Allen, Hale and Pace, Mel Smith,Terry Jones, Lenny Henry, French and Saunders and Robbie Coltrane.
Created and written by Ben Elton (The Man From Auntie, Popcorn etc..), Lise Mayer and Mayall, The Young Ones' ultra-violent buffoonery struck a chord with students the world over, making it an instant cult classic. Watching it now, one finds the show more interesting perhaps for the ability to watch so many fine talents hone thier skills in such an absurd setting. The episodes certainly don't hold up that well when compared with the future output of this talented group, including Mayall and Edmundson's Bottom, French and Saunders Ab-fab and Vicar of Dibley, Elton's novels and work on Blackadder and the increasingly distinguished work of Coltrane, Thompson, Fry and Laurie. That said, however, The Young Ones still offers any number of comedic nuggets per episode that make it well worth seeking out for the unintiated, if only to hear Rik's amazing poetic tribute to Cliff Richard (with whom the lads had a #1 hit in the UK with a version of Richard's Living Doll).
The Young Ones on the Web
Steve Rapport's Young Ones Home Page
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